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Comedy genre in which performers use humorous objects, or conventional objects in humorous ways
Prop comedy
is a
comedy
genre in which performers use humorous objects, or conventional objects in humorous ways. The stages and films term "
prop
", an abbreviation of "property", refers to any object an actor handles in the course of a performance. Though some form of prop comedy has likely existed as long as there have been comedians, the genre reached its zenith in the
vaudeville
era. The vaudeville team
Olsen and Johnson
used prop comedy extensively in their long running
Broadway
revue
Hellzapoppin
.
A
prop comic
is a
comedian
who uses prop comedy. Prop comics are sometimes looked down upon by other comedians, and the term is sometimes used derisively. However, some, such as
Tommy Cooper
, rose to critical acclaim as their props revolved around a
gimmick
(such as Cooper's
magic
) and the comedian's character around that gimmick.
Types of props
[
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]
Props are any items that the comedian or comic uses in an absurd way. These can be hand props, such as a book or
slapstick
, costume props (such as tearaway pants), and set props (such as a breakaway chair).
[1]
Another example is the
rubber chicken
.
Other occurrences
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]
The TV comedy game show
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
has a round called
Props
in which two teams of comedians are each given a prop each and must improvise with them to humorous effect.
References
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]