Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Theater: How Funny is Being Mad?

Being funny is trendy. It seems we live in the century of the comedy. Especially on TV the comedy shows are blooming.

Apparently this inspired BAM, a culturale institution in Brooklyn. It seems they like to transform classical pieces into modern comedy shows. I saw "Metamorphosis" there last year.  They translated Kafka´s sinister masterpiece (a story about man transformed overnight in a big bug) into a funny play. It worked well and was entertaining.

Last week I saw "The Diary of a Madman", based on Nikolai Gogol there. This time I was less impressed. They transformed the Russian story in a kind of a circus show.

Yes, Geoffrey Rush, the star of the show, is an impressive actor. The Academy Award Winner delivered an amazing performance. But he acted also like a clown in a circus tent. His witty monologue about the world around him was "spiced" with a goofy behaviour, while everybody has to understand that this man is getting more and more insane.


Many of the spectators seemed to like the show anyway.  There was much laughter in the circus scenes. Funny is trendy, comedies rule.

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