Need a laugh?
Salem State Theatre is staging "Red Noses," a play by Peter Barnes about a priest in 14th-century Europe who creates a comedic troupe of players to bring healing to a world ravaged by the plague.
It's not your typical comedy, but "Red Noses" highlights death, grief and the importance of humor.
"The play is odd," said director Bill Cunningham, a professor at Salem State University, "and it's hilarious, and it's deeply tender, too. It may be edgy humor, but it also packs a wallop."
In the show, the priest's troupe includes a mute bell-wearing clown, a lusty singing nun, a mercenary turned actor, a reluctant priest, a disaffected member of the upper crust, a blind juggler, a comedienne with a speech impairment and a disabled exotic dancer.
"Red Noses" won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play in 1985. Students Jenny Dale, Dan Krysten and Joe Metcalfe take the stage in the Salem production.
The show opened last week, and the curtains rise on another four-performance run Thursday, Dec. 2, at the Mainstage Theatre on campus. Performance times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $15, or $10 for seniors and students. Salem State students are admitted free.
— Amanda McGregor
