Reading week 4

Reading – Week 4

Bonney, J. (2000). Extreme Exposure: An Anthology of Solo Performance Texts from the Twentieth Century. New York: Theatre Communications Group.

ANDY KAUFMAN

Feedback

Andy Kaufman was known for his unpredictability, such as when he took his entire audience to a school canteen for after show milk and cookies. It was difficult to distinguish between Kaufman as a performer and Kaufman as a person. Even his death was seen as a stunt and it took a while for people to believe that he was dead. His work was extremely varied in content and style and he took the television industry by surprise because he was so unpredictable and would change something half way through, even if it was live.

Andy Kaufman plays Carnegie Hall

Kaufman plays his alter ego Tony Clifton and introduces the show through him. He plays the role of the compere who doesn’t want to leave the stage to much comical effect. Through Tony he mocks the conventional stand up, he comments on his wife, but in a romantic way and doesn’t make a joke about her or at her expense. Kaufman also plays another character who is not identified. He obviously enjoys impersonating people or making up people as alter egos. Part of the humour in this character comes from the fact he is just not funny, he forgets the punch lines, says the jokes wrong and is seen as generally quite stupid. Kaufman goes on to play himself and gets the audience to sing along with him. There are several characters he impersonates, all different and all with completely different styles and motives. This is done through simple changing of costume, accent and behaviour. The audience knows they are all the same person but he doesn’t acknowledge this in performance because he plays all of the characters straight.