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New & Improved!! Yes, I Am Talking About THIS Blog —Version 2.0
[post 465] I started this blog in May, 2009 and nine years and 441 posts later I decided to take a little break. Not out of boredom or any feeling that enough was enough, but simply because I had too...
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London Calling: The City, the Theatre, the Workshop, the Podcast
[post 464]"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."—Samuel Johnson, 1777I've always loved London, having first visited there in 1968 and...
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A Tale of Three Studios (but especially Falling Coyote)
[post 463]I'm betting this has happened to you: You find an affordable place to rehearse, perhaps in a neighborhood that you can also afford to live in. Other artists who work large gravitate there....
View ArticleApril Fools! 1957: The Spaghetti Harvest
[post 462]It would have been way too predictable for me to try to fool you on April Fool's Day, but this BBC video from 1957 was actually just such a joke, likely the first April Fool's prank by a...
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Rejected Workshop Proposals
[post 461]Caroline Simonds sent me the video below, describing it not only as "the best moment in Switzerland" but also "the highlight of the conference." Caroline is an old friend (but younger than...
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Rule by Slapstick: Another Fine Mess by Donald Trump
[post 460]An article about Trump's attack on Iran from the Financial Page in the highbrow New Yorker —Trump’s Inexcusable Unpreparedness for the Iranian Oil Crisis— was the last place I expected to...
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I Guess I Can't Get Enough of Sid Caesar
[post 459]I recently came across two more Sid Caesar pieces that I liked so much that I had to share them here. And that's even though I've already written about Caesar several times over the years:Sid...
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Philippe Gaulier in Performance "We broke 200 plates every night"
[post 458]I never met or studied with Philippe Gaulier (1943–2026), who passed away on February 1st at the age of 82, but many of my friends did. While some found his confrontational, via negativa...
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The Amazing Dover Trio!! —Another Valley Studio Story
[post 457]I hope you enjoyed this blog's previous post, a history of the Valley Studio by Jef Lambdin. I just want to add a short anecdote that I think is kind of funny but also carries a message....
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A History of the Valley Studio by Jef Lambdin
[post 456]At a time like this, when neo-fascist wannabe dictators are setting people against one another for their own political gain and financial enrichment, I think it more important than ever to...
View ArticlePhysical Comedy is Everywhere! Exhibit B: Super Bowl Commercials
[post 455]I've already shared Super Bowl commercials using physical comedy in this post from 2010 and eight years later in this post. Now, another eight years later, I return to this topic one more...
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On Losing the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest (Again)
[post 454] Despite its enduring popularity, not everyone reads The New Yorker, so some quick background: Founded a century ago primarily as a humor magazine, The New Yorker is known for its fiction...
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Guest Post by Hank SmithBert Williams: Somebody
[post 453] I recently had an important experience in Minneapolis, which was working on a play called Nobody No Time, written by Carlyle Brown, a good friend from way back. The play is about Bert...
View ArticleHappy 100th Birthday, Dick Van Dyke!!
[post 452]I've already written a lot about Dick Van Dyke and don't want to repeat myself too much here, but as an intro to his work for those of you new to it, here's a classic piece from his...
View ArticleIN THIS CORNER, in Black & White, Undefeated in 46 silent films: Buster...
[post 451]Make that 76 for Chaplin if you include City Lights and Modern Times.I already did a lengthy post, The Great Debate: Chaplin vs. Keaton, where I asked a lot of clowns and clown-adjacent...
View ArticleNeil Patrick Harris on Broadway: Not Just for Gays Anymore
[post 450] Here's a short, fun piece that combines song, dance, group movement, witty lyrics, audience participation, and social commentary. Featuring Neil Patrick Harris, it's from the 2011 Tony...
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Physical Comedy is Everywhere! Exhibit A: Stephen Colbert
[post 449]As a physical comedy aficionado, the question I get asked the most is: “What is physical comedy exactly?” Usually I stammer and say something like, "well, you know, comedy that’s, uh,...
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Gene Nelson: (Almost) The Next Gene Kelly
[post 448]Most Hollywood musical comedies are too schmaltzy for my tastes, so until recently I didn't even know who Gene Nelson was. But many of these movie musical comedy performers from the 40s and...
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The Evolution of the Tablecloth Pull from ?? to WES-P to Pope Francis
[post 447]First a little history:You all know Ye Olde Tablecloth Pull, yanking a tablecloth off a table without disturbing the dishes on top of it. It's a neat effect that became what the Victorians...
View ArticleMr. Bean's Street Dance
[post 446]Rowan Atkinson (aka Mr. Bean) is a very funny man and a talented physical comedian. This clip from Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007) has a lot to offer. His various comic bits would be funny enough...
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