Friday, April 16, 2010

A Quick Outline of Every Moroccan Comedic Play

Part 1: Two options

Every comedy sketch here starts out with either an old, and inevitably senile, married couple or with some important man whose crucial work cannot be disturbed. The old couple will begin by arguing about something which reveals how ludicrously ancient they are while the important dude will just frantically type on a fake laptop as if the work being demanded of him was far too much to ask of one man. Quick side note: the manner in which the character pretends to type instantly reveals that people here have no idea how to do so correctly.

Part 2: Interruption

A homeless, sometimes glue sniffing, character will enter and do dumb things like repeatedly fall over or shake uncontrollably. People laugh. The male character from the first scene flips a shit and screams at any present female characters, then slaps or kicks the interrupter. After ripping a few lines akin to "but I homeless and sniff glue so I want money from you!" in some misguided accent, the interrupter leaves.

Part 3-X: Repeat Part 2 Ad Nauseum with New Stereotypes

Other popular characters include: Rowdy teens, promiscuous girls (always played by guys in drag), and girls who do not want to get married. You may be wondering: How long could this pattern be sustained without exhausting its undeniable comedic value? Well, first off, these kinds of plays usually start off tired and immediately veer into brutality so there is absolutely no value to sustain. Secondly, I was thinking about the answer to that question yesterday about 35 minutes (and 6 interruptions) into a textbook masterpiece and realized the only determinant that ends these mostly ad libbed ordeals is physical fatigue on the part of the male lead. I mean, this dude is up there kicking and screaming at all sorts of seedy peeps and disobedient daughters, basically non-stop for the whole performance. It's kind of impressive in that sense.


Part X+1: The Cliché Finisher Into Unintelligible Arguing

The punishment only ends when the male lead executes the last and traditionally most hackneyed line of the ordeal. By this point this dude has already shot off an assortment of Univision-worthy punchlines and the audience knows what's coming. Thus, the last one has to outdo them all. That at least, is the intent. Usually it's just something like "You should have listened to me!", "I can't believe that failed!" or "Now what are we going to do with this worthless, glue addicted daughter!" Ok, so the last one is completely fake. The point, whatever it may be, stands. After the clinching line, the on stage situation devolves into arguing as everyone exits. It is the annoying, loud-mouthed cousin of the musical fade-out.


Despite all of this, it would a lie to say I never laugh during these. I mean, some of those old-Berber-dude-trying-to-use-a-phone impressions are dead on.

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