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  • 1.  Physical Comedy Scenes

    Posted 03-15-2022 14:08
    Hi all,

    What are your favorite scenes that allow students to explore physical comedy?  I would love recommendations of example clips to show or scenes to workshop.  Thank you!

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    Erin Carmody
    Theatre Teacher
    Brentwood High School
    MO
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  • 2.  RE: Physical Comedy Scenes

    Posted 03-16-2022 07:25
      |   view attached
    William Ball's Taming of the Shrew is a great one to show, though it's specifically commedia. I've also shown clips from the Three Stooges and I Love Lucy. There are lots of commedia lazzi scenarios that are a great way to explore physical comedy (I'm happy to share if you're interested). Also, I'm attaching a file. I love the "When everyday activities go wrong" exercise on page 12. You could also look at style exercises for playing farce, which I'm also happy to share.

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    Cassy Maxton-Whitacre
    Theatre Department Coordinator
    Shenandoah Valley Governor's School
    VA
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    Attachment(s)

    pdf
    Art of Slapstick.pdf   506 KB 1 version
    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Physical Comedy Scenes

    Posted 03-16-2022 11:21
    I also do a commedia unit with my kids. We do a physical workshop class where they learn Commedia walks - they have a blast and it really gets them into their bodies (and it's funny!)  For scenes though, Lazzi's are a lot of fun - here's a list of a few examples I have the kids try out (pulled from various sources - not my original ideas):

    Lazzis

    • A very hungry character tries to eat food that is too hot. (Good warm-up and individual Lazzi)
    • A character rips his/her clothes and tries to hide/fix it. (Add: specifically their pants)
    • A character passes a mirror or window and admires him/herself. (Il Capitano may do this to the audience)
    • A character trips and falls over another character. (Add: they then try to help each other up only to keep pulling each other back down to the floor)
    • Two characters play a game together; one character tries to cheat at every turn. (Add: They are both trying to cheat but try to make it look like they aren't, whenever they sneak to do something the other one makes a move)
    • A character is trying to sneak their boyfriend/girlfriend out of their room, when their parent walks in. (Reference the beginnings of Farce and its use of doors)
    • A character invites two guests to dinner. Each time the host's back is turned, the two guests try to dispose of the food because it is inedible. (Add: the host now thinks they love the food because it keeps disappearing so they keep refilling the plate and the other characters need to find more and more creative places to dispose of the food)
    Also, I show them a few videos, but this one has a great set of Lazzi's for them to get the idea of what to do:
    Commedia Lazzi Examples

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    Becky Gil
    Performing Arts Teacher
    Willows Preparatory School
    Redmond, WA
    www.willowsprep.com
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  • 4.  RE: Physical Comedy Scenes

    Posted 03-17-2022 12:27
      |   view attached
    Like Becky Gil, I also did a commedia dell'arte unit, and one of the activities the students always seemed to enjoy was experimenting with creating lazzi.  

    After we had discussed the most well-known commedia stock characters, I gave them examples from Lazzi: The Comic Routines of the Commedia dell'Arte, by Mel Gordon and various indestructible props, such as pool noodles cut to sword length, metal pots and pans, small blankets, grill tongs, rehearsal boxes, etc., and let them play.  The number in the corner is the number of people needed for the scene.

    Then they showed their favorite experiments, and I pointed out things they had done that might be rehearsed over and over and inserted into various scenarios.





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    CJ Breland
    Retired Theatre Arts Educator
    NC
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    Attachment(s)

    pdf
    Italian Lazzi.pdf   113 KB 1 version
    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Physical Comedy Scenes

    Posted 03-23-2022 08:25
    The Scapin "Sack Scene" is a terrific physical comedy scene. Scapin gets Geronte to hide inside a sack on the pretense that there are thugs coming to kill/maim him... and then proceeds to beat the hell out of the sack.

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    Tim Mooney
    www.timmooneyrep.com
    www.moliere-in-english.com
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Physical Comedy Scenes

    Posted 03-23-2022 11:35
    Tim, the basic scenario of that hilarious scene is one listed in Mel Gordon's Lazzi: The Comic Routines of the Commedia dell'Arte.  

    Lazzo of the Sack                                                                 

    Capitano is persuaded by Arlecchino and another zanni to hide in a sack or under blanket when Capitano thinks someone he has insulted is searching for him.  The zannis use this opportunity to get revenge on Capitano by beating him. 

     

    As I've read scripts from all time periods over the years, I have enjoyed watching for the bits our most revered dramatists have adapted from those who came before them.  There is a scene in Moliere's The Miser that is lifted almost verbatim from the Roman Plautus' The Pot of Gold, and in both cases depends on physical comedy.   Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors is clearly based on Plautus' Menaechmi -- and both are great plays to use for exploring physical humor.  




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