When the stage is lit up, the characters are actually in the dark. When the stage is dark, the lights are actually on in the characters' world. That may not make sense, but hopefully it will if you attend Springfield Contemporary Theatre's new production of Peter Shaffer's 1965 British farce Black Comedy, opening tonight and running through June 19 at SCT Center Stage in Wilhoit Plaza. As director Patrick Schuster explains, the show starts out "completely in the dark. The gimmick is, when the lights are on inside the flat, it's completely dark (on stage). When the power goes out (a major plot point here), the stage lights come up. It's a reversal for the audience, so they can actually see everything. Adie Williams, one of the actors in the show, says the audience will "have to just listen to the first few minutes" of the show. Most people probably recognize Peter Shaffer for his highly fictionalized stage and screen version of Mozart's life, Amadeus. Black Comedy is one of his earlier
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