Қара комедия: Шаффердің бір актілік фарсысы

the play by Peter Shaffer

Black Comedy is a one act farce by Peter Shaffer, first performed in 1965. The premise of the piece is that light and dark are transposed, so that when the stage is lit the cast are supposed to be in darkness and only when the stage is dark are they supposed to be able to see each other and their surroundings. In the play, a young sculptor and his fiancée have borrowed some expensive antique furniture from a neighbour's flat without his permission to impress an elderly millionaire art collector. When the power fails, the neighbour returns early, other people also arrive unexpectedly, and matters descend into near chaos.

The play begins in complete darkness. Brindsley Miller, a young sculptor, and his debutante fiancée, Carol Melkett, have stolen some expensive antiques from his neighbour Harold Gorringe, who is away for the weekend, to spruce up Brindsley's apartment to impress Carol's father and a wealthy prospective art buyer named Georg Bamberger. Before the guests arrive, a fuse in the cellar short circuits, causing a blackout. The stage is instantly illuminated. As Brindsley and Carol search for matches, the phone rings and Brindsley answers. It is his former mistress Clea, who has just returned from Finland. Brindsley distracts Carol and refuses to see Clea. Miss Furnival, the occupant of the flat upstairs, enters seeking refuge from her fear of the dark. Miss Furnival is a spinster and lifelong teetotaller. They ring the London Electricity Board, but are told only that an electrician might arrive some time later that night. Carol's father, Colonel Melkett, arrives. He takes an almost instant dislike to Brindsley and is unimpressed with one of his sculptures – a large work in iron with two prongs. Harold Gorringe returns from his weekend early. Brindsley quickly pulls Harold into the flat so that he will not go into his own and discover the thievery. In the dark, Harold does not realise that the room is full of his own things. As Carol blindly mixes everyone drinks, Brindsley attempts to silently restore as much of the stolen furniture to Harold's flat as possible. There is a mix up as Carol hands out the drinks in the dark, and Miss Furnival is given liquor by mistake. She is hooked after her first taste, and stealthily procures more. Harold discovers Brindsley and Carol's engagement, and is furious at the news. It is obvious that he himself has secret feelings for Brindsley. (It is also implied that Brindsley might also be having an affair with Harold.) Clea enters unannounced. In the confusion, Brindsley catches hold of her bottom, and instantly recognises it. He manages to retreat with her to the loft, where his desperate pleas that she leave dissolve into passionate kisses. When she refuses to go, he concedes that she can stay in the loft, if she will not come downstairs. The electrician, a German named Schuppanzigh, arrives to mend the fuse, and everyone excitedly mistakes him for Bamberger. The electrician, with his lit torch, catches sight of the sculpture, and is extremely impressed. Schuppanzigh, who was highly educated in art at Heidelberg, praises Brindsley's work with great eloquence. Just as the statue seems on the verge of being sold for five hundred guineas, they realise who he really is. The group turns on him in indignation, and Schuppanzigh is cast down to the cellar to mend the fuse. Clea emerges from the loft and discovers Brindsley's engagement. Outraged, she dashes vodka over the startled guests. When Clea reveals herself, Carol is horrified, but is interrupted by Miss Furnival who, completely inebriated, erupts into a drunken tirade, ranting on the terrors of the modern supermarket, calling to her dead father, and prophesying a judgement day when "the heathens in their leather jackets" will be "stricken from their motorcycles." She is led out by a consoling Harold. Carol breaks off the engagement and the Colonel is livid. When Harold discovers the state of his room, he returns to Brindsley's flat mad with fury. He pulls one of the metal prongs out of the statue and advances on him. The Colonel follows suit, pulling out the other prong, and together they advance on the terrified sculptor. Finally, Georg Bamberger arrives. This time, the guests mistake the millionaire for the electrician, until Schuppanzigh emerges from the cellar and declares that the fuse is fixed. The startled guests realize that Bamberger has, at long last, arrived, and Brindsley exclaims happily "Everything's all right now! Just in the nick of time!" But just as he says this, Bamberger falls into the open trapdoor. As Harold, Colonel Melkett, and Carol advance on Brindsley and Clea, Schuppanzigh turns on the lights with a great flourish. There is instant darkness.