by The Cowl Editor on March 5, 2020
Arts & Entertainment
by: Brenna O’Leary ’20 A&E Staff
Were you trembling when January ended, bringing the dreaded news that the time had come yet again for Feb. 14—otherwise known as Valentine’s Day—to come? Did you hope that he would call, fear that they would get you the better gift, or wonder whether you would have to buy her flowers again? Was it that all you really wanted was to sit back, relax, and have a lot of fun? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then the last performance of Providence College’s Six Gents, entitled the “Valentine’s Day Sadness Show,” provided all of the laughs.
The show took place in the Smith Angell Blackfriars Theatre on Feb. 25 at 11 p.m. and had the audience falling in love through laughter and comradery. The Six Gents have always been known for their witticisms and stage presence, but the sketches for this show really blew the crowd away. Ranging from “Death at Disney World” to “Navy Seals,” the Six Gents created hilarious sketches by weaving their sense of humor and comedic timing with local news, word games, and more. In fact, in this show they took the opportunity of ending each sketch with a Gent asking the audience to play mad libs.
By ending the sketches with different Gents asking for crazy word pairings, the normal stage set up became one of the most hilarious parts of the night. Every sketch was followed by laughter and jubilant shouting, “Ok how about an adjective?” “Swampy!” Or perhaps a noun: “Bassoon!” The Gents collected words and displayed their talent as performers by reciting a long mad lib made up of the words shouted from the audience.
Megan Dunn ’20, an audience member who has attended many of the Six Gents’ shows, related how special the club is to PC. “It’s a really unique club on campus and their shows are witty and entertaining and a highlight of my month,” she said. Dunn is an example of how students here at PC value Six Gents’ performances; being the only sketch club on campus makes it even more exciting. However, the Gents themselves are what make it special.
This month’s Six Gents performance was an example of the comical and artful work the club is known for, and it provided many students with laughter and fun. Their not-so-subtle nod to the hilarities of Valentine’s Day disappointments reflects their desire to please and their ability to satirize.