Abby Murray-Nikkel
Mr. Haning
Varsity Chorus 1b
March 24, 2011
This past month I had the opportunity to see the play Rumors, put on by the Cape Fear Regional Theatre and directed by Dirk Lumbard. I was not sure what to expect, because I have not generally attended comedic plays in the past. I am used to seeing dramas or musicals, but can not even remember seeing a live comedic play that was not a musical.
The play is set in the 1980’s and revolves around a group of friends at an anniversary party at which the couple celebrating their anniversary is not present. The scene is set first by classic 80’s music playing in the background. We hear a series of messages left on an answering machine for a happy couple that is soon hosting an anniversary party; then there is a gunshot. The mood was at first joyful, and then suspenseful, as everyone in the audience wondered where the gunshot came from.
We then find out from another couple, who arrived to the house for the party and heard teh gunshot, that the husband has shot himself in the ear, and the wife has disappeared. As more couples arrive for the party, they have a hard time keeping what they have discovered a secret from their friends. As more people discover the truth, it becomes even harder to hide it from those who do not know. This creates many hilarious interactions between the friends. In addition to the already sticky situation, other things complicated the plot as well, such as numerous accidents in the kitchen and suspicions of cheating within one couple’s marriage.
The comedy in this play was surprisingly similar to that of popular television shows and movies today. This made me realize that this kind of stupid humor is not just a recent trend. It was also interesting to me to see the wide age range of audience members that were all able to enjoy the comedic relief of the performance.
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