Sitcom: A Sitcom is a play written by Elliott Wright, Patrick Wilson, Evie Butcher and Stefan Bencik that ran from the 3rd-7th March 2015 at Pembroke New Cellars, Cambridge, UK. The show toys extensively with the conventions of sitcoms, particularly of the broad, American, 'laugh-track' variety, and therefore contains many tropes of the genre.
Sitcom: A Sitcom contains examples of:
- All Germans Are Nazis: Dougie nearly refers to the German businessman as 'Mein Fuhrer', much to Colin's dismay
- All Just a Dream: Colin awakes from what he believes to be a surprise reunion with Jessica to find that he has been sleeping since before even his interview, invalidating much of what has happened during the course of the show
- Almost Kiss: During the interview scene, Alison manages to convince Colin that her seduction is in fact a part of what may happen in the interview; they lean in for a kiss, only to be interrupted by a blackout
- America Saves the Day: Dougie's trite meal of Doritos 'a la Dougie' unexpectedly pleases the German businessman: "f*** yeah, America"
- And You Were There: When Colin awakes from his dream, he addresses the other characters in this way
- Anti-Humor: Much of the comedy of the Sitcom scenes derives from the deliberate unfunniness of the script
- Big "WHAT?!": Uttered by Colin twice, once when Alison informs him she is indeed trying to seduce him, another when Dougie tells him that he has slept through his job interview
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Consistent throughout the show, though Margot does this explicitly in the second scene when she winks at the audience
- Cannot Talk to Women: Colin has difficulty talking to his new neighbour Alison, and often flat-out ignores her; presumably because he cares for her yet cannot bear to let go of Jessica
- Casanova Wannabe: Dougie's attempts to woo Alison are met with routine refusal, even his offer to show her how to do it 'Dougie style'
- Catchphrase: Just about the only sitcom trope that is neglected, although Colin's tendency to scream out the name of his ex-girlfriend 'Jesssiccaaaaa!' is repeated often
- Deal with the Devil: Margot declares her involvement with the show as a 'Faustian Nightmare'; analagous with the loss of her artistic integrity
- Deep South: Before moving next door, Alison lived on her daddy's ranch in Alabama; it is implied throughout the course of the show that her father is responsible for the murder of communists, mexicans and a barn full of homeless people, and has possibly engaged in the activity of cross burning (a practise associated with the Ku Klux Klan). Alison also fulfils the stereotype, being somewhat airheaded and overtly religious: 'don't you worry, just pray it out'
- Drop-In Character: Dimitri comes and goes as he pleases, usually arriving to search for his pet snake Vissarionovich
- Erotic Eating: Alison suggestively sprays whip-cream on her leg in an effort to please (a horrified) Colin
- Exposition: The first Sitcom scene labouriously establishes the supposedly hilarious 'sit' of the 'com'; Colin's recent breakup and career aspirations, Dougie's slovenly tendencies, Dimitri's status as comical outsider, Alison's attraction to Colin and his reluctance to move on
- Friendship Moment: In the closing moments of the sitcom Colin accidentally laughs at one of Alison's jokes, which prompts a tender moment in which he admits that he thinks she's 'alright' after all
- Funny Foreigner: Dimitri. The flat's wacky russian lodger, his character has no real bearing on anything, to a ludicrous extent. The supposed humour of the character also revolves around the possibility that he may be a communist; e.g., his overly aggressive interviewing technique
- Girl Next Door: Alison's arrival in the flat next door proves, as Colin predicts, 'a sufficient impetus for more wacky scenarios'. A joke is made of the fact that Alison now unfathomably spends all her time in Colin's flat.
- Latin Lover: Jessica apparently leaves Colin for a Spanish lifeguard, Juan Ital Herpez
-
Method Acting: Margot, a professionally trained actress, seeks to uncover the hidden depths of her character Alison: ironically enough, as there really aren't any to be found (perhaps more so even than the other sitcom characters) - Odd Couple: Colin and Dougie. "Oh, our personalities are so very humorously juxtaposed. While he (Dougie) is a disgusting slob, I (Colin) am very polite, well-mannered, and an all round good egg."
- Offscreen Breakup: Colin's off-screen breakup with Jessica drives much of the Sitcom plot, though we do not see Jessica (except for briefly in a dream sequence, where she is played by The Director)
- Overly Long Gag: Several, including Colin's drawn-out refrain of 'Jessicaaaaa!'
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Presumably due to the show's short budget, The Director steps in to play the visiting German businessman, sporting a comically oversized moustache. Later she rips off the moustache, and it eventuates that the businessman was Jessica after all; if this couldn't get any more confusing and meta, it then transpires that this is just a dream in Colin's mind
- Roommate Com: Colin owns the flat, and lives in it with Dougie (who doesn't appear to have any source of income or occupation- see {{"Friends" Rent Control), and wacky russian lodger Dimitri
- Running Gag: Several- Dougie's deliberate mangling of Colin's name (Col, Colgate, Colonoscopy), how Colin can't get over Jessica, Alison's unsuccessful attempts to seduce Colin, Dougie's equally unsuccessful attempts to seduce Alison, suspicions that Dimitri may be a communist, stories of Alison's trigger-happy father, and Alison, Dougie and Dimitri's offers to help Colin ("We'll help!") which comically backfire
- Russian Guy Suffers Most: Poor old Dimitri is routinely mocked for his nationality and possible involvement with the KGB
- Sexy Secretary/Beautiful All Along: Alison attempts to seduce Colin by putting on (his) glasses, only to take them off again, and flicking her hair for an uncomfortably long amount of time.
- So Unfunny, It's Funny: The majority of the humour of the sitcom scenes
- Southern Belle: Alison is very much the modern equivalent
- Status Quo Is God: At the end of the sitcom nothing has changed from before: Colin is still vice-senior employee (in fact it transpires he slept through his job interview), and doesn't seem to have completely gotten over Jessica (though he does decide to be nicer to Alison)
- Straight Man: Colin. Much of his dialogue is deliberately unfunny and laboured exposition; the humour of the sitcom revolves around Dougie, Alison and Dimitri's unintentional ruining of his life
- Take That, Audience!: In the second scene The Director refers to the audience as 'F***ing morons'
- Tempting Fate: Done several times, such as when Alison declares she hopes that Dimitri's snake doesn't appear later 'in an inconvenient location'
- Training Montage: Dougie, Dimitri and Alison prepare their meals for the businessman, complete with 'Rocky' theme music.
- Trigger-Happy: Alison's father seems to have shot several intruders to his farm.
