I've had the experience previously: my sense of humor is...unique. Special? Different...okay, freakish. I guess. I laugh, OUT LOUD, at things that tickle my funny bone (heh, heh, I said "bone"). Sexual innuendo cracks me up. Chekhov, done well, makes me giggle like a toddler as someone tears paper in front of me (exhibit A).
But last night's show WAS special! The Coward is a comedy - a silly, off beat, period piece with fun characters, oddball situations, powdered-wigs and more. What's not to giggle at? So, I laughed, out loud - along with several people around me, I might add, so this wasn't one of those times where my sense of humor was totally out of whack with the audience or tone of the play. Well, someone apparently thought it was. A fellow audience member began looking in my direction (not sure if it was at me, as I say, other folks in the audience were also tickled by the goings-on on stage) and he'd stare for about 3 seconds with a look of admonishment on his face. Brows arched, eyes accusing. I'm not gonna lie, it struck me as funny. The more I laughed, the more I noticed this person noticing (& judging?) me, the more I found it funny that he was so engrossed in the off-stage world, instead of the show he was presumably there to watch. By the time I thought of counting (mid-way through Act II), he looked in my direction no fewer than 9 times.
One of those times, I engaged him - I laughed, he looked, I looked back, laughing, as if to say, "Hey, this is fun, isn't it?". He stared, I laughed more, I raised my brows to indicate that I could judge him for not laughing just as much as he could judge me for laughing. I'm (childishly) pleased to say I won that little staring/daring contest!
While your experience may be different (unless this person decides to attend every performance) I think you'll probably find some reasons to really enjoy this production. The soundtrack is phenomenal and makes the scene changes a special treat. There's some really great character work and I loved the guy who played the father (I'm not a reviewer, I don't need to get names right!) and the lead's pals were a lovely balance (though the guy I enjoyed the most was also the hardest to understand - great vocal choice, but it could have used some diction exercises & air support to make it clearer for us trying to hear). The premise is fairly universal (how to break from the shadow of what our parents want us to be, family disappointment, fitting into social constructs) and this was a really fun take on 'what if' certain choices were made.
So if you want to laugh, go ahead & check out Stage Left Theatre's production of The Coward (runs through October 5th).
Assuming, of course, that you've already seen Witch Slap!
:-)