Whirled News Tonight, a critically-acclaimed satirical comedy improvisational troop out of Chicago, will make its way to the McKinney Performing Arts Center for two shows on Saturday. (For more information, click here.) The mechanics of the show are straightforward -- simplistic, some might say. Audience members present the cast with news headlines and/or clippings and away, as they say, the comedy team goes in search of improvisational laughs. But it’s not only laughs per se they’re after. Satirical comedy by definition contains an element of sober critique intent upon exposing the ridiculousness of human thought and/or behavior.
Alex Eilhauer, 29, a five-year veteran of the comedy team, spoke to McKinneyNews.net about the thrills and challenges associated with Whirled News Tonight’s off-the-cuff brand of humor.
What is improvisational comedy?
It’s comedy without a script. From the perspective of doing it, it’s definitely a rush. I really enjoy making something up on the spot. It makes me feel like my brain is firing on all cylindersThat’s got to be tough.It is. I feel my smartest when doing improv, when I’m making quick connections. With improv comedy there’s an adrenaline rush and a certain sensitivity that helps you come across ideas you might normally not come across. It’s like tapping into the unconscious. There has been some suggestion that some of the best decisions we make are made in a split second. It helps to be an expert, but thinking about something too long can actually be detrimental. It’s like you prime the subconscious with research and then in the moment of decision this stuff comes to you spontaneously. You can over think things sometimes.
What about the audience?
The audience is connected to the comedy, it’s feeding on the adrenaline. You can feel the energy of the audience because the audience has a hand in generating the material. It’s a simple thrill. People are entertained by the challenge of it. There’s a curiosity. I think the audience is wondering whether we’ll be able to pull off the suggested material.
Is everything funny?
That’s the challenge. Sometimes we get stuff that is depressing and we’re supposed to make it funny. One time we did a sketch about Somali refugees. There’s nothing innately humorous about that, but we were able to satirize the problem, taking a look at how many American “problems” may be trivial in comparison – you know, you’re cable service isn’t functioning, things like that.
What is satire?
It’s making fun of a social topic by way of highlighting the unusual and the absurd in daily living. Satire opens eyes in a less combative way. If you push too hard, the audience will push back. It’s slipping something in under their guard and maybe getting them to think about it.
What is comedy?
We’re continually trying to answer that question. Comedy holds a mirror up to society, and in a non-threatening -- or less threatening – way gets people thinking. Some comedians, for example, might say Bush is real stupid. If you just said that, that’s kind of a threatening thing to say, almost an angry thing to say that puts people off. Satirical comedy gets your point of view across without the offense. Stephen Colbert is a great example of a great satirist. How much more effective is he when he doesn’t rant about a Bill O’Reilly – and I’m just using this as an example – you know, saying O’Rielly’s a fool or an idiot? People might take offense to that, particularly someone who likes O’Reilly.
What do you think is most absurd about the human condition?
Interesting question. Maybe how serious we tend to take things. A lot of things are serious, but if you pull back they’re not so serious. Also, overconfidence. Generally, overconfident characters get more laughs from the audience than timid ones. Sometimes ego is absurd.
What do the greatest comedic talents share in terms of personality and/or temperament?
Intelligence is a big part of it, but it’s a certain kind of intelligence. Typically, the people I work with are insightful and observant. They’re very much in tune with the ordinary and able to bring out the comical in the ordinary.
Is there any subject that is either taboo or perhaps too risky to make fun of?
I don’t think so, but you’ve got to tailor what you’re doing to the audience. Nothing’s inherently taboo. The onus is on the comedian to be skillful. If you’re going to tackle a sensitive subject like racism, or something sexual -- if you do it clumsily, then it’s kind of unpleasant for everybody.
Wile E. Coyote gets hit on the head with yet another anvil while [Seinfeld’s] George Costanza endures yet another berating from his parents and we’re laughing all the while. Someone once said that at the heart of comedy lies a certain cruelty. You agree?
Maybe a little bit. Maybe it’s cruelty mixed with love. Don’t we love Costanza? We don’t want to see him get hurt, we relate to him. I see a little bit of my relationship with my parents when I watch George.
Maybe at its heart comedy is a celebration of human foibles in spite of our attempts to pretend we’re in control, in spite of our supposed cocksureness?
Yeah. I think that’s fair.
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