The Heckling Prophets

In the entire body of human literature, there is one character (of sorts) that has consistently been present, as well as my personal favorite, regardless of the context. As far as I know, there is no exact blanket term for it, but it presents itself in one major form: the Chorus. The Chorus has its roots in the earliest days of Greek plays, and even garnered more praise and attention than the principal actors. Its role is to observe and react to the play's actions, as well as comment on said actions and the broader themes at work. I really like this concept. I have seen a few plays where a chorus is still utilized in its original form, and it is always fascinating to have a group that exists seperately from both the play proper and the audience to add a different, albeit deliberate, perspective.

Although the formal chorus is not as in vogue as it once was, it still exists in one form or another. It usually manifests in some sort of character that breaks the fourth wall. Other times, it is just characters whose sole purpose is to mock everything else that is going on. The penultimate form of this is Statler and Waldorf from The Muppet Show. The entire point of their existence is to sit up in that balcony and ridicule the shit out of every single thing that steps onto the stage. Why do they do it? The only apparent motivation is for pure shits and giggles. They have always been my favorite Muppet characters, because I respect that.

There is something about breaking the fourth wall that I love. To me, it serves as a reminder to not take what I'm watching too seriously. Don't get me wrong, I like to be totally immersed in a performance, but in life it's important to not get so caught up in the performance that you forget that in the end, you're still just acting. All the world's a stage after all, and just as with Kermit, Ms. Piggy, and Gonzo, we need people like Statler and Waldorf to remind us that you need to take a step back once and a while and take a look at the bigger picture.

The Chorus is the God in the machine, the evidence that there is something beyond the immediate here and now that requires our attention. We're all guilty of getting caught up in our own personal performance sometimes that we fail to see the whole thing in all of its tragic and comedic glory. Even though that balcony only seats two, there is room up there for everyone at some point. You shouldn't just stand there and take the shit with a smile like Fozzie Bear; get up there for yourself and take a look around. You'd be amazed at what you see. Part of me would love to be up there all the time, heckling the absurdity of the little dance that we do here on earth, but I'd be unsatisfied. Man was not meant to watch, he was meant to act. As I said before, all the world's a stage, so get off your ass and start acting, just don't forget to take a break and watch it too, because from what I hear, it's a pretty good show.

And now since you were all such good listeners, you get a little treat.