The 2001 Play Underneath the Lintel by Glen Berger is a monologue by a Dutch librarian who delves into the history of several rare volumes which are returned 113 years overdue. Upon investigation, he becomes convinced that the borrower is none other than the Wandering Joke.The legend of the comedian destined to immortality, deprived of a final curtain call. The story’s origins date to the Crucifiction, in the year 0 B.C.E., that murky grey zone, after an unheralded shoemaker’s apprentice directed a volley of corrosive, obscenity laced jokes and physical humour at Roman legionnaires to distract their attention from their heinous and murderous deeds.
The Jerusalem apprentice, became known as the legend of the eternal joke. A man who dreamed of a theatrical and directing career in Athens at the Aristophanes school of Theatre. He became an ageless spirit, eternally wandering the earth, perpetually reincarnating itself in different corporeal forms as gifted souls who were generally opinionated ethnic characters, and endearing eccentrics with a knack for scene stealing; a restless form of humour in search of the ultimate comedic aesthetic and conclusive punch-line. Humour has many faces, from the burlesque, to the satirical, to the absurd, and the Eternal Joke has played them all, each actor a variation on humour’s infinite shade of color. The Joke has even resided in several actors at the same time.The Joke received some critical acclamations for dramatic roles, but generally was found lurking in black comedies, and less mainstream productions.
The Wandering Joke has always noted, that with regard to worldy philosophers and deep thinkers such as Kant and Freud , it seems that one of the problems with the theories they put forward about humor is their lack of familiarity with the material,and inability to understand juxtaposition and context. That is, they have a bad sense of humour, know poor jokes, or, more precisely, they don’t know what a good joke is. Jokes, in short, are complicated transactions in which communities are forged, intimacy is offered, and otherwise offensive stereotypes and cliches lose their sting—hopefully. Humor has often been used as an instrument of oppression, as a way of expressing contempt towards those outside the privileged group, a way of keeping outsiders in their place.However, The Wandering Joke has always taken the high road , regarding humour as an art form, a uniting force, and above philosophical musings.
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“But you, dear friends,keep in mind the words spoken in advance by the emissaries of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.They told you ,”During the acharit hayamim(last days) there will be scoffers following their own godless passions.” “B’rit Hadashah. Y’hudah:17
“The scornful He(Adonai) scorns,” Tanakh.Mishlei:3:34
“How blessed are those who…don’t…sit where scoffers sit !
Their delight is in Adonai’s Torah;
On his Torah they meditate day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams-
they bear their fruit in season,
their leaves never wither,
everything they succeeds.” Thehillim:1:1-4
I have nothing against Joke or comedy but not at G_D’s expense !!!