Recently, there was an article on LiveScience.com about sarcasm. Evidently, we’ve all got this thing called parahippocampal gyrus located in the right side of the brain. The para…okay, the P.G. is responsible for decoding and scenic memory recognition. People with dementia or intense trauma to that side of the skull might not find the following humorous:
Dogberry is being dangled over a vat of nuclear-green fluid marked ‘Hazardous Material.’ He raises his head and says cheerfully, “This is a party.”
Evidently, if you can’t detest the sarcastic, albeit comic-book humor in that hypothetical situation, there’s something wrong with your parahiccup prius. But what’s fascinating is that evolutionary biologists believe that our sociality is what’s gotten us this far, and what has set us apart from other species. We’ve got “social intelligence” mastered.
Think about it: nowadays, sarcasm is practically a survival trait! Entire sitcoms are crafted to accommodate it. Chandler from the TV Show Friends has gone down in TV history as being one of the most sarcastic characters in television. Buffy the Vampire Slayer isn’t even a sitcom, and yet it’s brimming with sarcasm from virtually every character. But sarcasm isn’t just about entertainment. Consider shows like The Colbert Rapport, or Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show. I know I’ve witnessed the embarrassment of politicians and supposed great thinkers because they didn’t understand the host’s sharp sarcasm.
Of course, there are limits. Even stand-up comedians realize that there are some things that you just don’t joke about. Perhaps it’s that sense of knowing when sarcasm is appropriate that has kept us alive this long, and will preserve our species as experts of social interaction. We could all use a little hope.
I ran across this the other day and I really had to share it. It’s an Elizabethan version of the famous Abbott and Costello routine “Who’s on First.” They do the entire routine so it’s not short but it is quite funny.
What is the deal with that Scottish play? Once in high school, I almost witnessed a student get her head hacked off by a very angry director. She only got as far as commenting, “Hey, I saw a production of Mac—” before he shushed her by saying, “Oh no, we never say that in here!”
So, why is it such bad luck? Well, the play, Macbeth, written around 1600, begins with three witches chanting a spell. It’s because of this incantation that saying “Macbeth” inside a theatre is so taboo. Supposedly, you will bring bad luck to whatever play you’re performing, and all those involved in the production. Exception: you can say it if it’s a line in a play.
But if you make the mistake of letting it slip, there is something you can do to reverse the curse. Actually, there’s a lot you can do. I’ve looked around, and I’ve found a few very different, very hilarious ways to combat the scourge…
Leave the theatre immediately, spin around three times while swearing, and then ask for permission to come back inside
Spit over each shoulder
Let out your inner sailor and curse until the captain blushes
Chant “Thrice around the circle bound, Evil sink into the ground”
Negate the curse brought on by Shakespeare by reciting a line from another one of his plays
Do you think this is all a load of frackin’ cow plop? Well, check this out!
1610: the 1st performance of Macbeth ever, Shakespeare himself had to play the role of Lady Macbeth because the original actor suddenly became ill. Okay, maybe it was stage fright. We’ll let this one slide.
1849: the famous riot at Astor Place in which 31 people were trampled on. All right, we’ll call it bad timing.
1937: a 25lb stage weight crashed to the ground inches away from Laurence Olivier. His sword also broke on stage, went boomeranging into the audience, and hit a patron who suffered a heart attack. Both the director and Lady Macduff were in a car accident while en route to the theatre. And the owner of the theatre died of a heart attack during the dress rehearsal.
Irrefutable? A bunch of nonsense? It’s yours to decide. But you might want to warn your fellow theatre buddies before you run any tests. Even if you don’t incur the wrath of the muses of theatre, you might be shoved into a trash can by your director.
Yes, you’ve read that right. Shakespeare’s Den is hosting a photo contest. We want to see what your Summer Shakespearience is like.
Send us your photo and the top winners get awesome prizes including large gift certificates and Shakespeare’s Den schwag! Find out all the details for the contest by clicking here.
We will post our favorite photos here as we get them. And as we have time. We are very busy people!
We had to restart our blog because of some technical issues. Sorry for the emptiness. We will try to get some of the old blogs restored. Check back soon.
