The Sklar Brothers

this time for my blog im going to write about my choice in humor centered around the comedy central special on the sklar brothers. they immediately open their act with a joke on how they are doing an audition for the hbo young, jewish, identical twin comedian special. the reason this line is so funny is because they play on their identity as young, jewish, identical twins where they are entering into a ridiculous competition. also, this joke would not work to well if the audience lacked the visual cues and the ability to see the twins on stage.

the unique ability of this comic pair is that most comedians come on as solo acts. the sklar brothers are able to play multiple characters on stage, and they can tell their stories with greater clarity because it is easier to have a conversation with another character than as a solo artist. similar to abbott and costello, the sklar brothers tell great stories by playing two different characters and by speaking with strong intonations and inflections. their piece on the "girls gone wild" parody allows one of them to play the announcer of the commercial and the other brother to play the role of a girl gone wild. another example of the benefit of having two comedians is the piece where the brothers play the roles of a homeowner and a telemarketer.

not only do they play different characters, but they both can play the same character and complete each others' sentences - creating a fast-paced act. on their skit about a father scolding the two brothers, they both say phrases that their father use to tell them, where both of them act like the father. the combination of the two comedians rapidly yelling lines creates confusion and chaos, but also allows the audience to feel how the brothers felt and allows the audience to hear the many voices of the father.

lastly, their ability to complete each others' lines is unique to the paired acts where solo artists have much trouble doing so. the completing of lines creates unity between the two comedians, but also creates unity with the audience as well. the situation feels like a conversation between multiple friends, and that is what makes the audience more comfortable. not only do the sklar brothers complete each others' lines, they also say the same lines. the muttering of the same phrases places higher emphasis on those lines and also acts as an exclamation.

comic pairs are difficult to find because there has to be so much continuity and cooperation between the comedians. finding other people that share the same beliefs and humor is difficult enough, yet you also have to get along with them and not feel like throwing them out, at least that is what the inebriated anthropologist says.