Research Focus:
The Mechanics of Comedy in Musical Theatre
Comedy and Pathos: The Emotional Core of Musicals
My PhD research investigates the mechanics of comedy in both serious dramatic musicals and musical comedies, examining how humour functions not only as entertainment but as a vital dramaturgical tool. I focus particularly on the relationship between comedy and pathos - how moments of levity intensify emotional depth, facilitate narrative movement, and build audience empathy.
Theoretical Frameworks: How Comedy Works
Drawing on a range of theoretical frameworks – ie.: Bergson’s view of laughter as a social corrective, Bakhtin’s concept of the carnivalesque and grotesque, Meyerhold’s Biomechanics, Morreall’s relief theory, and Hutcheon’s theories of parody and irony - I explore how musical theatre deploys comic devices such as incongruity, rhythm, exaggeration, and surprise to provoke both laughter and reflection. I also use structural models such as McKee’s Story to analyse character sympathy, tonal shifts, and the rhythmic pacing of humour within the book, lyrics, and score.
A Collaborative Artform: Who Makes the Comedy Land?
Crucially, I consider how comedy is co-constructed by the creative team. In musical theatre, humour is not the responsibility of the bookwriter alone. Directors craft the timing and rhythm of scenes; lyricists must balance wit and clarity within strict musical constraints; composers often structure musical gags or undercut text for comic effect; choreographers use physicality and visual rhythm to heighten absurdity or juxtapose tone; and actors shape audience response through delivery, pace, and gesture. Even designers contribute to the comic world through visual exaggeration, stylised costuming, or grotesque motifs.
More Than Just Laughs: Comedy as Cultural Critique
I argue that musical theatre has always held the potential for cultural critique, using laughter as both a release and a provocation. At the same time, comedy in musicals may serve no greater agenda than pure entertainment - and that, too, is valid and vital. The pleasure of laughter, the catharsis of joy, and the sheer delight of clever wordplay or comic surprise are powerful theatrical experiences in their own right.
Laughter as Balance: Revisiting Katharsis
Drawing on the Aristotelian notion of katharsis as a restoration of balance rather than the modern interpretation of emotional purgation, I explore how musical theatre comedy helps audiences reach a kind of psychological or moral equilibrium.
Entertainment is Enough: The Validity of Pure Pleasure
My research does not prioritise political satire over entertainment but instead investigates the full spectrum of comic function, from frivolity to subversion, acknowledging that musicals can engage audiences through laughter in ways that are emotionally resonant, socially provocative, or simply, joyfully escapist.
Practice and Theory: A Dual Approach
This interdisciplinary research combines academic inquiry with practice-based experimentation, drawing on my own work in The Attic, to examine how collaborative processes, theoretical insights, and historical context all contribute to making comedy in musical theatre land effectively - with punch and purpose.