Category — Oral Performance
Uptown Showdown: Hanukkah vs Christmas
I had a great time at the mock debate at symphony space. Prior to the show, I had no idea who the performers were, but I was impressed by their credentials. They were able to take somewhat of a difficult topic and turn it into something that was pretty funny.
While certain performers on both sides didn’t stand out too well, overall the two teams did a great job. I couldn’t decide which team was funnier at the end because they both had their moments. The only regret I had was that I missed a handful of the jokes because I didn’t get the references behind them. Most of these jokes came from the Hanukkah side, and were based off knowledge that I didn’t have because of my unfamiliarity with the holiday.
Something I noticed both teams do, was walk a very fine line between humor and overly crude humor. While the line was crossed several times during the night, the comedians always seemed to bring themselves back. This reminded me of what pitchmen need to do to keep their crowds. They have to keep their attention, but at the same time they can’t come across as overly needy or aggressive. Similarly, by venturing too far into the crude zone comedians risk alienating a large part of their audience.
November 27, 2012 2 Comments
Hanukkah vs Christmas
Coming into the comedic debate, I didn’t really know what to expect. I wasn’t too experienced with live comedy. But the show turned out to be really entertaining.
There were many things I liked about the play besides the comedy. One was the audience interaction. I felt like the teams (especially the first guy on team Christmas) tried to involve the audience. The Q & A in particular allowed the comedians to answer some of the audience members and required them to improvise and not just read from a script, which I found pretty cool. Another was the use of things like PowerPoint presentations. This made it seem like an actual debate with facts, even though it was mostly about making the audience laugh.
At the end, it was interesting how the debaters were trying to use comedy to win the debate rather than reason. I, for instance, picked the winner based on how funny they were and didn’t really think about the facts. In the end, it was a fun experience and I ended up laughing more than learning about either Hanukkah or Christmas.
November 27, 2012 1 Comment
Thoughts on Uptown-Showdown Debate
Coming in to the debate, I had no affiliation toward a side since I don’t celebrate either holiday. Therefore, I judged this “debate” based on which side was funnier, rather than which side made the best claim for their respective holiday. In terms of being funny, I think the Hanukkah side won, especially because of their first speaker (Seth?). He was the one that made me laugh the most. On the Christmas side, I didn’t think the man with the vacuum and Michael Showalter were that funny. Using a vacuum as a smell machine was an interesting prop, but I felt that his performance became very repetitive. Michael Showalter’s performance was not too bad, but I felt that most of it did not pertain to the debate. Unlike those two, Seth’s performance was both funny and relevant to the debate.
I thought the best part of the whole performance was the interactions between the comedians and the crowd. I liked how the comedians were very responsive to what the crowd did. Someone in the crowd might say something, and the comedian would respond to the audience. The Q&A session was also very entertaining. While it was a bit awkward, I found it really funny how whoever asked a question was pretty much embarrassed by the comedians. Overall, I enjoyed this performance.
November 27, 2012 No Comments
Mini-Reflection on Hanukkah vs. Christmas Comedy Show!
Hi everyone,
I somewhat enjoyed the Hanukkah vs. Christmas comedy show. I’m not particularly accustomed to using or hearing profanity, so I must say that the comedians’ frequent use of the f-word came as a bit of shock! Seriously, I really shouldn’t have been surprised though because I kind of knew that generally, in order to appeal to mass audiences, crude humor is usually the way to go…besides that, I thought that the overall quality of the show was really good. I enjoyed the creative use of Powerpoint presentations to back up each side’s claim and I thoroughly enjoyed the side remarks made by each side; they were quick, witty, and resourceful and in my opinion, were probably the best part of the entire show. The act was also very open and flexible; I liked the fact that there wasn’t a specific script that the actors needed to follow when performing and that the actors embraced interaction with the audience ( the vacuum guy was hilarious precisely because of his interaction with the front row, where I was seated). The atmosphere of the comedy show was also really relaxed and fun; every comedian had notes with them as they got up to set up their argument against the other side, but you could tell that they were all, for the most part, very relaxed and comfortable with what they were going to present. In my opinion, the third guy on the Hanukkah side was the funniest because his tone of speech was drawling, bored, and yet so sarcastic and witty. He had so many quick jabs up his sleeve. That guy offered so many rebuttals and every time he spoke, I wasn’t quite sure of what to expect from him. The older lady on the Hanukkah side was, like I said in class, a bit intimidating, but I found her sense of humor also very entertaining because she used historical facts to back up her claim that Hanukkah is better than Christmas. Her argument was a bit satirical and I think it would generally go under the heading of “nerdy humor.” I didn’t understand a few of her references, but I got the gist of what she was trying to say.
