It’s hard to go wrong with the classic tropes of comedy and drama. Forbidden love and grand larceny, especially when combined by the British into a farcical stage production, are simply par for the course.
Those tropes and that genre are exactly what audiences should expect to get when experiencing the Cal Poly Theatre and Dance Department’s “Black Comedy,” playing in Alex and Faye Spanos Theatre May 12-14 and 19-21 at 8 p.m.
“Black Comedy” may profess to be a farce, but it is far from lacking in creativity. The script, written by Peter Shaffer and first performed in 1965, details the plight of a young couple whose thievery is foiled by an unexpected power outage. Though the characters get left in the dark, the audience sees things in a whole new light.
“When it’s light out, it’s dark on stage, and when it’s dark outside, it’s light on stage,” director Josh Machamer said. “It’s really trying to explore the idea of what happens in the dark.”
Tickets are $12-$20 and are available at pacslo.org or the Performing Arts Center (PAC) ticket office.