List of Posts
As you may have noticed (see above), I am crazy travelling and working this summer. Of course I fantasized having time for some blog posts, but I can barely keep up with my laundry. So until September, here’s a cartoon for a quick laugh….
NY Times video: Acrobat stunt doubles walk the Metropolitan Opera’s elaborate set in Robert Lepage’s staging of Richard Wagner’s “Ring” cycle. Thanks to Riley Kellogg for the link!
Here’s a sweet husband-and-wife comedy acrobatic act with a few choice tricks and lots of personality — very funny. Thanks to Tanya Solomon for the link.
Here’s a simple but effective comedy idea. How do you make a highly skilled but somewhat standard hoop spinning act more engaging — not to mention funny? Simply perform it while trying to fetch and drink a glass of red wine! Here’s Annabel Carberry in A Glass of Red.
Here’s an imaginative 4-minute film from 1905 by James Williamson about a man who gets so wrapped up in the book he’s reading that he is oblivious to the world around him. (Yes, had I known about it a month ago I would have included it in this post about the “oblivious gag.”) YouTuber changebeforegoing labels this “the first slapstick movie.” I would argue the point, but of course it all depends on how you define slapstick.
“Live performance in a defined public space is our last bulwark against two-dimensional images taking over reality. Theater may turn out to have been only a brief interlude between ritual and electronics; be glad you’re here to see it.” — Erika Munk
I’m a fan of Sweden’s Cirkus Cirkör, as evidenced by these two previous posts, and I’m sorry I’ll be out of town and miss their return this June to the Brooklyn Academy of Music. I was, however, delighted to see that my favorite British newspaper, the Guardian, did a live stream of their show Undermän when it was featured at the London Roundhouse as part of their 2012 CircusFest. Better yet, you can still see the full 74-minute piece for free online — full-screen, high-rez!
A funny Jon Stewart clip from The Daily Show. Even some discussion of “slapstick” in it!
One aspect of the whole One Man, Two Guvnors phenomenon that several of us physical comedy mavens have commented on is that today’s theatre-going audience, no matter how sophisticated, has seen little if any really well-done physical comedy, and certainly not the heavy dose they get served by this production. So far I’ve seen the show once on film (National Theatre Live series), once in previews here in New York, and then again on opening night. The response of the live audience was great, with both performances earning hearty, non-stop laughter and a standing ovation at the end.
Just two hours before yesterday’s Broadway premiere of the London smash hit, One Man, Two Guvnors, Cal McCrystal sat down with Jim Moore (vaudevisuals.com) and myself for this interview about his work on the show. Significantly, Cal is listed not as an assistant or as a choreographer, but as its “Physical Comedy Director,” his name immediately following that of overall director Nicholas Hytner in the program. Jim and I had already caught the show in previews and absolutely loved it, so when Hilary Chaplain offered to set up this interview, we jumped at the chance to talk shop.
I’m always on the lookout for rare footage of clowns from the early days of film, so I was excited to see an 1899 clip of Footit & Chocolat surface, even if it is only 42 seconds. (Thanks to Pat Cashin for the link!) Here’s how I began my section on this legendary clown duo in my book Clowns:
Here’s a charming piece where comedy-dance greats Donald O’Connor and Gene Kelly decide to reprise their greatest hits — sitting down! Fun, especially if you’re familiar with the dance numbers they’re referencing. Thanks to Riley Kellogg for the link!
Picasso once said, “good artists borrow, great artists steal.”
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Workshops & Other Events
My first book (1976)
My book Clowns has long been out of print, but you can borrow it for two weeks at a time from the Internet Archive. More information is available here.
My second book (2015)
Visual and verbal humor for the cognitively and artistically curious! Available here.
“A book to treasure!”
—Bill Irwin