1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910616399503321

Titolo

Alternative comedy now and then : critical perspectives / / edited by Oliver Double, Sharon Lockyer

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham, Switzerland : , : Palgrave Macmillan, , [2022]

©2022

ISBN

3-030-97351-4

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (297 pages)

Collana

Palgrave Studies in Comedy

Disciplina

792.760941

Soggetti

Comedy

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Intro -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- Notes on Contributors -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Chapter 1: Alternative Comedy Now and Then: An Introduction -- 'We were mixing everything up' -- 'Something other than straight stand-up' -- Outline of the Book -- References -- Chapter 2: Alternative Comedy Timeline -- References -- Part I: Alternative Comedy Venues -- Chapter 3: The Meccano Club: The Business of Alternative Comedy -- Introduction -- 'Minimal Lighting. PA. No Piano.' -- 'Such a Low Ceiling' -- 'Such a Champion of Alternative Comedy' -- 'A Self-Portrait of the Promoter' -- 'Everyone Got the Same' -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 4: 'A Local Show for Local People': Alternative Cabaret at the Tower Arts Centre, Winchester, UK, 1981-1984 -- Introduction -- Attempt at a Genealogy -- Performance Archaeology 1, 'Blank Verse for Blank Minds' -- Local Antecedents: A Prehistory -- The Tower -- And Now, What You've All Been Waiting for, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Acts -- Performance Archaeology 2: 'Life' -- Return to Space -- Reflecting: Backwards and Forwards -- Before You Leave -- References -- Chapter 5: The Story of Cabaret A Go Go -- Introduction -- Poster Method and Technique -- The Influence of CAST/New Variety -- The Live Theatre and Newcastle Arts Centre -- Newcastle Arts Centre -- Postscript -- References -- Part II: Performers' Perspectives -- Chapter 6: Trends with Benefits -- Put Your Hands Together for the Opening Act-Introducing the Artistic and Socio-political Contexts 1983-1992 --



First Dates 1983-1984 -- A Gig Is a Gig, Even When It's Unpaid-Impact of the Miner's Strike 1984-1985 -- From the Local to the Empire-Comedy Moves to Bigger Venues 1985-1990 -- The Fault Is in the Stars-1990 Onwards -- Party Time-Red Wedge and the 1987 Election Campaign -- Show, Don't Tell-Snapshot of a Fundraiser April 1990 -- References.

Chapter 7: Alternative Cabaret in Conversation -- References -- Part III: Interpreting Alternative Comedy -- Chapter 8: Pressing for No Change? Political Correctness, the Defence of the 'mainstream' and Class in UK Newspaper Responses to the Emergence of 'Alternative Comedy' -- Introduction -- Key Findings of Quantitative Analysis of the UK Press -- What Does Alternative Comedy Mean? -- Is Alternative Comedy Funny? -- Emergence of Press Accounts of Alternative Comedy as Negatively Conceived 'Political Correctness' -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 9: The Dramatic Script of Alternative Comedy -- Introduction -- The Year Was 1988 -- Our Jaded Militants -- The Politics of Antagonism -- The Politics of Affirmation -- Conclusion -- References -- Part IV: Alternative Comedy Today -- Chapter 10: Alternative Comedy in Finland: Juhani Nevalainen, Musician Not Comedian -- Introduction -- Juhani Nevalainen, Musician Not Comedian -- Invention, Convention and Things That Don't Belong -- Framing the Relation Between Spectator and Performer -- Conclusions: Nevalainen as Comedy, Anticomedy and Metacomedy -- References -- Chapter 11: 'Less Dick Jokes': Women-Only Comedy Line-Ups, Audience Expectations and Negotiating Stereotypes -- Introduction -- Data Collection Methods -- Where have Women-Only Comedy Nights Come from and What Were They Set Up to Achieve? -- How Women Comics Understand Women-Only Comedy Nights as Alternative -- How Audiences Understand Women-Only Comedy Spaces as Alternative -- Concluding Thoughts -- References -- Chapter 12: New Alternative Comedy: Productive Crises c.2005-Present -- Introduction -- Crisis of Creativity and Commercialisation -- Performance-Based Response -- Functions and Effects -- A Crisis of Representation -- Negotiating the Crisis of Representation: FOC It Up Comedy Club -- Conclusion -- References -- Index.