The Maritime Way of Life

I love black comedy, and until I saw The Maritime Way of Life, I would have said the more twisted the better. But this play shocked me. I went expecting to laugh at all those stereotypical east coast obsessions that include everything from bagpipes to fear of the dreaded come-from-aways, and I was not disappointed. What I did not expect was how icky it made me feel to be laughing at a play that seem to me to be making sport of people with disabilities. Some of the biggest laughs centre on the funny speech of the quadriplegic grandma, and the crux of the play is how to profit from "cripples." I struggle with the question of what is fair game for comedy. My feeling is that while poking fun at cultural stereotypes is fine, disability is off-limits. Am I just being uptight and humorless? (KW)