Prop comedy is a comedy genre that makes use of humorous objects, or conventional objects used in humorous ways. The stages and films term "prop", an abbreviation of "property", refers to any object handled by an actor in the course of a performance. Although some form of prop comedy has likely existed as long as there have been comedians, the genre reached its zenith in the vaudeville era. The vaudeville team Olsen and Johnson made heavy use of prop comedy in their long running Broadway revue Hellzapoppin.
A prop comic is a comedian who makes use of prop comedy. Prop comics are sometimes looked down upon by other comedians, and the term is sometimes used derisively; however, some, such as Tommy Cooper, rose to critical acclaim as their props revolved around a gimmick (such as Cooper's magic) and the comedian's character around that gimmick.
Read more about Prop Comedy: Types of Props, Prop Comics, Other Occurrences
Famous quotes containing the words prop and/or comedy:
“Them she upstays
Gently with myrtle band, mindless the while
Herself, though fairest unsupported flower,
From her best prop so far, and storm so nigh.”
—John Milton (1608–1674)
“The actors today really need the whip hand. They’re so lazy. They haven’t got the sense of pride in their profession that the less socially elevated musical comedy and music hall people or acrobats have. The theater has never been any good since the actors became gentlemen.”
—W.H. (Wystan Hugh)