Comedy Teams - March 22, 2006

If it is indeed true that two heads are better than one, it follows that two people are funnier than one.  The dynamics of a comedy team may seem simple: Usually, one person is the straight man, the other is the comedian. However, when a double act morphs into a triple, quadruple, or even a sextuple act, the variations become far more complicated.   Vaudeville was a breeding ground for comedy teams. Such notables as Gallagher and Shean, Weber and Fields, Burns and Allen, and The Four Marx Brothers toured the country learning their craft, but comedy teams can form almost anywhere: burlesque houses, nightclubs, and even universities.  Some groups have even taken the "team" concept to extremes, whether in such improv groups as The Second City, The Groundlings, or The Upright Citizens Brigade, or by actually competing against other teams in order to answer the age-old question of who's first.   Of course, if you want to see the biggest bunch of comedians of all, there's only one place to look. Suggested Sites... Laurel and Hardy - one of the most beloved comedy teams of all time. Join the Sons of the Desert fan club. Penn and Teller - the Bad Boys of comedy and magic. Appearances, magic tricks, news, and more. Virtual Vaudeville - attend an 1894 vaudeville performance by monologist Frank Bush in New York's Union Square Theatre. Travalanche - Trav S.D. explores the history of entertainment from the Victorian era to the present.