The Farce at the Shaw

How has farce evolved as a television genre from its British theatre origins?

In classical English literature, a farce is a comedy which entertains audiences by means of an unlikely, yet somehow possible absurd situation. The main characters often incorporate a disguise, or use a mistaken identity to drive unusual scenarios well punctuated with puns and sexual innuendo.

According the theatre historians, the very first farce was The Second Shepard's Play, performed around Corpus Christi day in medieval churches in the town of Wakefield, England. This early English theatre gem was crafted by an anonymous author dubbed the Wakefield Master sometime in the late 1400's. Instead of a traditional nativity scene, the plot involves two thieves swaddling a lamb (that they intend to steal) in the manger.

One hundred years later, William Shakespeare authored the quintessential 16^th century farce when he wrote and performed The Comedy of Errors between 1592 and 1594. It was his shortest play, and one of his most farcical: while some of its humor derives from puns and wordplay, a large part comes from mistaken identity.