I’ve experienced moments of tragedy as an audience member so tense that you would shush a pin for dropping, have been enraptured by spectacle storytelling, and have had my personal values challenged by deep intellectual pieces that sit with me for weeks.
But there is something different about a theatre full of laughter.
7 comments:
Comedy in the theatrical setting is an idea that we never seem to give enough credit. Watching theatre can be an inherently taxing thing, as we are watching an imitation of life, and, as such, we may see things imitated that we don't want brought to our attention in that way. However, the right energy and right timing of the actors can completely change the way people view a show. For example, seeing Much Ado about Nothing at Carnegie Mellon one night could be a wildly different experience each night, as some audiences were far more receptive to the brand of comedy on display. If an audience is laughing, the actors have more fun, and, as such, the audience is even more energized watching the production. The article briefly dwells on the budding comedy education for the sake of theatre, with colleges such as Emerson starting specific comedy programs, and I think this is a vital direction for theatre education to go. Very few conservatory educations touch on comedy, instead focusing on serious acting and the technique behind it. It's easy to see why: comedy is a field that isn't as respected as, say, Shakespeare, but until we recognize that there is a market for each, and as such the two should be treated equally, the theatre world will start to stagnate and wither with the current (old) generation of theatre watchers.
This is one of the most interesting articles I've read so far. The intricacies of comedy and what exactly makes something funny always seemed to be a real but somehow immaterial idea to me, and I had no idea they were as complicated as the article made them sound. I also had always subconsciously noted how comedy has adapted according to the millennial generation, with the rise of Youtube comedians and comedians that talk about social issues in their sketches. Now that I think about it, you'd be hard-pressed to find a famous current comedian whose sketches didn't address a controversial issue at some point. However, I had never connected these things so the theater industry because, as this article stated, I didn't realize they could be connected. I wish that more young playwrights could realize the great need for modern comedic plays, because it seems to be a very profitable market. I think the best part about this article was when it talked about how new comedic authors don't understand how comedy works and keep trying to make funny things happen to their characters instead of letting the comedy show itself in other ways. Again, this was something that I can now pinpoint that before I just had vague feelings about.
I wish there was more comedic shows because I love comedy and I love to laugh. People think of comedy as a lesser art form because they do not think it is as sophisticated as drama. Writing good comedy is a lot harder than people think. It takes a lot of skill and practice to know what people are going to laugh at and how to deliver it. With most comedy it is either a hit or a miss or only a few people think it is funny. Good comedies make everyone happy and laugh. Sometimes that is exactly what people need to let loose. There are so many serious topics that we deal with in our daily lives and sometimes it is good to get a break from that and watch something ridiculous and laugh. Actors that can do comedy well are not always easy to find because there is a certain way of delivering jokes and they need to have good comedic timing.
I spend a considerable amount of time on Netflix watching the comedy specials...not that I spend that much time watching Netflix, granted, but of that time a good chunk of it is spent watching something that is truly entertaining and that will make me laugh. I often find that in the midst of my own struggles, I don't see a lot of appeal in theatrical drama: I can be sad or dramatic or tragic on my own. But theatre that makes me laugh is definitely worth it. The article spoke about how comedy can address issues just as well as a drama, but in a different way. In this respect I wholeheartedly agree: my favorite comedian of all time is Dylan Moran, an irish stand-up artist who's shows, while also lighthearted, touch on the serious topics of intimacy and love and death and aging and living. Not only are they hilarious, but they are also touching and real. Theatrical comedy, if done well, can be the same. Laughter is as good a medicine as any.
Comedy is in itself its own medium. Comedy transcends television, the internet, or theater. There's simply different types of comedy, able to extend itself over different venues.
I have often fought with people over comedy, over "what's funny," because comedy has always been an important part of my life. When I was in middle school, I would come home and watch Comedy Central reruns of terrible stand up and the Chappelle Show. I grew up watching stand up comedy and I have since become highly critical of it and other forms of comedy.
I agree with a lot in this article, especially the parts about how comedy is not just a story with some jokes in it. A comedy IS a joke. I really don't like the theatrical convention of wacky musicals - if you can't sum up the premise of the show with one quick, entertaining sentence, then I don't really care. There needs to be an end goal/joke/message.
The one part I didn't really understand was about teaching comedy to young playwrighting students. In my opinion, it is almost impossible to consciously teach comedy. There are some aspects that are inherent or learned through only doing or absorbing what others say. I guess there should be more emphasis on comedic theater rather than dramatic (because, guess what, I'm tired of being sad. Stop making me feel sad - I come to the theater to have a good time to ignore my sad life). I guess I would have to see how they could actually incorporate comedy into a playwrighting curriculum to understand it.
I personally love comedy, especially in theatre, because I think it is the hardest. It's hard to create a sad story that'll drive the audience to tears, but it's even harder to create punchlines that can make all the audience laugh. I remember countless times sitting at a show and not finding the intended punchlines/jokes to be funny at all, resulting in just awkwardness. Just like the article says, creating great comedy is more than just about timing and character motivations, it also involves knowing what the audience knows and bring in what are the issues/controversies is relevant to their world (or not relevant but they should know about). Just because comedy doesn't give off a "serious" atmosphere does not mean that it shouldn't be taken seriously. I've seen many comedians and their videos on YouTube, but none of them compare to the experience of sitting in the audience and watching a really good comedy (part of it is because if I watch something funny on YouTube I will watch it over and over again until it's not funny anymore, which I can't do with theatre). Comedy should definitely be more valued in theatre, and it's a shame that comedy is blossoming in other mediums now but not in theatre.
I will never understand why comedy for thousands of years has been regarded as the lesser form of entertainment. As Sophie mentions above, comedy is difficult and perhaps that's why we don't do it as much. It's hard to make people laugh. What jokes are relevant, whats the timing, what is trying too hard.
A show like Noises Off, which ahs returned to Broadway and is a hit. When you watch it, it seems like a simple enough show to do. There's sight gags, punchlines and snarky comments. But, to get the timing right, and to perform endless gags and a script similar in two acts, and silent in another, relying only on the comedic timing of others to get it correct, is exhausting! There is not enough credit given to a great comedy. I mean, other comedic shows have tried, like It's Only a Play of 2014 on Broadway. But what could have been a romp was a dull, self aggrandizing show about the death of theater. It wasn't funny to everyone- it pandered to a strictly broadway audience.
I agree. I miss comedies and I wish they were out there because as much as I love social justice issues and a good, moving tragedy- we really do just need to laugh. And sometimes laughter moves us more than tears.
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