Okay…I think we can all agree that we need a little comedy right now. Things are kind of shitty, and they’re only going to get worse. There are definitely a lot of ways that we’re going to get through the things that are looming on the horizon, and one of those ways is going to be remembering how to laugh, and that we need to laugh. So today, I’m going to talk about the comedy half of comedy/tragedy, theatre’s infamous sign of the masks. People are going to recognize that anywhere…so for today, let’s talk about the smiling one.
There’s a ton of comedy in theatre, whether you’re looking at something as iconic as Noises Off or a musical like A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. There has always been comedy in theatre (okay, maybe not looking all the way back to ancient Greek theatre), but there’s always been a place for it in theatre. It’s why we have a smiling mask along with the frowning mask when you look at the comedy/tragedy symbol that represents theatre. There’s so much theatre out there that captures the funnier parts of life, real or not so real. And we’ve got to love those shows.
There are many different approaches to comedy out there. You can look at a show like A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which is filled with people falling in love with the wrong partners, due to magic, and silly actors. Molière wrote larger than life characters who embodied comedy in their very being. Hairspray is a musical famous for it’s hilarity and silliness. There are so many ways to present something funny on stage, and they’re all wonderful. Each unique comedy makes it fun to be a part of the audience.
I would definitely say that we have always needed comedy when it comes to theatre. Part of why we go to shows is to forget the outside world for a bit. And while any play can fit the bill on that one, comedies sort of go the extra step. Who doesn’t love to laugh? Who doesn’t love to watch something silly or funny? People’s Light used to always end their season with a comedy, and those are some of the plays from my life that I remember the most. I love being able to laugh like that. I love experiencing that, being in a dark theatre with an audience also laughing like that.
I spent most of my adolescence and twenties in a really bad mental place, and comedic shows really helped me out through all of that. It was so priceless to be able to sit in a dark theatre for a bit and really find it in myself to laugh. Laughter didn’t come easy to me back then, but I can still think about shows that had me laughing in those dark times. I’m so grateful that those shows exist. There are so many great comedies out there…I don’t think I could even name all of the shows that really changed my life, just because they had me laughing.
There’s something really special about being in a theatre during a comedy. I know in the past, I’ve written about how much I love being in a dark theatre with strangers, all of us laughing about what we’re watching on stage. And I’m going to say it again! There’s absolutely nothing like it. I absolutely love knowing that I’m sharing an experience with all these strangers. And although crying with them is one thing, and it means a lot to me, sharing laughter is even more intense. Laughter is something that connects us all. It’s a thread that can heal us, something that makes all of our lives better and more enriched. It’s something magical.
The comedy half of the comedy/tragedy mask represents half of what we’re going to see onstage (more or less). Whether it’s Shakespeare, Molière, Sondheim, or any of the other fabulous writers who have brought us comedy, we’re so lucky to have these shows. You can’t have the tragedy without the comedy, and we need the comedy, whether you typically enjoy it or not. It’s always going to be fun, and is always going to mean something to all of us. It pulls things from your heart that makes life a little easier.
Right now, I think we need comedies more than ever. There’s going to be some darkness in our future, and there are a lot of ways we’re going to be getting through that. One of those ways is definitely by enjoying comedic theatre. For as scary as the world is getting, we can still put aside some time to do just what I’ve been saying…sit in a dark theatre with an audience of people you don’t know, but you’re laughing along with. It won’t make the problems of the world go away, but it might things just a tad bit better. It’s time to enjoy all those comedies, for yourself and for all of us as a community. In my opinion, nothing can do that more than theatre. It’s a magical medium, and it’ll keep us all in one piece.
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