Farce
A
farce is a
comedy written for the stage, or a film, which aims to
entertain the audience by means of unlikely and
extravagant - yet often possible - situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal
humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include
puns and sexual
innuendo, and a fast-paced
plot whose speed usually increases even further towards the end of the play, often involving an elaborate chase scene. Broad physical humor, and deliberate absurdity or nonsense, are also commonly employed in farce.
As opposed to romantic comedies, farces usually do not contain a traditional plot involving frustrated young lovers who eventually surmount all obstacles. Rather, they frequently focus on a
transgression or on a character's urge to hide something from the other characters, and the unforeseen chain reaction that results. In staged farce there is usually only one setting throughout the play, often the drawing room of a family home which has numerous doors (and possibly French windows) leading to bedrooms, the kitchen, cupboards, and the garden. Alternatively, the setting can be a
hotel or
hospital room or an
office. Film farces are typically much more expansive in the use of space.
Having no time to step back and consider what they have been doing or will be doing next, the character who has something to hide soon passes the
point of no return, erroneously believing that any course of action is preferable to being found out or admitting the truth themselves. This way they get deeper and deeper into trouble. The protagonist is usually presented sympathetically, encouraging the audience to identify with them and hope for their success.
This "skeleton in the closet" may be real or merely a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of facts. It is sometimes a secret which concerns the immediate present or the long-forgotten past and has just re-emerged and started to threaten the main character's security or peace and quiet. The secret typically reflects the social
mores of the time: In the late
19th century, it might be a woman lying about her real age, or a man having fathered an illegitimate child. In the
20th century, it was mainly
infidelity, with the protagonist trying to prevent their extra-marital affair from becoming publicly known.
Many farces move at a frantic pace toward the climax, in which the initial problem is resolved one way or another, often through a
deus ex machina twist of the plot. Generally, there is a happy ending. The convention of
poetic justice is not always observed: The protagonist may get away with what he or she has been trying to hide at all costs, even if it is a criminal act.
Farce in general is highly tolerant of transgressive behavior, and tends to depict human beings as vain, irrational, venal, infantile, and prone to automatism. In that respect, farce is a natural companion of satire. Farce is, in fact, not merely a genre but a highly flexible dramatic mode that often occurs in combination with other forms, including romantic comedy. Farce is considered to be a theatre tradition.
As far as ridiculous, far-fetched situations, quick and witty
repartee, and broad physical humor are concerned, farce is widely employed in TV
sitcoms, in silent film comedy, and in
screwball comedy. See also
bedroom farce.
Japan has a centuries-old tradition of farce plays called
Kyogen. These plays are performed as comic relief during the long, serious
Noh plays.
Britain
*
anonymous The Second Shepherds' Pageant (14th century)
*
Christopher Marlowe The Jew of Malta (ca. 1589)
*
William Shakespeare The Comedy of Errors (ca.1592)
*
Arthur Wing Pinero:
The Magistrate (1885)
*
Brandon Thomas:
Charley's Aunt (1892)
*
Oscar Wilde:
The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)
*
Noel Coward:
Hay Fever (1925);
Present Laughter (1939)
*
Ben Travers:
Thark (1927)
*
Philip King:
See How They Run (1945)
Big Bad Mouse (1957)
*
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 (1971)
*
Alan Ayckbourn:
Bedroom Farce (1975)
*
Miles Tredinnick:
Laugh? I Nearly Went To Miami! (1986)
*
Miles Tredinnick:
It's Now Or Never! (1991)
*
John Cleese:
Fawlty Towers (1975)
*
John Chapman &
Anthony Marriott:
Shut Your Eyes and Think of England (1977)
*
Derek Benfield:
Touch and Go (1982)
*
Michael Frayn:
Noises Off (1982)
*
Nigel Williams:
W.C.P.C. (1982)
*
Tom Kempinski:
Sex Please, We're Italian! (1991)
*
Ray Cooney:
Funny Money (1994)
France
*
The Boy and the Blind Man, 13th century, oldest written French farce.
*
Molière:
Tartuffe (1664)
*
Georges Feydeau:
Le Dindon (1896) (aka
Sauce for the Goose)
*
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 (1901)
*
Franz Arnold &
Ernst Bach:
Weekend im Paradies (1928) [
2]
*
Miles Tredinnick with
Ursula Lyn and
Adolf Opel:
...Und Morgen Fliegen Wir Nach Miami (1987)
Russia
*
Nikolai Gogol The Inspector General (often referred to as
The Government Inspector).
*
Anton Chekhov A Marriage ProposalUnited States
*
Avery Hopwood [
3] &
Wilson Collison:
Getting Gertie's Garter (1927) [
4]
*
Joseph Kesselring:
Arsenic and Old Lace (1941)
*
Neil Simon:
Rumors (1988)
