The two funniest plays I saw live
I’ve seen a few plays here and there but the two that stick out in my mind were extremely funny.
The Frogs by Aristophanes
Aristophanes is an ancient Greek playwright who wrote comedies and we have 11 of them still. There was music included at the time but that music has been lost. Even if you just read the play as it is you will find it funny — even though half the jokes are specific to the time.
The person who adapted the play for this performance, Greg Robic, is a genius. He did the thing that people often do where they put new words to famous songs — but he did it very well.
The theatre was fairly small (the Poor Alex Theatre), and the company was small (the Ancient Comic Opera Company) — but energetic. Top notch actors performing a brilliant script — this created a magical evening.
This was in 1997 and I saw it with my friend Graham.
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
The University of Waterloo’s Drama department put this on at the Theatre of the Arts. The director was Anne-Marie Donovan.
Undoubtedly their most talented students were in the production — it was hilarious.
This was in 2006 and I saw it with a friend.
Please don’t watch the 2002 movie version.