Cracks And The City cracks us up
Christopher Hitchens, in his excellent article in Vanity Fair, argues that men are funny because they have to be. It is humour that gives men the edge in attracting women. Women don't have to be funny and so they don't make good comedians. He writes that "it is a tragedy that the two things that men prize most - women and humour - should be so antithetical."
Shuan Eli argues that things have changed and that many more women comedians are taking their places and holding their own on stages. They don't "just talk about their periods and complain about men", but bring their own feminine perspective to humour. Maybe women get funnier as they get older. Maybe we have all embraced feminism more. Anyway, it does seem that we are more open to the idea of women being funny. Marianne Thamm believes that women do comedy differently from men and she gives opportunity to four women comedians to prove this.
Marianne Thamm, Anthea Thompson, Anne Hirsch and Shimmy Isaacs were very funny. They did individual sets and also showed us videos that they must have had a lot of fun making. I especially liked "The Nervous Housewife". For me, the least funny bit was Anthea Thompson's old lady flashing her sensible, elasticised bloomers and being a bit silly about medical matters. (Maybe a bit masculine?) She was very funny in the videos and particularly in the one about weight loss, and she was also very funny singing "Everyone's Fucking, But Me". Anne Hirsch was very clever and slick and quite brilliant.
No one spoke about their periods. No one bashed men. No one banged on about feminism. I don't know if the Cracks' humour is different to men's. I do know that all of us, men and women alike, had some fantastic laughs. The Cracks are very funny.
Cracks and the City runs at On Broadway at 44 Long Street and is rated PG18
