Author: Tyler Kearn
The Haines common room was packed Friday night, as over 100 people-far in excess of the rows of furniture set up-crowded along the back wall, the side walls and outside the door, all trying to get a view of the “world premiere” of The Tragedy of Ted Taylor. Written by Charles Bennett (first-year), directed by Michael Darling (sophomore) and starring Richie DeMaria (sophomore), Alison Pentland (first-year), Victor Kali (sophomore), Bennett and Darling, the play is a humorous take on the lengths people will go to for money and love. The doors to the Haines common room were graced by a newly-written sign that read “The Tragedy of Ted Taylor Theater,” but it was hard to even squeeze through those doors as people clustered around them. As with any room that is packed with more people than would probably be advisable, it quickly got very hot and stuffy; luckily, neither the cast nor the audience seemed to care.
The Tragedy of Ted Taylor is the kind of play where one character describes another as “dah most emotional person in dah world” and when one character asks another why he shot him, the reply is “because you shot me.” It is the kind of play where the “guns” are eyeglass cases, and the “set” is the wall with a piece of paper-black marker on printer paper-taped to it that either reads “Long Island” or “Brooklyn” or “Golf Course” or whatever else.
The actors played their parts just right-neither too serious nor over the top-and the play had some hilarious moments. What was truly special about the performance was that the audience was really enthusiastic. Laughter rocked the tightly-packed room when one character was criticizing another’s “heavy consumption of hooch,” but people laughed just as hard during smaller moments-when the lights went down and a scene change occurred after a 20 second scene, or when Kali, the narrator, popped out of a door from the side wall halfway through the performance.
The fun atmosphere didn’t die after the play ended. A Q&A session, which included Bennett rapping, revealed that any of the characters besides the hero and his love interest might be homosexual, depending on the way the actor chooses to portray them.
After the reaction they received, and the fact that they were not able to get the whole performance on tape, the cast is eager to stage another performance. They have yet to set a date or time, but, if you missed the show the first time (or even if you didn’t), keep your eyes peeled.
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