UofSC Lab Theatre Celebrates Biting Humor of Christopher Durang One-Act Plays

Two outrageous one-act plays will take the stage at the UofSC Lab Theatre October 14-17, as the Department of Theatre and Dance presents Double Durang: An Evening of One-Acts by Christopher Durang.

The evening celebrates the acerbic wit of Tony-winning playwright Christopher Durang (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike) with two of his most outlandish short comedies. In For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls, Durang's twisted sendup of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, a fading Southern Belle tries to set up her neurotic, cocktail-stirrer-obsessed son with an outlandish "feminine caller." In the absurdist Wanda's Visit, the lives of a bored married couple are turned upside down by the unexpected guest from hell.

"Lots of laughter" is what Southern Belle director David Britt says audiences should expect from this celebration of Durang's distinctive comedic style. "His writing is very funny but dark, and really makes fun of us and our reactions to the world."

That sardonic humor is on full display with For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls. All of the key character types of the dysfunctional family in Williams' The Glass Menagerie are in place, but "the tables are turned, and politeness has been thrown out the window," says Britt.

The monotony of married life takes the hot seat in Wanda's Visit, directed by theatre major Logan Davies, as a comfortable relationship is tested to the most extreme of limits.

"It's a story of love, jealousy and fine dining," jokes Davies.

"One of the most enjoyable aspects of this script is how high energy and electric it is. The actors are able to bounce energy back and forth, and there really is never a dull moment," Davies says.

The evening's all-undergraduate cast includes Mitchell Blackwell, Kinzie Correll, Brendon Martyn, and Rosa Ramirez in For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls; and Rachael Bates, Matt Chasney, Lilly Heidari, Jordan Postal, Michael Taylor, and Jacob Wilson in Wanda's Visit.

Show times are 8pm nightly. Tickets for the production are $10, and available online at theatre.sc.edu or at the door. The Lab Theatre is located at 1400 Wheat St., on the first floor of the Booker T. Washington building.

Photo: The cast of For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls. Shown, l-r: (front) Brendon Martyn, Mitchell Blackwell, Kinzie Correll; (back) Rosa Ramirez