I’ve been involved in the performing arts for 10 years. Comedy stands out to me as an art form, as laughter has been proven to improve one’s relationships with others, sense of identity and well-being.
Slapstick comedy in particular uses concepts such as irony, absurd situations, sarcasm, cynicism and satire. It emphasizes pain, fear and humiliation as the funny part rather than words.
When discussing something hurtful out loud, one might find it easier to make light of the activities we’re not good at or sarcastically mock a fictional character. You might find that laughing at someone else’s misfortune is the solution to processing and unburdening yourself from your own shortcomings.
Slapstick history goes back millennia. Although its general parameters may stay the same, the types of jokes and method of depiction have not.
Slapstick is a subset of low comedy originating in ancient Greece through variety shows like miming. Modern miming is signified by its white face paint and black-and-white attire and sole reliance on the human body to indicate actions. A related genre, called pantomime, integrates elements of choir and dialogue.
Several millennia later, 1600s Italian theatre, specifically the commedia dell’arte genre, was heavily based on pantomime and Shakespearean plays. They required expressive actions, strong emotions and bright costumes.
Commedia dell’arte used a batacchio, two slats of wood attached at one end that loosely translates to “slap stick.” With a flick of the wrist, the unconnected ends hit together, simulating an actor slapping another actor. This type of theatre was usually reserved for the wealthy, but access to the arts also expanded as citizens gained more civil liberties.
Vaudeville was a variety show genre that rose to prominence in the United States in the 1850s, featuring a series of unrelated performances, ranging from typical acts like song and dance routines to extravagant acrobats and trained animals. Its sister genre, burlesque, originally began as a mockery of dramatic theatre. Both were more accessible to the middle class and featured generally happy-go-lucky, exhilarating, family-friendly acts.
By the early 1900s, vaudeville had been surpassed by burlesque in popularity, which had devolved into adult-only variety shows focusing on the sex appeal of the female body (including the striptease). Both forms died in the 1920s when many vaudeville and burlesque performers moved to the film and radio industry.
Actors like Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Lucille Ball are celebrities of early film, but Charlie Chaplin is likely the king. He’s probably the most famous comedy star of the era. His career spanned from the onset of World War I to the 1970s.
Throughout history, war, poverty, sexual abuse and workers’ rights are more common tropes in slapstick than Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers. I find it fascinating how slapstick can make such serious concepts seem laughable. Chaplin’s characters are generally fun-loving, working-class misfits, but often land themselves in messy situations.
Curiously, Lucille Ball, most notably the star of the “I Love Lucy” series, was one of the few women to make a formative impact on slapstick in the early film era. By defying gender norms about acceptable behavior for a woman and what industry she ought to work in, she opened doors for more women to enter the industry.
Animation was an extension of the silent film era and newspaper cartoons, truly testing the extent to which violence could go. Mickey Mouse, at Walt Disney Animation Studios, was the first in the 1920s. It would be joined by other shows like “Looney Tunes,” “Popeye the Sailor” and “Tom and Jerry.” Many in this genre feature an ensemble cast of mostly anthropomorphic animals, all trying to eat, kidnap, kill or harass each other.
I put my foot down to say that Monty Python is the epitome of slapstick. This British comedy troupe of six guys was active from the 70s to the 90s.
Their television series, “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” and various films are influential for all of slapstick today, including extensively breaking the fourth wall, cross-dressing characters and repeating jokes from their other works. No topic was forbidden, whether it was sex and elections, to death and gender stereotypes.
In some ways, slapstick has declined in relevance. It is difficult to imagine someone else having as much cultural influence as Monty Python or Charlie Chaplin. Although some actors embody them well, like Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean, Mike Myers as the Cat in the Hat or Austin Powers and Jim Carrey in nearly anything.
Animated violence in “Looney Tunes,” Disney, and even “Spongebob Squarepants” still exists. Online comedy groups and TV series like “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” “I Mostly Blame Myself,” “Comedy Central” and “Saturday Night Live” have continued for many years.
Slapstick is also immortalized in musical theatre, like in the Tony Award-winning costume designs of “Shrek” or the evolution of burlesque and vaudeville in “Gypsy.”
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Theatre Program put on a traditional commedia dell’arte play in March of this year, called “Servant of Two Masters,” which I, of course, thoroughly enjoyed. Later this November, they’ll perform “Lucky Stiff,” a modern musical similar to the movie “Weekend at Bernie’s.”
However, I’m staying wary. Entertainment evolves according to what the audience wants. Personally, I can’t wait for the next big thing in slapstick.