May the Farce Be With You

(Hardback)

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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 Mortimers 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.

Reviews

"A highly informative, and informed, guide to farce, full of wisdom and bad jokes, a long interview with Ray Cooney and a summary of fifty farces to see before you die (laughing)' What's On Stage 'For lovers of the art form, May the Farce Be with You will inevitably bring back many happy memories' British Theatre Guide 'A jolly tour de farce' The Stage "

Author Bio

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 Debretts. He was chief theatre critic for Whats On In London magazine and for Whatsonintheatre.com and for three years edited Whats On Stage magazine. He also created, produced and presented the UKs first theatre podcast for Whatsonstage.com and co-wrote Hardens Theatregoers Handbook. He is a regular broadcaster on theatre-related topics and his recent television work includes presenting for BBC Londons Inside Out. He is a member of the judging panel for the Offwestend.com awards, The Offies.