Laughter isn’t what it used to be. It’s little wonder. With so many gut-wrenching moments since September 11th, the latest of which came just yesterday, there’s been little left over for the belly laugh. Suddenly everyone from class clowns to late night comics had less to say. Irony lost its appeal. So did the wry, subtle barbs of wickedly delicious, sinfully indulgent dinner party chatter. America just wasn’t in the mood. Then something surprising happened. The in-your-face, yuk-it-up chuckles that were once the exclusive domain of the silly have become the new palliative. And thank goodness.
Our Tuesday Transformation series continues. This time, a conversation with Pulitzer prize winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein about humor’s burden against tragedy’s backdrop.
Guests:
Wendy Wasserstein, pulitzer prize-winning and Tony award-winning playwright, with her play “The Heidi Chronicles,” and author of “Shiksa Goddess
How I spent My Forties”
and Bob Mankoff, cartoon editor at The New Yorker.