First let me say that when I heard that there was going to be a clowning unit, I was a little wary. Sure I have been to the circus and have seen clowns, but I never really put much or any thought into how they do what they do, and even more so, how many different types there are of clowns! I didnt know that there was the Whiteface clown- and that he literally was all white with paint. I thought that there were two types of clowns- the ones with the permanent (sp?) smiles and red noses on their faces with the big red curly afro, and then I thought there were the creepy and scary clowns, that make people afraid of them. I guess I am more familiar with the Auguste type clown. I also found it interesting, that in the clowning reading to find Lucille Ball listed as a clown, but when I think more about it and how I have seen her act in episodes of I Love Lucy, I can completely understand why :) I am really surprised at how interesting to me this reading was. The part on the hats also made sense, you want to find one that not only has character, but can be used for so many different clowning purposes! I also enjoyed the think like a clown section with the piano "problem" and how he went about to fix it. I guess what really struck me was how much effort and time and skill and thought are put into a clowning unit or piece to be shared with an audience.
This brings me to the videos you poseted for us to watch. I loved Rowan Atkinson's performance and how realistic and animated he was with the sounds of his drumset, especially at the end when the cat startled him and he threw it into the gong, the timing was done very well, and had me even laughing throughout the video. The next one with Marcel and his masks was very entertaing, especially at how well he could hold those faces or "masks" and how realistic they looked!! being that there was hardly any sound made me wonder if the audience themselves found it funny and if it was ok to laugh at that time period. When he had his last mask on at the end and couldnt get it off, the miming was incredible at how his body language was telling something completely different than what his mask was saying. the third video where he was doing bits and talking to the audience and the reporter really showed how well he could move his body- with the dancing and one foot going crazy, and his movement and control with his hat even too. Plus the talking added extra comedy too. The last video that was posted of the man climbing the silk to get to the basket was pretty good too. How strong he must be to continously climb up and haul his whole boddy weight!
The stage combat reading was a good reminder of the things we have gone over in class and the reading and language was very easy to read as well as understand :)
Overall, I find myself wanting to go look for clowning videos and see how many different forms and types there are out there. I really am amazed at how easy it looks for all of the performers- granted they have been doing it a long time- but it makes it so simple and entertaining to watch. Makes me want to be that funny, or even change my ideal job lol.
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