Farce

Petrov-Vodkin's painting of a theatre audience enjoying a farce.

Poster for a production of Boucicault's farce Contempt of Court, c. 1879. From the Library of Congress

In theatre, a farce is a comedy that aims at entertaining the audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, and thus improbable. Farces are often highly incomprehensible plot-wise (due to the many plot twists and random events that occur), but viewers are encouraged not to try to follow the plot in order to avoid becoming confused and overwhelmed. Farce is also characterized by physical humor, the use of deliberate absurdity or nonsense, and broadly stylized performances. Farces have been written for the stage and film. Furthermore, a farce is also often set in one particular location, where all events occur.

Classical antiquity

• Satyr play
• Phlyax play
• Menander's Dyskolos (The Grouch)
• Atellan Farce
• Plautus' Aulularia (The Pot of Gold)
• Querolus

Britain

• Anonymous: The Second Shepherds' Play (14th century)
• Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales (14th century)
• William Shakespeare: The Comedy of Errors (ca.1592)
• Aphra Behn: The Rover (1677)
• Henry Fielding: The Author's Farce (1730)
• Arthur Murphy: The Citizen (1761)
• Samuel Foote: The Liar (1762)
• Elizabeth Inchbald: Appearance Is Against Them (1785); The Wedding Day (1794)
• John Maddison Morton: Box and Cox (1847)
• Charles Dickens: The Lamplighter (1879)
• Arthur Wing Pinero: The Magistrate (1885)
• Brandon Thomas: Charley's Aunt (1892)
• J.M. Barrie: Walker, London (1892)
• Oscar Wilde: The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)
• Ben Travers: Thark (1927)
• Noël Coward: Hay Fever (1925); Present Laughter (1939); Blithe Spirit (1941)
• Thornton Wilder: The Matchmaker (1954)
• Philip King: See How They Run (1945) Big Bad Mouse (1957) Pools Paradise (1961)
• Peter Shaffer: Black Comedy (1965)
• 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 (1975)
• John Cleese & Connie Booth: Fawlty Towers (1975)
• John Chapman & Anthony Marriott: Shut Your Eyes and Think of England (1977)
• Alan Ayckbourn: Taking Steps (1979)
• Tom Stoppard: On the Razzle (1981)
• Derek Benfield: Touch and Go (1982)
• Michael Frayn: Noises Off (1982)
• Nigel Williams: W.C.P.C. (1982)
• David Croft & Jeremy Lloyd: 'Allo 'Allo! (1982–1992)
• Ken Friedman: Claptrap (1983)
• Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen: Chance in a Million (1984)
• Miles Tredinnick: Laugh? I Nearly Went To Miami! (1986)
• Alan Ayckbourn: A Small Family Business (1987)
• Miles Tredinnick: It’s Now Or Never! (1991)
• Tom Kempinski: Sex Please, We're Italian! (1991)
• Ray Cooney: Funny Money (1994)
• Robin Hawdon: Perfect Wedding (1994)
• Steven Moffat: Coupling (2001)
• Miles Tredinnick: Up Pompeii! (2011)

China

• Xu Zhuodai, "The Fiction Material Wholesaler" (1921 story)
• Zhang Tianyi, "The Bulwark"
• Zhang Tianyi, "The Pidgin Warrior" (1936 novel)
• Zhang Tianyi, "Mr. Hua Wei" (1938 story)
• Yang Jiang, "Forging the Truth" (1944 stage play)
• Devils on the Doorstep (Jiang Wen, dir., 2000)
• God of Cookery (Stephen Chow, dir., 1996)
• Kung Fu Hustle (Stephen Chow, dir., 2004)

France

La Farce de maître Pierre Pathelin.

• The Boy and the Blind Man, 13th century, oldest written French farce.
• La Farce de maître Pierre Pathelin (c. 1457)
• The Liar (Corneille) (1644)
• Molière: Tartuffe (1664)
• Molière: The Miser (1668)
• Labiche: La Cagnotte (1864)and other plays.
• Alfred Hennequin and Alfred Delacour: Le Procès Veauradieux (1875)
• 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)
• Jean Poiret: La Cage aux Folles (1973)

Germany

• Carl Laufs & Wilhelm Jacoby: Pension Schöller (1890)
• Franz Arnold & Ernst Bach: Wochenende im Paradies (1928)
• Miles Tredinnick with Ursula Lyn and Adolf Opel: ...Und Morgen Fliegen Wir Nach Miami (1987)

India

Particularly popular in Marathi language Theatre: a few such examples...

