Theater: Pornocopia

Over the centuries, there have been two kinds of theater, the elitist and the vulgarian. In Aristophanic comedies, male characters were endowed with huge prop phalli with which they thwacked each other. Early forms of the Kabuki theater were closed down by the shogun in 17th century Japan for encouraging prostitution and inciting lewd homosexual byplay on and off stage. Italy's commedia dell'arte was frequently obscene in word and gesture.

The U.S. brand of popular vulgar theater was burlesque, which nurtured many distinguished clowns and comedians, including W.C. Fields, Bert Lahr, Bobby Clark...

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