PLEASE DON’T LAUGH
The world is slowly going under. Yet there has never been more stand-up comedy than today. Why is that? Does humour distract us, or does it keep us on task? Why is Trump laughable, but never funny? And when a clown really slips, is it still permissible to laugh at them? The American children's author E.B. White once said:
“Analyzing humour is like dissecting a frog. No one is interested and the frog dies of it.”
Against their better judgment, Brussels' Tristero takes up the gauntlet – or rather, the microphone. For years, the company has made performances with a comic undertone. Now they ask themselves the question at last: what is humour, actually? Their investigation leads us to both the very first joke in history and the best joke in the world. They share their findings in all seriousness, equipped with little more than an empty stage, a microphone, and a spotlight.
You can recognize Tristero by their blank faces. (Wouter Hillaert)
BIO
• Tristero is a real Brussels theatre company. The artistic core consists of Cédric Coomans, Youri Dirkx, and Peter Vandenbempt. They regularly collaborate with Kaaitheater in Brussels. For example, De verbouwing (2014), Fluisterbehang/Visite Guidée, and Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker (2024). Humor
by and with Cédric Coomans, Youri Dirkx, Peter Vandenbempt, etc. ⎸ final direction Dries Gijsels ⎸ production Tristero Co-production Kaaitheater & Perpodium ⎸ with the support of the Tax Shelter of the Federal Government, the Flemish Community and the Flemish Community Commission of the Brussels-Capital Region
