Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein

It seemed very strange to be watching something called 'An Adult Evening' at 9.15 in the morning but that was probably appropriate for this production.Shel Silverstein was an American poet, singer-songwriter, cartoonist, musician and author, particularly of children’s books. He also wrote more than a hundred one-act plays, most of them slightly dark and twisted. Each performance here is a set of eight short sketches, out of ten in total. Each sketch has a cast of two or three. Watch & Dry is set in what appears to be a laundry, but is it? Always make sure you know what you’re committing yourself to.Do Not Feed The Animal. Somebody sits on a park bench with an animal in a box and a sign saying not to feed it. Disregard warning signs at your peril.Click is probably the darkest play, about a man who is playing Russian Roulette with a revolver containing only a blank. But is it blank?No Skronking is set in a café where skronking is totally forbidden. Don’t even ask.Best Daddy. Lisa is overjoyed to be given a pony on her birthday. What a pity her father’s just shot it.One Tennis Shoe is about a woman who is developing a tendency to become a bag lady.Lifeboat Is Sinking is another very dark comedy. If you were in a lifeboat that was sinking, who would you throw overboard, your wife, daughter, girlfriend or yourself?All Cotton is set in a clothes shop at sales time, where all-cotton non-shrink shirts are not what they claim to be.This is a very enjoyable production. Some of the short plays are very funny indeed, while others are less successful, or perhaps a bit too dark for me, such as Click. The performers are top quality throughout. Highly recommended.