Bad timing: when breaking news makes comedy uncomfortable

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/sep/22/bad-timing-breaking-news-comedy-cardinal-burns

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In my recent Cardinal Burns review I wrote that the duo’s Dalston cabbie characters Hashtag and Bukake weren’t as funny as I’d seen them in the past. They were being played slightly more broadly, I thought. But it was also about context: in the weeks after the Rotherham child abuse revelations, how funny are sex-pest taxi drivers? That section alone in their generally excellent show felt like, if not a misstep, then a missed opportunity. It’s not that the sketch should be banned/postponed/burned on the pyre or whatever (I’m usually a sucker for its Sex on Fire re-boot). But performing it without acknowledging its unwarranted topicality invited an elephant into the room and then – major comedy crime – left that elephant unaddressed.

So what happens, or should happen, when comedy becomes – through no fault of its own – suddenly sensitive? The same bad timing afflicted Doctor Who recently, when a beheading scene had to be edited out at the last minute in light of goings-on in the Middle East. Prior to that, the comic film Let’s Be Cops was branded “the worst-timed movie ever” when its release coincided with the shooting of teenager Michael Brown by US police.

The movie wasn’t pulled from cinemas, and the Doctor Who edit was – as far as I’m aware – voluntary. The issue isn’t primarily whether anyone will be offended, but whether the evocation of something raw and unpleasant will scupper people’s enjoyment. It might be a lesser concern if the piece of entertainment in question was serious-minded – a drama series, say. But if it’s an upbeat fantasy, or a comedy show, the grim images summoned to mind will engender precisely the opposite feelings from those intended. And the risk is run, too, of seeming to make light of something awful.

I certainly don’t think there should be an embargo on jokes, post-Rotherham, about sleazy taxi drivers. This isn’t about “how soon is too soon?” The problem is that the sequence invited us to laugh at the sexual swagger and ridiculously predatory behaviour of two cabbies, while seeming ignorant of the unsavoury topical associations. That generated a slight tension and unease. So should Cardinal Burns have cut the scene? Not at all – the characters are popular, it’s their closing number, and I’m sure a fair portion of the audience enjoy it innocent of any negative connotation.

But for comedians, cutting the scene isn’t the only option. It’s a live artform, it can change nightly – and so, directly or indirectly, Cardinal and Demri-Burns might have acknowledged the associations. They might yet. Were they to do so, the comedy might even be bolstered or enriched.

I don’t mean to criticise them for not doing so. It wouldn’t be easy, it could be counterproductive – and in any event they may deny the overlap between their skit and the activities of Rotherham’s taxi drivers. It’s emphatically not a sketch about child abuse; it’s just a bit of fun. But comedy doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and I doubt I was alone in having the association pop up in my head, unbidden. And once there, it curdles the comedy, just a little, unless the act on stage expels it, exploits it or otherwise puts us at our ease. The most exciting standups would give that a go; it’s one thing live comedy can do that Doctor Who never can.

Three to see

Funny women awards final 2014

You can’t go see this one – it’s invitation only – but you can keep an eye out as 10 female standups or comedy acts, including the buzzy sketch troupe Massive Dad, compete for an award won in the past by Katherine Ryan and Andi Osho.• Leicester Square theatre, London, on 22 September.

Tim Key

An opportunity arises to go to bed with Tim Key: any takers? The new show by this impish experimenter – and Alan Partridge sidekick – takes place in and around Key’s bed. After hit London and Edinburgh runs, it now takes to the road.• Colchester Arts Centre (0120 650 0900) on 23 September; Tobacco Factory Bristol (0117 902 0344) on 25 September; then touring.

Greenwich comedy festival

Bumper weekend of comedy in the grounds of the National Maritime Museum, with acts including Nina Conti, Aisling Bea, Josh Widdicombe, and a mouthwatering opening night bill featuring Stewart Lee, Josie Long and Tony Law.• National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, from 24-28 September.