May the Farce Be With You
1st Edition
Published on 27. June 2012
112 pages
978-1-84943-602-1 (ISBN)
Description
It seems a long way from Moliere to Ray Cooney. There are immense distances between the worlds of Aristophanes, Plautus, Georges Feydeau, Ben Travers, Joe Orton and Basil Fawlty. But as one of the oldest genres in the history of the theatre, farce bridges the gaps by generating gales of helpless belly laughter across the generations.
Inspired by John Mortimer's observation that farce is 'tragedy played at a thousand revolutions a minute', theatre critic Roger Foss embarks on a lightning tour of the rib-tickling world of confused characters, absurd situations, ruined reputations, sexual innuendo and bravura comic acting and finds out if farce really is a force to be reckoned with in the 21st century. The latest addition to the Oberon Masters series, May The Farce Be With You celebrates the great creators and performers of farce, notably master farceur Ray Cooney, who celebrates his 80th birthday in 2012, in essays that will inform and entertain both the aficionado and anyone with a sense of humour.
Inspired by John Mortimer's observation that farce is 'tragedy played at a thousand revolutions a minute', theatre critic Roger Foss embarks on a lightning tour of the rib-tickling world of confused characters, absurd situations, ruined reputations, sexual innuendo and bravura comic acting and finds out if farce really is a force to be reckoned with in the 21st century. The latest addition to the Oberon Masters series, May The Farce Be With You celebrates the great creators and performers of farce, notably master farceur Ray Cooney, who celebrates his 80th birthday in 2012, in essays that will inform and entertain both the aficionado and anyone with a sense of humour.
More details
Series
Edition
1. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN-13
978-1-84943-602-1 (9781849436021)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Roger Foss is a former actor turned journalist, broadcaster and television presenter. As an actor, he worked extensively on stage, television and recording, and wrote pantomimes. As a journalist, over the decades he has written on theatre subjects for numerous publications, ranging from The Stage to Debrett's. He was chief theatre critic for What's On In London magazine and for Whatsonintheatre.com and for three years edited What's On Stage magazine. He also created, produced and presented the UK's first theatre podcast for Whatsonstage.com and co-wrote Harden's Theatregoers' Handbook. He is a regular broadcaster on theatre-related topics and his recent television work includes presenting for BBC London's Inside Out. He is a member of the judging panel for the Offwestend.com awards, The Offies.
Content
"1. LOL and the world LOLs with you...7 2. More Farce Please, We're British...19 3. A Conversation with Cooney...33 4. The Man Who Made Queen Victoria Giggle...57 5. Comedy of Terrors...68 6. Let's Farce the Music...78 7. Spent Farce?...89 8. Fifty Farces to See Before You Die Laughing...99 Bibliography of sources...115"
