Farce

Farce is a comedic dramatic genre characterized by highly improbable, rapidly unfolding situations and physical comedy designed to provoke laughter. It relies on brisk plotting, rapid entrances and exits, and a web of misunderstandings, disguises, and mistaken identities. Dialogue is usually fast and voluminous, with exaggerated characters and social situations that escalate into comic chaos. While it shares with slapstick a love of mishap, farce emphasizes elaborate plotting and social embarrassment over mere gags or satire.

Origins trace to medieval theatre and the French stage, where the term referred to a short comic interlude and later developed into a distinct form. In the hands of writers such as Molière and Georges Feydeau, farce fused exaggerated circumstances with clever plotting and a critique of social pretensions. Feydeau's late-19th-century works, set in domestic spaces, became a benchmark for the genre.

Subtypes include high farce, with intricate scenarios and refined wit, and domestic or drawing-room farce, driven by household intrigues. Common devices are mistaken identities, disguises, eavesdropping, door-slamming, and reversals that compound the confusion until a brisk, comic resolution.

In contemporary theatre and screen, farce continues to be used to reveal folly and pretension through chaos and comic timing. Notable modern examples include the stage plays Noises Off and The Play That Goes Wrong, which exemplify ensemble chaos and meticulously timed farcical set-pieces.