Mask and Wig pokes fun at life

The nursery rhyme, "The butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker" takes on new meaning in Mask and Wig's fall production. Debauchery, Debacle, DeCandlestick-maker opens tonight in the Houston Hall Auditorium, combining comic sketches and music in a revue format. The show will feature parodies of life, poking fun of game shows, talk shows and family life, Producer David Franklin said. "The show will poke humor at issues from people to politics, from love to lust," the Wharton and Engineering senior added. "From debauchery to debacle, from debasement to de roof, Mask and Wig will rock the house." Director Norman Golightly said the show changes the rules of the game and pushes the limits. He compared the format to a mix of Monty Python, Kids in the Hall and Saturday Night Live. "We used to bend the rules of the game," Golightly, a Wharton junior said. "Now we're changing the rules and even playing a different game. You'll find clever analogies between drug abuse, jello and board games." According to Golightly, preparations for the fall play begin over the summer. "We have to start off 100 steps before the other theatrical groups," he said. "We write our own script, build our own scenery, and compose our own music." Musical director Stephen Raneri described the music as a blend of the bands Guns 'N Roses and Abba. "There will be no cheese this year," Wharton senior Raneri said. "It's not the normal fare for Mask and Wig. The band has never sounded better." Stage Manager David Ades, a College senior, said the strength of the set comes from its simplicity. "It's like the Eiffel Tower up really close," he said. College senior Joshua Frank, a cast member, described this year's show as the best he has been in. "There is such a diversity of humor, from the really bizarre to the really basic, from the groaner to the screamer," Frank, who plays President George Bush, Speaker of the House Tom Foley and a mad scientist said. "There's something for everyone." Golightly also suggested the election would be one of the themes of the night. "The election is an obvious target," he said. "People would be disappointed if we didn't make fun of the candidates." College senior Dan Bisbee said the cast does not hold back and has no inhibitions about humor. "We never lose the core of our tradition," he said. "We feel the pulse of comedy and don't lose sight of the fact that we are here to make everyone laugh and leave the show with a slight chortle in his/her throat." Franklin said the show is the best that Mask and Wig has put on stage in recent years. "When you leave the show, you'll feel refreshed and ready to go back out into the world of Halloween Blues and midterms," he said. The show will be running today through Saturday and tickets will be on sale on Locust Walk and at the door. The early show on Thursday was cancelled.

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