Performing Arts : Comedy

When you think of the classic comedies of the 1930s, it’s hard not to recall the painted-on moustache and cigar smoke of Groucho Marx, the malapropism-ladened Italian accent of Chico Marx, the pantomime harp-playing clown Harpo Marx or the bumbling straight man as characterised by Zeppo Marx. They were The Marx Brothers and together they produced some of the most memorable, joke-filled, hysterical movies and comedy moments ever filmed. This family of brothers, whose impressive body of work includes Duck Soup, Horse Feathers, Animal Crackers, A Night At The Opera and A Night In Casablanca, performed with each other for five decades. There was never a comic troupe quite like The Marx Brothers, although their antics inspired countless comedians including: The Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, and even Cheech & Chong. However, The Marx Brothers were not a product of Hollywood at all. For 20 years before they set foot on a movie soundstage, they struggled on the vaudeville circuit, playing in every town and whistle-stop in the United States and Canada. Their mother Minnie Marx was part of the act, was their manager and was often their producer. There was even a fifth brother, Gummo, who dropped out of the act before fame finally struck. Finally, after years of struggling, The Marx Brothers arrived when I’ll Say She Is became the surprise Broadway hit of 1924. Suddenly they were on a hot streak. They quickly followed it with The Cocoanuts, which ran from October 1925 to November 1927, and then Animal Crackers in October 1928. In 1929, when motion pictures with sound were suddenly all the rage and set to revolutionise the film business, studios were scrambling to find actors who could not only act, but who could sing and talk as well. They looked to Broadway and so The Marx Brothers made The Cocoanuts in 1929. It was the first of 13 full-length feature films they made in a 20-year span. The rest, as they say, i more...

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Pulled from the hit film that made a hero out of a tetherball-loving guy with glasses and stellar dance moves, the words, phrases, and speeches in Napoleon Dynamite: The Complete Quote Book capture the hilarious dialogue that worked its way into the hearts and mouths of millions of fans. Quirky, comical, and yet somehow perfect for any situation, the lines included here are sure to inspire exasperated sighs, bizarre conversations, and awkward exchanges in homes, high schools, and workplaces across the country. Sweet. more...

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Clowns’ slapstick is their primary mode of performance and allows them to provoke audiences to laughter wherever they perform. This innovative book, focussing on contemporary practice in the USA and Europe over the last 50 years, investigates the nature and function of clown performance in modern society. Through analysis of clowning in a range of settings - theatre, the circus, hospitals, refugee camps and churches - Peacock establishes a theoretical framework for the evaluation of physical comedy.Peacock explores clowning that takes place outside of conventional venues, and also the therapeutic potential of clowning in clown doctor organisations, refugee camps and war zones. Serious Play: Modern Clown Performance is the first book of its kind to consider clowning performance venues and performance styles in the light of Play Theory, including comparisons of traditional clown comedy with contemporary circuses such as Circus OZ and Cirque du Soleil, and an in-depth look at famous clowns such as Nola Rae and Slava Polunin. more...

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Outrageous, raw, and painfully funny true stories straight from the life of the actor, comedian, and much-loved cast member of The Howard Stern Show —with a foreword by Howard Stern. When Artie Lange joined the permanent cast of The Howard Stern Show in 2001, it was possibly the greatest thing ever to happen in the Stern universe, second only to the show’s move to the wild, uncensored frontier of satellite radio. more...

Price: $16.00