I hope this mini-reflection gave you all a sense of what I thought of the show. Feel free to share your own thoughts!
Sofia
November 26, 2012 No Comments
Christmas vs Hanukkah and the debate in class
I found the Christmas vs Hanukkah debate to be not really a debate. They were not arguing against each other and just stating facts. I did not really find it funny. But I can’t blame them because it was difficult to make the topic amusing. I laughed the most when the Jewish side made fun of how concerned with money Jewish people are and how all the Jews are living in Uptown. I found the lady in the Hanukkah said to be very boring because she was really concerned with winning the debate instead of making the audience laugh. Winning the debate and comedy does not really hand in hand. I thought the Hanukkah side won because they made me laugh the most, especially the first guy. The Q and A section was really awkward and I felt like whoever was brave enough to ask a question was made fun of. There were a lot of sexual references and insults to the audience. One of the best answers to the questions was from the Christmas side, “I feel awkward telling my black friend I take the N train.” Overall, it was not as funny as I wanted to be but I learned a lot about Christmas and Hanukkah. I had a great time.
The debate in class, apples vs oranges, made me realize how hard it was to win. There is always a negative side to the topic you are supporting. Jake was a good debater because his argument was clear, he did not stutter, and his voice was powerful. Hand gestures were used frequently in our debate and I thought that added more power to our speech.
November 26, 2012 No Comments
Uptown Showdown
A summary was already given, so I’ll just mention a few things I noticed….
Firstly, after doing the debate in class (apples vs. oranges), I realized one thing was missing from the debate at Uptown Showdown. The debaters there seemed to have each been doing their own thing. There was no rebuttal from the other side on the exact points that were made. Additionally, even within a team, there did not seem to be a sense of cohesiveness amongst the group. It did not seem like the preparation for the show was done together. Like Amanda mentioned, the Hanukkah side was more focused on the history of the holiday, whereas the Christmas side was more focused on the festivities of the holiday.
Secondly, as Professor Ugoretz mentioned in class to keep an eye out for, I noticed that people did indeed look around for “approval” before/ during letting out a laugh. As we were sitting in the front few rows, it was difficult to get a full study of this, but I was able to see our class (including myself) looking around at fellow audience members (unless we were all just checking if everyone else was looking around in order to gather this “research”).
Thirdly, I found the Q & A to be quite a fail. The questions asked did not really add anything to the debate. And, they were either dumb, irrelevant, rude, or even crude. But, the attack back to the questioners was reminiscent of the way the pitchmen involve the audience and not-so-subtly (here, even obviously) insult them.
November 22, 2012 No Comments
Christmas vs. Hanukkah
Hello,
Symphony Space had a great comedy act last night with some highlights and some not-so-good moments.
The debate of Hanukkah vs Christmas was set up with three debaters for each team.
The first for team Hanukkah was funniest overall. He started a bit dryly with the story and threw in a few jokes here and there. He made fun of a few names, and called the heroes of the story bad-asses and mentioned that Jews were cheap then too. They were so happy because the miracle of the one day’s worth of olive oil staying alit for eight days saved them some money.
The first guy for team Christmas basically took a vacuum and make believe it was all the different smells of christmas. Pretty funny.
Overall the Christmas team was funnier than the Hanukkah team but Hanukkah had better arguments probably because they took it too seriously. The Hanukkah team’s woman representative, Jackie Hoffman, started with the history of the persecution of Jews… not funny. And she was too loud.
And then the Q and A…
The improvised remarks of some of the comedians were better than their stand up acts. For example, Jackie Hoffman calling Michael Showalter, “Moshe Showalter,” When the jerk called Michael Showalter fat (“Is that a pillow in your shirt or … “) the vacuum guy sprayed imaginary “turd” incense at him.
But I was biased from the beginning… Yay Hanukkah!
