Comments on: ‘Take My Life. Please.’

By: Terrence Berres

Terrence Berres — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 15:30:47 +0000

“Suddenly, the emperor was not amused. For spoiling the party, Diocletian ordered the comedian to be tortured and then beheaded.”

Tough crowd!

By: Mike Aquilina

Mike Aquilina — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 14:29:48 +0000

Ha! I like that.

By: Geri

Geri — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 13:52:05 +0000

“If St. Genesius the Comedian isn’t a fiction, I’m sure he’ll forgive us for questioning his existence. He might even find it funny. ”

Real or not, it’s way appropriate — as an actor, I am thrilled to have a patron who either 1) has a completely fudged resume, or 2)is the real deal, yet doubted and ignored by TPTB and acclaimed by the masses.
Most of the members of AEA can relate a bit to both possible personas.

By: Mike Aquilina

Mike Aquilina — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 23:50:51 +0000

It’s entirely possible that the story is a fiction that managed to lodge itself in histories. The Catholic Encyclopedia (which is usually judiciously critical in its scholarship) acknowledges the possibility, but doesn’t state it quite so dogmatically as you say Butler does. I’m reluctant to dismiss out of hand a cult begun in the fourth century for a man who died in the fourth century, even if we can’t confirm the details of his admittedly outlandish story.

It’s great fun to imagine the scene — especially the gradual realization that the jokester wasn’t joking. It reminded me of Andy Kaufman’s on-stage conversion act some years ago (only that one turned out to be a hoax). It also brought to mind Dick Shawn’s on-stage death, which had the audience laughing uproariously (but which, unfortunately, was not a hoax).

Muriel Spark claimed that belief in God is what made her black comedy possible. We can only laugh at death if we look back at it, as if from eternity.

If St. Genesius the Comedian isn’t a fiction, I’m sure he’ll forgive us for questioning his existence. He might even find it funny.

By: Eric G.

Eric G. — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 23:33:16 +0000

According to Butler’s Lives, Saint Genesius the Comedian is an entirely apocryphal character. There’s no truth to his story or his existence, except that he is actually the same person as Saint Genesius of Arles, arond whom the new apocrypha developed when some of his relics were transferred from France to Rome.

By: Mike Aquilina

Mike Aquilina — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 19:19:59 +0000

I told the story of St. Genesius to my friend, Rob Corzine, who pointed out that Genesius had made the big time: “He was playing Caesar’s Palace. The Big Room.”

By: Mike Aquilina

Mike Aquilina — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 15:39:21 +0000

I love it. I note that the story of Genesius has, down through history, been the subject of plays and sketches. From Google I see that it’s still being performed here and there.

By: Christopher Mc Camley

Christopher Mc Camley — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 15:34:01 +0000

We’ve some of his (first one) relics in our church in Drogheda (Ireland) and have been celebrating a novena for last nine days, praying for actors and epileptics.

I’ve been praying for Katie Holmes!