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A 'farce' is a comedy written for the stage or film which aims to entertain the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include sexual innuendo and word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases, culminating in an ending which often involves an elaborate chase scene. Farce is also chracterized by physical humour, the use of deliberate absurdity or nonsense, and broadly stylized performances.

Contents

Characteristics

Representative examples: A chronology

Britain

France

Germany

Russia

United States

Characteristics

As opposed to romantic comedies, farces usually do not utilize 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 one with numerous doors, such as a drawing room, 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, as audience attitudes towards infidelity shifted, the farce often consisted not of a protagonist trying to prevent an extra-marital affair from becoming publicly known, but of trying unsuccessfully to pursue an affair. Some modern farces are based on an attempt to conceal general blunder and incompetence, without a strong sexual theme - for example Fawlty Towers.
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.

Representative examples: A chronology

Britain

★ anonymous ''The Second Shepherds' Play'' (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)

★ Ben Travers: ''Thark'' (1927)

★ Noel Coward: ''Hay Fever'' (1925); ''Present Laughter'' (1939)

★ 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)

★ 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)

★ Miles Tredinnick: ''Laugh? I Nearly Went To Miami!'' (1986)

★ Miles Tredinnick: ''It’s Now Or Never!'' (1991)

★ 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'')

★ Octave Mirbeau : ''Farces et moralités'' (1904).

★ Georges Feydeau: ''A Flea in Her Ear'' (1907)

★ 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'' (1890)

★ 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 Proposal''

United States

★ Avery Hopwood [3] & Wilson Collison: ''Getting Gertie's Garter'' (1927) [4]

★ Bringing Up Baby (1938)

★ My Favorite Wife (1940)

★ Joseph Kesselring: ''Arsenic and Old Lace'' (1941)

★ Preston Sturges: The Palm Beach Story (1942)

★ The Kid from Brooklyn (1946)

★ Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)

★ Fancy Pants (1950)

★ Monkey Business (1952)

★ I Love Lucy (1951-1957)

★ Some Like It Hot (1959)

★ It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)

★ The Producers (1968)

★ Three's Company (TV show) (1977-1984)

★ Billy Van Zandt & Jane Milmore: "Love Sex and the I.R.S." (1979)

★ Bosom Buddies (TV show) (1980-1982)

★ Tootsie (1982)

★ Victor Victoria (1982)

★ Micki And Maude (1984)

★ Ken Ludwig: "Lend Me a Tenor" (1986)

★ Marblehead Manor (1987)

★ Neil Simon: ''Rumors'' (1988)

★ Funny Farm (1988)

★ Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)

★ Weekend at Bernie's series (1989, 1993)

★ Noises Off... (1992)

★ Frasier (TV show) (1993-2004)

★ Billy Van Zandt & Jane Milmore: "Confessions of a Dirty Blonde" (1996)

★ 3rd Rock From the Sun (TV show) (1996-2001)

★ Bowfinger

★ Steve Martin: Adaptation of a 1911 Sternheim play ''The Underpants'' (2002) (Originally titled ''Die Hose'')
'Performing teams who have appeared in farces:'

★ The Marx Brothers

★ Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis

★ Katherine Hepburn & Cary Grant

★ Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy

★ Bing Crosby & Bob Hope

★ The Three Stooges

★ Bud Abbott & Lou Costello
'Actors and actresses who have appeared in farces'

★ Dan Aykroyd

★ Lucille Ball

★ John Candy

★ Chevy Chase

★ John Cleese

★ Tom Hanks

★ Danny Kaye

★ Harvey Korman

★ Christopher Lloyd

★ Bill Murray

★ Steve Martin

★ Richard Pryor

★ John Ritter

★ Peter Sellers

★ Martin Short

★ Paxton Whitehead

★ Gene Wilder
IMDB list of film and television farces