Corpsing is a British theatrical slang term used to describe when an actor breaks character during a scene by laughing[1] or by causing another cast member to laugh. A BBC TV programme on 18 November 2006 stated that the term "corpsing" originated when a living actor played a corpse on stage; there was sometimes a tendency to try to make that actor laugh.[citation needed]
Corpsing is not a term exclusive to the theatre, but is also used to describe actions designed to cause hysteria in live television or radio. One of the most famous examples of this is on Test Match Special in the famous "Leg-over" incident [2] and another cricket commentary in which it was noted that "...the batsman's Holding, the bowler's Willey."[3]
Another example is in the sitcom Green Wing. In it, footage is sped-up and slowed down partly for comic effect, but is also used to hide corpsing.[citation needed] Green Wing actress Tamsin Greig (Dr Caroline Todd) has admitted to a tendency to corpse.[4] Jimmy Fallon was notorious for corpsing during his stint on Saturday Night Live.
Corpsing is also a common event on the BBC Radio 2 Wake Up to Wogan breakfast slot with the show's presenter, Sir Terry Wogan, often breaking into fits of uncontrollable giggles and taking the rest of his team with him, such as Alan Dedicoat ("Deadly"), Fran Godfrey ("Mimi"), Lynne Bowles ("The Totty from Splotty") traffic reporter, and John Marsh ("Boggy"), with these occasions often lasting several minutes.
During the "Pete and Dud" sketches in the BBC comedy series Not Only... But Also, Peter Cook would deliberately ad lib in an attempt to make Dudley Moore corpse—and invariably succeeded.[5] The comedian Spike Milligan often succeeded in making fellow cast members laugh during his BBC TV series Q through exaggerated characterisations.
A notable example in cinema is in a scene of Dr. Strangelove, whereby Peter Sellers, delivering a satirical monologue in the character of Dr. Strangelove, causes Russian Ambassador Alexi de Sadesky (played by Peter Bull) to visibly corpse, with the scene making the final cut unedited. In Monty Python's Life of Brian, a stuttering Pontius Pilate (Michael Palin) admirably smirked to a minimum while staring up close to more-corpsing (partly intentionally) actors while enquiring if there was anything funny about the name "Biggus Dickus".
In a feature called "The Art of Corpsing" on the series two DVD of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's sitcom Extras, the phenomenon of corpsing is discussed by the cast members, including several one-time guests. Among the opinions they give are that it's very easy to be distracted on a set, where "you're never not aware of your surroundings" and of "the absurdity of what you're doing"; that there's no predicting what will set someone off; that "by the time you're laughing during the sixth take, no one else is laughing anymore," because "from the outside, it looks like you're indulging yourselves"; and that once an actor corpses it can be nearly impossible to get back on track.
See also
References
- ^ arts.guardian.co.uk: "A greasepaint glossary", article on theatrical terms
- ^ BBC Radio Five Live: Greatest Ever Commentary
- ^ Sport Gaffes quotes and quotations
- ^ Channel 4: interview with Tamsin Greig
- ^ Peter Cook: A Biography, Harry Thompson, Hodder and Stoughton, 1997
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