Comics' Corner - May
The Mechanics of Comedy – Part 4. Having previously explored various subgenres of comedy including Misanthropes, Character Assassins and Surrealists, I cast my eyes to the ever-popular comedy movement, the Train Wrecks.
By Will Crawford
Train Wreck comedians are a variant on the tragi-comedy school of storytelling. American comic novelist J. P. Donleavy is one of the masters of this art form. In addition to the usual element of schadenfreude, Train Wrecks require an affection for the lead characters that enables ironic delight as they descend towards inevitable failure and humiliation.
The American template for Train Wrecks is the 1960s sitcom I Love Lucy – with the loveable and strong-willed – but naïve and accident-prone – Lucy at the centre of the chaos. The UK sitcoms Only Fools and Horses, Steptoe and Son and Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em similarly comically trade off the misfortunes of their loveable characters.
Fawlty Towers is the doubtless high-watermark of Train Wreck sitcoms – the narratives ensure that for the frustrated Basil and the vulnerable Manuel, disaster and humiliation await around every corner.
Another excellent Train Wreck is Ricky Gervais’ The Office. David Brent, similar to John Cleese’s Basil Fawlty, was so skillfully drawn that, despite Brent’s unattractive mélange of insecurity, insensitivity and lack of self-awareness, audiences both willed him to succeed and fail in equal measure.
Another delightful British Train Wreck is the brilliant The IT Crowd. Richard Ayoade’s Moss, Chris O’Dowd’s Roy and Katherine Parkinson’s Jen are perhaps the funniest combination of Misfits to board a Train Wreck. The episode in which Moss and Roy try to fit in at a soccer match is pure genius, as is ‘the internet is stored in this box’ episode.
In Australia, Mother and Son, Frontline, Utopia and Rake are the leading Train Wreck sitcoms. Rob Sitch’s hapless character in Utopia plays the sympathetic hero battling the insane world of government bureaucracy in the similar way that Jason Bateman’s Michael Bluth shines in Arrested Development as the sane character left to battle his deranged family who appear to have lost their bearings.
Australian stand-up comedians Judith Lucy and Celia Pacquola both employ Train Wreck tactics to tell stories that take audiences on awkward journeys to unfortunate destinations. Jack Whitehall is another who draws heavily on the Train Wreck tradition to enthrall audiences with his various life fails.
To catch some great local stand-up comedy and perhaps spot a Train Wreck head to:
First Thursdays Comedy – Hold my Beer | THU 3 MAY | 7.30PM | BROWN’S MART | $10 | facebook.com/topendcomedy
Croc Bite Comedy – May the Fourth Be With You | FRI 4 MAY | 8PM | MAYFAIR GALLERY | $10 | facebook.com/crocbitecomedydarwin
Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow | FRI 18 MAY | 8PM | DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE | $45 | $40 MEMB, CONC | yourcentre.com.au
Fab U Lash | SUN 27 MAY | 5.30PM | THE CAVENAGH HOTEL | $20 | $35 INCLUDES DINNER | darwintickets.com.au
LOL Thursdays | THU 31 MAY | 8PM | BEACHFRONT HOTEL | FREE | facebook.com/topendcomedy
Will Crawford is an up-and-crawling comic. He moonlights as a land rights lawyer and policy activist.
