Charlot a teatro

I could be wrong, but I believe this early Chaplin comedy was based on one of his music hall sketches for Fred Karno (and for which a young Stan Laurel served as understudy). Chaplin plays two characters in this one: Mr Pest and Mr Rowdy, both of whom create chaos in a theatre. One of them (I forget which) is dressed in an evening suit, suggesting a character of some breeding, while the other is sat high up in the cheap seats. There's only a few scattered laughs in this one, and quite a bit less physical and slapstick comedy than you'd expect from the little man. Chaplin makes a convincing lush, however, and is barely recognisable as the guy in the cheap seats..

Long before he became a smash on the silver screen, Charlie Chaplin had been making a splash in music hall comedy, where he honed his craft and began to discover his comic persona. A Night in the Show is one of the few Chaplin pictures to directly reference those theatrical beginnings, borrowing heavily from the Fred Karno sketch "Mummingbirds", with a sprinkling of Chaplin's own touches.

Appropriately enough, this is also a rare outing for Chaplin's aristocratic drunk act, which predates his little tramp, having originated in his days with the Karno troupe. While not as versatile or sympathetic as the tramp, the drunk could nevertheless be just as funny. With Chaplin's refined directorial style, he makes the most of the character's antics, allowing him to bumble about in a series of long takes. He is joined by "Mr Rowdy", also played by Chaplin, a character I have not seen anywhere else, but who bares a slight resemblance to the screen persona of Ben Turpin, who made a few appearances for Chaplin in earlier Essanay shorts. Mr Rowdy isn't exactly hilarious, although he allows for some interplay between the two Chaplins, as we see the drink Rowdy pours from the gallery landing on the drunk in the stalls in two separate shots, which is a kind of cinematic joke in itself – and one thing Chaplin couldn't have done on stage.

In fact, this whole piece seems to be Chaplin showing off the advantages of screen over stage. Although in the Karno sketch the drunk would be planted in the audience, right by the stage as we see him here, it did not involve the audience any further. In the medium of film, Chaplin can make as many gags as he wants among the on screen audience. In the most bizarre bit of nose-thumbing, there is even a Georges Melies moment, when the demonic fire-eater "appears" on stage with a stop-trick. It is, in many ways, one of the most intelligent shorts Chaplin made at Essanay. And yet, sadly it isn't very funny. It doesn't have the sense of cohesion or build up of gags that we would expect from a Chaplin short by this point.

But there's still time for the all-important statistic - Number of kicks up the arse: 1 (1 for)

"A Night In The Show" (1915, Chaplin) "A Night In The Show" is Charlie at his best in this early stage in his careeer. Early being his 48th overall film and 32nd directing, all within 1914 and 1915, and one of 49 in that time period. From the very beginning, the film just flows from one comedic segment into another. The beginning is rather lackluster which may only bolster the opinion of a rising laugh overall. Charlie starts trouble and adds on to future troubles all at once. All the sketches are played out with perfect timing. In the middle of the ruckus that Charlie causes as he moves around the theater is another tramp in the first seat of the aisle in the balcony. He spills beer onto the people below, throws cream puffs at a dude and a little person act, and in the grand finale, uses a fire hose to put out a fire which is part of the act on stage.

This is one of the few of these early films that could withstand repeated watching of it.

This 1915 short comedy is much like Chaplin's last comedy Limelight as he and Buster Keaton share the final stage before his curtain call. In both scenes, Chaplin finds himself falling off and back on stage during his performance. In A Night in the Show, Chaplin introduces himself to the audience as the show. It is he who they are coming to see. Chaplin plays two characters that are both trying to win the attention of the audience. One is portraying an Artist while the other is trying to make the crowd laugh by any means necessary. Both win as the Jester and the Artist make the mob laugh and cheer for more. I consider A Night in the Show fair warning from Chaplin about what the next 40 years was going to be like.

Charlie Chaplin made an odd little short indeed! He plays two different characters--neither of which are his usual "Little Tramp". Instead, he plays two really annoying audience members at a live show. Mr. Pest was a drunk rich guy who acted like he was the only one in the audience--having no regard for others at all during the show--even annoying the performers from time to time. Mr. Rowdy was a poorer guy in the balcony who nearly fell off the balcony several times and was prone to throwing or dropping things. Together, they both helped to ruin the show. While this is all the plot there really is in the film, it's so much fun and there's so much silly slapstick humor that I had a fine time. Usually I like more plot, but funny is funny.