Interesting post from NPR.ORG
http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2013/03/04/173424536/are-romantic-comedies-dead
commenting on this story from the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/movies/03scot.html?_r=0
"Tables and Beds, an unromatic comedy" is our take on this genre. We're trying to bring romance to some sort of truth, talking not only about "the sparks" of the beginning, but also about routine, and the weight that the passing of time creates on our shoulders. It's also about all kinds of relationships: romantic love, the love of friends, erotic love, platonic love... and about the unrealistic expectations that some "desperately" single people have about love... in part because of the romantic tales that we consume.
I continue to be fascinated by how ridiculous we are as human beings. I realize now that is the main theme that all my plays have in common. And I think that when in love, or lust, is when we act in our most ridiculous behavior.
While, it's easy to demean the new generation of rom-coms from Hollywood, let's face it, they're dreadful, still, there is something magical about the old movies of that same genre. They last.
In rehearsals, we have talked often about "Bringing up, baby" and other screwball comedies from the golden age of Hollywood. I love those movies so much! And the more ridiculous they get, the funnier and more touching they become. It was a time and place for geniuses, such as Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant, directed by Howard Hawks in a movie co-written by Dudley Nichols (who also wrote the classic script for "Stagecoach").
The comic timing, the tempo, and pace of the comedy is perfect pitch! The spectator is caught on that crazy pace, and before one knows, one cares for these character very deeply. It's storytelling magic.
For me, what makes Hepburn and Grant so special is their total fearlessness with the material at hand. You can tell, in this particular comedy, the cast members knew they were in good hands.
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