Yama & Kama Yuk It Up

Blog assignment: Watch Kani Yamabushi and Kamabara and compare and contrast the plays in structure, characters, etc. Do any of the “one liners’ remind you of past or present jokes? DUE: Friday June 5 by 9:00 PM

Both plays were difficult to follow. However, a shared theme was how the action in the plays cut through the veneer of enculturation to speak to universal humanity. In both plays, we meet characters who present the social self. However, the driving force for the humour in both performances borrows from this artificial social self where human fallacy fails to reconcile with traditional gender roles. This dichotomy of living up to social expectations while hiding our less glamorous, vulnerable side from the world represents a universal that would appeal to any audience. When we laugh at these characters, we’re also laughing at ourselves because we are guilty of living the same social posturing.

The best one liner was the comment “That was no woman. That was my aunt.” It reminded me of some of the old vaudeville bits, and brings to mind a routine by Don Rickles where he tells the audience about his wife, “I’ve been married 41 years to a Jewish broad" … applause … Rickles responds, "Don’t clap, you never saw her.”

This variety of humour is a rarity in the modern era, but it was the bread and butter of comedy during the golden age of television. The style of humour should remind us of the comedy of a bygone era, and maybe even give us a little nostalgic tap on the shoulder while we pause to smile about those great old favorites like Burns and Allen, W.C. Fields, and Dick Van Dyke. When we consider the cultural difference between the United States and Japan, we might consider the dichotomy between the values of tradition vs. the throw-away culture that defines the United States, and perhaps give a little thought to what this lack of foundation says about our infant nation where so little is sacred.