MAVIETNAM

Michael Ackerman THEA2100H //Vietnamization of New Jersey//

In his play //The Vietnamization of New Jersey//, Christopher Durang employs farce comedy to create humor. The Encyclopedia Britannica defines “farce” as “ a comic dramatic piece that uses highly improbable situations, stereotyped characters, extravagant exaggeration, and violent horseplay. ” The Vietnamization of New Jersey certainly contains all of these elements. The first of the characteristics, the occurrence of improbable situations, was made apparent on a regular basis throughout the play. One may take, for example, how Larry parachuted into the lives of the family members and miraculously gave them their old lives back. In reality, an uncle would never skydive as a means to see his destitute relatives. Nor would this uncle set bear traps for his pacific nephew in order to kill him. These situations are merely examples; there are a variety of situations that occur in the play that would never take place in reality. The second of Encyclopedia Britannica's characteristics of farce, the use of stereotyped characters, is present even in the first scene. Hazel, the black maid, not only speaks with a southern accent, but she is also sassy, a stereotypical trait in African American women. Hazel is not the only stereotype, however. Et is the stereotypical teenage boy; he is rude, messy (especially while eating cereal), and does not want anything to do with his parents. He is obsessed with women and enjoys the violent actions of his Uncle Larry. Likewise, Davie becomes the stereotypical hippie. He dons Buddhist robes, is extremely whiney, and finds every action of the typical Americans, in this case his parents, unacceptable. The play also incorporates the third aspect of farce comedy, extravagant exaggeration. This exaggeration can be observed in Harry and Ozzie Ann's reactions to Davie bringing Liat home as his bride. They are shocked, as many parents would be at that time, that their son married a Vietnamese girl. However, Durang exaggerates their reactions by having them make fun of her at the breakfast table, which no family would actually do to their new daughter-in-law, no matter how much they did not approve of her. Durang uses exaggeration once more when Et and Liat are having sexual relations on the couch while Ozzie Ann and Harry are in the same room. Not only would a boy who is sleeping with his brother's wife attempt to keep their affairs secret, he would not have sex in front of his parents. This exaggeration of Et and Liat's infidelity is definitely an example of the farce comedy Durang uses. The final characteristic of a farce, violent horseplay, is present throughout the work. The first example of this violence is when Liat and Davie force the family to pretend to pick rice while they fire blindly around the kitchen. It is not the only example of violence however. One such scene is when Hazel and Et are both brandishing knives; another is when Larry beats up Davie. //The Vietnamization of New Jersey// is not the only modern example of farce comedy. The first farce that came to my mind while reading this play was the television show //The Simpsons//. This show contains a variety of improbable situations, such as a meltdown at a nuclear plant. It also incorporates stereotypes, such as the Indian man who runs the gas station and the over-the-top Christian neighbor, Ned Flanders. //The Simpsons//, like //The Vietnamization of New Jersey// , also contains violent horseplay, as seen in Homer and Bart's relationship, and exaggeration, which can be observed in Homer's stupidity and irresponsibility. Another farce that came to mind was //The Three Stooges//. Larry, Moe, and Curly often find themselves in strange situations, but they always come out alright. They are stereotypical stooges, as the title of the program suggests, and they are famous for violent horseplay, slapping each other and poking one another in the eyes. Like The Simpsons and The Three Stooges, The Vietnamization of New Jersey is a farce of epic proportions. Durang, like many writers, uses violence, exaggerations, improbably occurrences, and stereotypes to bring humor into his work.