by The Cowl Editor on October 4, 2018
Arts & Entertainment
by: Patrick Fuller ’21 A&E Co-Editor
Sketch comedy takes the spotlight in popular television programs like Saturday Night Live, Portlandia, and Key & Peele. However, Providence College has its own sketch comedy group tailored to the controversies and daily realities of the student body.
On Sept. 26, Six Gents, a motley crew of seven jokesters, had their first show of the year, debuting their newest material in the Ryan Concert Hall in the Smith Center for the Arts.
Led by President William Oser ’19 and Vice President Caprial Harris ’19, the Gents satirized all-too-familiar topics like orientation, Senior Ring Weekend, and the sabbatical of Father Brian Shanley, O.P. The group has always succeeded in crafting skits which function as inside jokes for the student audience, sometimes masking serious problems under the guise of parody.
For instance, Jack MacKeen ’21 wrote the skit, “Say No to Drugs,” which replaced the typical anti-drug policy lecture kids receive in middle school with a speech promoting the “coolness” of smoking marijuana. Rita Murphy ’19 wrote “The Purge,” a commentary on the stress and anarchy involved in finding a date for SRW. The skit tackled the chaos that would ensue if the Providence College administration shut down Take3, disabled Friar bucks, and allowed students to engage in any illegal activities necessary to secure a date for SRW.
Despite the continued talent of Six Gents, the group lost five members from last year including senior staples Alec Jacobsen ’18, Ivan Vukusic ’18, Michael Meeks ’18, and Sabrina Guilbeault ’18. Although the Gents are dwindling in number, they ended their show on a hopeful note, announcing auditions for new Gents on Sept. 23.