• Zopi Gelela Jaga Zala (1958)
• Dinuchya Sasubai Radhabai (1960)
• Pala Pala Kon Pudhe Pale To
• Gholaat Ghol

Italy

• Dario Fo: Morte accidentale di un anarchico also known as Accidental Death of an Anarchist was first played on December 5, 1970 in Varese, Italy

Japan

• Japan has a centuries-old tradition of farce plays called Kyōgen. These plays are performed as comic relief during the long, serious Noh plays.

Poland

• Aleksander Fredro: Zemsta, 1834
• Gabriela Zapolska: The Morality of Mrs. Dulska, 1906
• Sławomir Mrożek: Tango, 1964 (translation: Grove Press, New York, 1968); Emigranci (The Émigrés), 1974

Russia

• Nikolai Gogol The Government Inspector (also translated as The Inspector General)
• Anton Chekhov A Marriage Proposal The Cherry Orchard and The Bear
• Mikhail Bulgakov The Master and Margarita

Spain

• Cervantes Saavedra's Don Quixote
• Mortadelo y Filemón

United States

Film

• 101 Dalmatians (1996)
• Airplane! (1980)
• The Bank Dick (1940)
• Burn After Reading (2008)
• Clue (1985)
• The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969)
• Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999)
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
• Freaky Friday (1976)
• Good Neighbor Sam (1964)
• The Hangover (2009)
• Herbie Rides Again (1974)
• Home Alone (1990)
• It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
• The Love Bug (1968)
• The Mating Season (1951)
• Million Dollar Baby (1941)
• Million Dollar Mystery (1987)
• Monkey Business (1931)
• Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941)
• No Deposit, No Return (1976)
• Noises Off (1992)
• Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972)
• Oscar (1991)
• The Pink Panther (1963)
• Problem Child (1990)
• Rat Race (2001)
• The Shaggy Dog (1959)
• The Three Stooges (1930–1975)
• Unfaithfully Yours (1948)
• What's Up, Doc? (1972)
• Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

Television

• 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–2001)
• Arrested Development (2003–2006, 2013–present)
• The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971)
• Broad City (2014–present)
• Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000–2011)
• Drake & Josh (2004–2007)
• Frasier (1993–2004)
• Gilligan's Island (1964–1967)
• Green Acres (1965–1971)
• Hogan's Heroes (1965–1971)
• I Love Lucy (1951–1957)
• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005–present)
• NewsRadio (1995–1999)
• Night Court (1984–1992)
• Police Squad! (1982)
• The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2005–2008)
• Seinfeld (1989–1998)
• Three's Company (1977–1984)
• Wings (1990–1997)

Animated

• American Dad! (2005–present)
• Archer (2009–present)
• Chowder (2007–2010)
• The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (2003–2008)
• The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack (2008–2010)
• Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969–1978)
• South Park (1997–present)

Theatre

• Richard Bean: One Man, Two Guvnors (2011)
• Giannina Braschi: United States of Banana (2015)
• Abe Burrows: Cactus Flower (1965)
• Marc Camoletti: Don't Dress for Dinner (1991)
• Christopher Durang: Beyond Therapy (1981)
• Joseph Kesselring: Arsenic and Old Lace (1941)
• Ken Ludwig: Lend Me a Tenor (1989) / Leading Ladies (2004)
• David Mamet: Romance (2005)
• Terrence McNally: The Ritz (1975)
• Larry Shue: The Nerd (1981) / The Foreigner (1983)
• Allen Boretz and John Murray: Room Service (1937)
• Neil Simon: Rumors (1988)
• Larry Gelbart and Burt Shevelove: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (1962)
• Orson Welles: Horse Eats Hat (1936)
• Mark Twain: Is He Dead? (1898)

External links

• IMDB list of film and television farces
• Farce films at Allmovie