My knowledge of Shel Silverstein is him as a writer of children’s poetry, specifically A Light in the Attic and Where the Sidewalk Ends–quirky poems, with odd drawings accompanying them.  Interestingly enough, Silverstein didn’t have his start with children’s poems–it was more a suggestion by his editor.

His books were quite popular when I was in middle school. I read the poems too, but never quite got them. I don’t mean in the sense of “what’s going on?” but more “ok, what’s the point?” And that’s the same sense I got with his play. Or really, it’s a collection of vignettes, since they don’t have an overarching theme.

There were certainly a few that stood out to me: “One Tennis Shoe” about a man’s wife becoming a bag lady was amusing, “Wash and Dry”, about  a woman learning to pay closer attention to where she’s taking her laundry was definitely a riot, and finally “Buy One, Get One Free” about two hookers who speak only in rhyme was impressive although I felt they all went on for too long. We get the point, don’t beat us over the head.

The actors themselves were quite stellar–with a cast of eight, actually seven, since one actress was out sick, they had to quickly change roles and in each skit they embodied that new and different role with ease.

My lack of knowledge and love of Shel Silverstein puts me at a disadvantage. From the reaction of the rest of the audience, I think everyone else found the skits a riot. Since I knew him as a children’s author I was a bit put off at the language, subject matter and even nudity. All of those on their own generally don’t bother me, but I wasn’t really prepared for it, so it took me awhile to wrap my head around it. (Word of warning: if your parents are sensitive to these subjects don’t bring them like I did. Although I think I was more embarrassed than my mom was.)  More than that, I just kept wondering why? Why bother writing and performing these skits? Perhaps his sense of humor is different from my own, but I spent more of the evening with my mouth dropped in utter shock/confusion or just raising an eyebrow than in laughter.

As I mentioned, the actors definitely held it together for me. This could have been a disaster, but they completely commit to their roles causing it to be a bit easier to go along with what’s happening. It’s not for everyone, but perhaps you are a lover of Silverstein or of just odd, dark humor, than you will enjoy this play.

Oh, but the Garage Theater did provide pizza at the end. Gold star for that.

It plays until March 27, every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm. The address and more information can be found here: www.thegaragetheatre.org

Photos taken by Jami Johnson