Farce

In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humor of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases, culminating in an ending which often involves an elaborate chase scene. Farces are often highly incomprehensible plot-wise (due to the large number of plot twists and random events that often occur), but viewers are encouraged not to try to follow the plot in order to avoid becoming confused and overwhelmed. Farce is also characterized by physical humor, the use of deliberate absurdity or nonsense, and broadly stylized performances. Farces have been written for the stage and film.

Japan has a centuries-old tradition of farce plays called Kyōgen. These plays are performed as comic relief during the long, serious Noh plays.

Representative examples: A chronology

Britain

• Anonymus: The Second Shepherds' Play (14th century)
• Chaucer: "The Canterbury Tales" (14th century)
• William Shakespeare: The Comedy of Errors (ca.1592)
• Aphra Behn: The Rover (1677)
• Henry Fielding: The Author's Farce (1730)
• Arthur Murphy: The Citizen (1761)
• Samuel Foote: The Liar (1762)
• Elizabeth Inchbald: Appearance Is Against Them (1785); The Wedding Day (1794)
• John Maddison Morton: Box and Cox (1847)
• Charles Dickens: The Lamplighter (1879)
• Arthur Wing Pinero: The Magistrate (1885)
• Brandon Thomas: Charley's Aunt (1892)
• Oscar Wilde: The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)
• Ben Travers: Thark (1927)
• Noël Coward: Hay Fever (1925); Present Laughter (1939); Blithe Spirit (1941)
• Thornton Wilder: The Matchmaker (1954)
• Philip King: See How They Run (1945) Big Bad Mouse (1957) Pools Paradise (1961)
• Peter Shaffer: Black Comedy (1965)
• Joe Orton: Loot (1967) What the Butler Saw (1969)
• Michael Pertwee: Don't Just Lie There, Say Something! (1971)
• Anthony Marriott & Alistair Foot: No Sex Please, We're British (1975)
• John Cleese & Connie Booth: Fawlty Towers (1975)
• John Chapman & Anthony Marriott: Shut Your Eyes and Think of England (1977)
• Alan Ayckbourn: Taking Steps (1979)
• Tom Stoppard: On the Razzle (1981)
• Derek Benfield: Touch and Go (1982)
• Michael Frayn: Noises Off (1982)
• Nigel Williams: W.C.P.C. (1982)
• Ken Friedman: Claptrap (1983)
• Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen: Chance in a Million (1984)
• Miles Tredinnick: Laugh? I Nearly Went To Miami! (1986)
• Alan Ayckbourn: A Small Family Business (1987)
• Miles Tredinnick: It’s Now Or Never! (1991)
• Tom Kempinski: Sex Please, We're Italian! (1991)
• Ray Cooney: Funny Money (1994)
• Robin Hawdon: Perfect Wedding (1994)
• Steven Moffat: Coupling (2001)
• Miles Tredinnick: Up Pompeii! (2011)

France

• The Boy and the Blind Man, 13th century, oldest written French farce.
• La Farce de maître Pierre Pathelin (c. 1457)
• The Liar (Corneille) (1644)
• Molière: Tartuffe (1664)
• Labiche: La Cagnotte (1864)and other plays.
• Alfred Hennequin and Alfred Delacour: Le Procès Veauradieux (1875)
• Georges Feydeau: Le Dindon (1896) (aka Sauce for the Goose)
• Octave Mirbeau : Farces et moralités (1904).
• Georges Feydeau: A Flea in Her Ear (1907)
• Marc Camoletti: Boeing Boeing (1960) and Pyjama pour Six (1985) (aka Don't Dress for Dinner) [1]
• Jean Poiret: La Cage aux Folles (1973)

Germany

• Carl Laufs & Wilhelm Jacoby: Pension Schöller (1890)
• Franz Arnold & Ernst Bach: Weekend im Paradies (1928) [2]
• Miles Tredinnick with Ursula Lyn and Adolf Opel: ...Und Morgen Fliegen Wir Nach Miami (1987)

Italy

• Dario Fo: Morte accidentale di un anarchico also known as Accidental Death of an Anarchist was first played on December 5, 1970 in Varese, Italy

Poland

• Gabriela Zapolska: The Morality of Mrs. Dulska, 1906
• Sławomir Mrożek: Tango, 1964 (translation: Grove Press, New York, 1968); Emigranci (The Émigrés), 1974

Russia

• Nikolai Gogol The Government Inspector (also translated as The Inspector General)
• Anton Chekhov A Marriage Proposal and The Bear
• Mikhail Bulgakov The Master and Margarita

Spain

• Cervantes Saavedra's Don Quixote
• Mortadelo y Filemón

United States

• Good Neighbor Sam, starring Jack Lemmon
• Is He Dead?, Mark Twain
• The Three Stooges
• Joseph Kesselring: Arsenic and Old Lace (1941)
• The Mating Season dir.Mitchell Leisen
• Stephen Sondheim: A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, book by Larry Gelbart (1962)
• Abe Burrows: Cactus Flower
• Terrence McNally: The Ritz
• Christopher Durang: Beyond Therapy
• Neil Simon: Rumors (1988)
• Lend Me a Tenor (1989)
• Oscar (1991 film)
• It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
• Freaky Friday (1976 film)
• The Shaggy Dog (1959 film)
• Monkey Business (1931 film)
• The Bank Dick
• What's Up, Doc? (1972 film)
• The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes
• The Nerd (1981) by Larry Shue
• The Foreigner (play) (1983) by Larry Shue
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• Now You See Him, Now You Don't
• The Million Dollar Duck
• Million Dollar Mystery
• Rat Race (2001 film)
• The Love Bug
• Herbie Rides Again
• 101 Dalmatians (1996 film)
• Home Alone
• The Pink Panther (1963 film)
• Never give a sucker an even break
• No Deposit, No Return
• Problem Child (1990 film)
• Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo
• The Hangover
• Leading Ladies (2004)

US Television

• Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969)
• I Love Lucy
• Three's Company (1977–1984)
• 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–2001)
• Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm (1999–present)
• Arrested Development (2003–2006)
• Frasier (1993–2004)
• Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2005-2008)

Canada

• This Hour Has 22 Minutes
• Royal Canadian Air Farce (actually a sketch-comedy show, not a farce except in name)

Animated

• Chowder (TV series)
• The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
• The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack
• Chicken Runners

References

• "Farce" by encyclopedia.stateuniversity.com

External links

• IMDB list of film and television farces
• Farce films at Allmovie