'Raised' in the Ex

It is always shocking when the lighter side of life emerges from the depths of existential musings. “Raised in Captivity,” a modern dark comedy that will play through Nov. 16 at the Loeb Ex, endeavors to distill and convey this sentiment on stage through a tumultuous tale.

Written by Nicky Silver, the play depicts the story of two estranged siblings, Sebastian Bliss (Teis D. Jorgensen ’14) and Bernadette Dixon (Susanna B. Wolk ’14), whose lives are thrust into chaos after misfortune leaves their mother victim to a wayward showerhead. Havoc ensues as marriages shatter, murderers becomes advisors, and psychologists and prostitutes overstep clientele expectations.

“It’s both funny and dark,” director Lily R. Glimcher ’14 says. “It deals with loss, abandonment, and identity, asking what happens when everything that you thought made you who you are is ripped away from you.”

Glimcher says that the wisdom and comedy arises from an honest representation of the characters, who themselves are quite funny. “Raised in Captivity” seeks to strike upon the most profound of life’s questions with a droll candor that, according to Glimcher, should make the audience more receptive to its insights.

Offering a fast-paced plot, an eclectic lineup of characters, and an experienced cast, “Raised in Captivity” is intent on using humor and shock to challenge standard perceptions of relationships. If answers to life’s many mysteries and some good laughs are not enough to entice, Glimcher also says that the characters will be double-casted, providing another level of intriguing complication to the play.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: Nov. 10, 2013

An earlier version of this article incorrectly reversed the names of the actors who played two estranged siblings in the comedy “Raised in Captivity.” In fact, Teis D. Jorgensen ’14 played the character Sebastian Bliss, and Susanna B. Wolk ’14 played the character Bernadette Dixon, not the other way around.