The harshness of his comedy, the proportion of comedy to political anger, the flattery or mockery of the audience, the number and type of swearwords he uses — all are adjusted second by second while he's onstage.
The first was a comedy, "Epic Proportions," and then came the musical "Grease," with its script scrubbed of profanity and one character's unwed pregnancy papered over in euphemisms.
Billed as comedy "of ethnic proportions" about a British Muslim who discovers he'd been adopted, and that his birth parents were Jewish, "The Infidel" did well enough to worry Kip Jones.
From "Bringing Up Baby" to "Game Night," the classic screwball has somehow transformed into a chaos comedy of epic proportions.
Yet again, it's bigger than ever, with an even greater proportion of comedy shows.
It's a show in which the proportions of comedy to melancholy have been measured out with forensic attention.
Announcer (voice-over): It's a comedy of politically hilarious proportions!
Still, some might question why Mr. Zaks turned his energies toward "The Civil War," Frank Wildhorn's song cycle, or "Epic Proportions," Larry Coen and David Crane's comedy about making a "Ten Commandments -style movie in the 1930's -- both of whiCommandments -styleay because of lack of business.
The comedy, amped up to cartoonish proportions, has some zingy moments.
The summer's unlikeliest action hero turns out to be Michael Cera, playing the title role in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, a comedy that mocks its own proportions, right down to the title.
