When we talk about a comedy show, we refer to an entertainment offered for a fee or provided free for a specific audience, intended to make them laugh or smile. We speak of a comedic performance, and this type of show brings together several genres, such as stand-up and one-man shows.
Inherited from the theatre, the comedic performance has been popular since the beginning of the 20th century, with various origins and forms. In a way, it can be considered the continuity of music hall entertainers, American stand-up, French cabaret singers who amused audiences, and circus clowns. During this type of show, a single character, a duo, a trio, or a small troupe presents themselves in front of an audience, with the mission of making them laugh, using all the available tools and registers for that purpose.
In our beautiful country, the scene went through significant changes in the 1950s, with the emergence of comedians such as Raymond Devos, Fernand Raynaud, Jacqueline Maillant, Maurice Chevalier, who are the illustrious precursors of today's comedians, such as Jean-Marie Bigard, Pierre Palmade, Muriel Robin, Florence Foresti, etc. This evolution also brings out constants in the construction of shows and the way of considering the profession, depending on what is called a "genre".
It is necessary to know that French humor has developed a very distinctive and unique style compared to what is being done elsewhere, particularly among our Anglo-Saxon friends. French humor is generally knowingly tinged with chauvinism and fed by popular culture, and it is almost a constant! If we had to keep only one example of this particular French humor, we would undoubtedly mention Fernand Raynaud. This illustrious actor and mime created a whole comedic universe inhabited by caricatural characters, directly drawn from French folklore and the social imaginary of his time, including wealthy and greedy peasants, chauvinistic grocers, more or less corrupt policemen, and picturesque Southern French mobsters...