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The Man Who Laughs
[post 325]There have been lots of modern movies made in the style of 1920s silents, many of them quite good, but only a smattering of theatre productions attempt to recreate that aesthetic on stage in...
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Complete Book: Victor Hugo's "L'Homme qui Rit / The Man who Laughs"
[post 326]Just following up on my previous blog post on the Stolen Chair Theatre Company's "silent film for the stage" production of Victor Hugo's The Man Who Laughs....I'm a fan of Hugo but have not...
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Bill Irwin & David Shiner in "Old Hats"
[post 327]I must admit I feared a let-down might await me last night as I went to see the new Bill Irwin / David Shiner production, Old Hats. Too much talent! Expectations way too high!! Plus weren't...
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The Physics of Ye Olde Tablecloth Pull
[post 328]I don't know about you, but I still remember as a kid upsetting my parents by trying the old trick of yanking a tablecloth out from underneath some dishes and glasses with, er, mixed results....
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[post 329][Some of you must have noticed that I've neglected the blog big time this year. It's not that I've lost interest in physical comedy. In fact, in New York I've been busy directing physical...
View ArticleSynchronized Walking (WTF??)
[post 330]After six months with only a handful of posts, this blog is back, and what better way to restart than with something sublimely silly: Japanese Synchronized Walking!It just so happens that I'm...
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Partner Act!?! — Francis Brunn & Jack Benny
[post 331]I was researching something else on Dominique Jando's excellent Circopedia web site (which I highly recommend!) and came across this gem and thought it worth a cross-posting. After all, if I...
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Comedy Acrobatics Nirvana
The Gaspards[post 332]Yes, right here! I hit the jackpot this past weekend, and of course I'm sharing the wealth with you. Here's the story....Although I'm partial to the use of physical comedy within...
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A New Orson Welles Silent Film Comedy!
Orson Welles directing Too Much Johnson in lower Manhattan around 1938.[post 333]Huh? Orson Welles? The guy whose "first film" Citizen Kane made movie history in 1941?Yep.It was reported today that an...
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Johnny Hutch 100th Birthday Salute
Johnny Hutch at 15 and receiving his MBE in 1994.[post 334] Johnny Hutch, one of the unsung heroes of physical comedy, would have been 100 years old today. As things turned out, he not only made it...
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Parkour Moves Indoors
[post 335]Parkour and physical comedy have a lot in common: a similar technical vocabulary, creativity interacting with real-world physical structures, and many of the same heroes — Buster Keaton,...
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Jerry Lewis: The Day the Clown Cried
[post 336]Jerry Lewis' over-the-top clowning doesn't appeal to everyone, but in his prime he was an excellent physical comedian, not to mention being a skilled filmmaker with quite a few technical...
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Remembering Gregory Fedin.... and Nina Krasavina.
Photo © Peter Angelo Simon[post 337]When I learned in early September that Gregory Fedin had recently passed away, I looked online for obituaries and for any bio material. There was next to nothing...
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Halloween Circus Costumes
[post 338]I thought these were pretty funny! They're from one of my favorite web sites, instructables.com, and each one comes with more photos and detailed instructions on how to build them.Freaky...
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Upcoming Workshops: Vienna, Oct. 29–Nov. 1 • Cork, Nov. 12–15 • Tralee Circus Festival, Nov. 16–17 • Dublin, Nov. 18–19. I'm also in Paris through this Friday (Oct. 25), in Budapest on...
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Guest Post by Jef Lambdin: The 1974 International Mime Institute and Festival
[post 339]The 1974 International Mime Institute & FestivalViterbo College, La Crosse, Wisconsin A History by Jef LambdinCarlo...
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Book Report: Steve Kaplan's "The Hidden Tools of Comedy"
[post 340]There are a lot of books on comedy out there that try to explain how and why things are funny. Everything from how-to manuals to Freud and Bergson. I've shied away from them, especially the...
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Sign Language (NOT!)
[post 341]This really happened, but it could have come right out of the Marx Brothers or Borat, a variation on the old false translation bit. In this case it would be funnier if it weren't quite so...
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The Chicago Contemporary Circus Festival
[post 342]January 6–12, 2014I don't think I have to tell you that respect for circus has been on the rise, and not only in Europe, where circus schools and shows — both classical and "nouveau"— are...
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Is Laughter Bad for You?
[post 343]From today's NY Times, an article about a study published this month in BMJ (the British Medical Journal) that proves once and for all that laughter is harmful to your health. Yes, harmful....
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