Either way happy holiday! (Thanksgiving…)
November 20, 2012 No Comments
Protest as a Form of Art
Hi everyone,
I hope you all are doing well. Before tomorrow’s gathering at the Symphony Space, I want to share a brief reflection on a protest that I attended on Thursday for the civilians in Gaza. With the recent surge in violence in Israel and the Gaza Strip, millions of people across the world are organizing/attending protests to show their solidarity with the people in Gaza and Syria, who are both suffering at the hands of brutal regimes. It’s interesting to note that these people are not only Muslim; they are of different ethnicities, races, and religions. The protest I attended was, needless to say, incredibly emotionally charged; my friend was very angry and upset because she was unable to get in touch with her family in Gaza due to the Israeli government shutting down all forms of communication (i.e. internet, phone lines, etc.) in the Gaza Strip. I guess the only thing that I can do is hope for peace and justice in the Middle East. As one poster said, “WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT OUR HUMANITY.”
While I was at the protest, I noticed various manifestations of “resistance art” directly on the posters, the signs, and the banners. The Palestinian flag was omnipresent; a blur of red, white, black, and green permeates my memories as I recall seeing weeping old men, teenage males passionately shouting “Free, Free Phillistine, Free, Free Ghaaza,” and fiery, young girls wearing hijab (the Islamic head-scarf) thrusting their fists into the air demanding justice. I help up a sign that boldly stated, “With Justice Comes Peace-Free Palestine!” and there were dozens of other people holding up the V-sign colored in the Palestinian flag colors. Perhaps what was most striking about this protest was not the signs brandished by the Arab community, but by Hasidic Jews who held up signs reading, “Judaism Does Not Support Zionism.”
Overall, this experience will not be forgotten any time soon. I first-handedly witnessed protest art!
November 19, 2012 4 Comments
The Tempest
“The Tempest” is the only opera I’ve ever been to in my life.
Thanks to a friend of mine, I had read “Maskerade” by Terry Pratchett, so I was prepared.
According to this book, a random person viewing an opera won’t know what’s going on at all without the little booklets that they pass out explaining it, so I looked up the plot online beforehand. The book was right- I would’ve never been able to follow the show without it. I like my entertainment to be fun, and fun can only be had if at least half of your brain isn’t saying “OK…what’s going on….I don’t understand.” So I can read a book and not understand why a character did something because I know it will be explained later in the plot. Movies take this reliability to an extreme, recycling the same plots over and over again- you know what’s going to happen in a movie just by the title and poster. The opera seems to be the most brain-bruising form of entertainment by far. I wasn’t used to this, and I don’t think I like it.
“Maskerade” also pointed out that the singers in the opera have to worry about their appearance, and I noticed that everyone in “The Tempest” took good care of themselves, but maybe that’s just in acrobatic operas like this? I wouldn’t know. Either way, the Tempest involved a lot of gymnastic skills, and I wasn’t expecting that- I guess I always pictured some fat lady singing high enough to break glass when i pictured “opera.”
The voices involved sounded good to my unsophisticated ears. The Ariel singer’s voice was annoyingly high- 2 people complained that they got headaches from her.
I liked the scenery, especially the sea and the forest. The idea of waving a sheet to portray the ocean worked out well, and the trees moved farther apart as singers walked towards them, creating and illusion of depth.
The costumes were intense. They were made so that even the people in the top row could see all the details.
I don’t know. Opera just isn’t my thing.
November 6, 2012 No Comments
The Met
Coming into the opera, I didn’t know what to expect. Often I’ve seen clips of operas in movies in which only individuals of the higher society attend. Therefore, I thought it would be full of rich people coming to socialize amongst themselves. However, upon arrival I saw that there was a mix of people who attend the opera. Most of them looked like regular people, not power-hungry individuals whose checkbooks speak for them before they do.
The opera itself was extremely intriguing. The plot was very interesting and had me captivated throughout the performance. The introduction with Ariel on the chandelier was nothing short of captivating. The orchestra managed to capture the moments of the play with the perfect music. I especially liked the way the director set up Prospero on one side of the stage for him to “watch” over what he was doing. The actors’ voices were amazing, especially Ariel. It’s unbelievable that she can reach such high octaves and yet still maintain a strong voice.
The visit to the opera changed my perspective of it. It puts a spin on the type of performing arts I’ve been used. I no longer think if it as something only rich people do, but as an exciting performance to watch.
October 24, 2012 1 Comment