FLASH FRIDAY: Send In The Clowns (x5)

Today, in honor of this week's InDepth InterView with Kathy Griffin celebrating her Broadway debut in Kathy Griffin WANTS A TONY - which opens tonight - we are taking a look at the impressive list of comedic talents who will be virtually taking over the Great White Way this Spring. In addition to Griffin, two of the biggest comedians in the country, Dane Cook and Chris Rock, will also be settling in to a Broadway run in Neil LaBute's FAT PIG and Stephen Adly Guirgis's THE MOTHERF*CKER WITH THE HAT, respectively; and two of the biggest actor/comedians on the planet, Ben Stiller and Robin Williams, will be appearing in dramatic roles in the revival of John Guare's THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES and the new play THE BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO, respectively. Perhaps more than any other moment in Broadway history, we're sending in the clowns - in more ways than one! Five, to be precise.

Five Funny Things Happened On The Way To The Forum

The biggest joke on Broadway may very well be SPIDER-MAN, but the 2010-2011 Broadway season is an over-stuffed turkey - or five - complete with all the trimmings - when it comes to comedy. Surely, there has never been quite the convergence of comedic talent centering on a few square miles of real estate for an extended stay, in my memory, anywhere - or, perhaps, ever. Where else but this Spring on Broadway will you be able to catch Ben Stiller in a matinee of a kitchen sink drama he originally performed in over twenty years ago - long before there was SOMETHING ABOUT MARY or a ZOOLANDER stare or any NIGHTS AT THE MUSEUM - and an evening performance of a new play with the scurrilous title of THE MOTHERF*CKER WITH THE HAT, starring none other than potty-mouthed provocateur Chris Rock? Furthermore, dashing comedian-turned-leading-man Dane Cook will be taking on one of Neil LaBute's most dastardly protagonists (and that's saying a whole lot!) in the regional-theatre-favorite-cum-long-awaited-Broadway-premiere of FAT PIG, and fellow comedian-turned-thespian Robin Williams will actually embody the titular role of the tiger in THE BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO. But, like with Brecht and all great theatre, it really comes down to what you can do alone onstage with only a microphone, and in Kathy Griffin WANTS A TONY we get just that. As always with Ms. Griffin, there is a strict NO BS policy, so why clutter the comedy with chorus boys, musical numbers and flashy sets when what the audience really came to see sits just below her fiery locks? I'm referring, of course, to her considerable smarts - the brain - something there has been a clear lack of on Broadway for the last few seasons. Yes, the true question of the season in reference to this conflagration of comedic talent certainly is: will the clowns bring the truth and the art to the forefront, as they have from KING LEAR's Fool on? We need those things to occur now more than ever - plus, a guffaw or two couldn't possibly hurt in depressing (or should that be Depressing?) times such as these. Isn't a comedian's job, after all, to put the mirror back on the king - and the subjects, as well? If nothing else, we can be sure that this group will make 'em (meaning audiences) - and, God willing, us - laugh.

So, without further ado, let's kick off the comedy countdown with the first of our specially selected group to take the Broadway stage this season (opening tonight, no less) - Ms. Kathy Griffin!

Here we have Kathy's newest Bravo TV special, hilariously titled WHORES ON CRUTCHES! To say anything about the performance - let alone the grand entrance - would be giving too much away. This special is one of her best and a laugh-riot from beginning to end - which bodes well for the four, count 'em four, specials that Kathy will air on Bravo in 20111. Let's just say Cher and Kathy's close friendship seems to have inspired her latest costume choice.

Now, let's go back a decade and a half to Kathy's very first stand-up special, on HBO. Her material and general style have certainly changed considerable over the years, but the germ of the Kathy we love now can be seen somewhere inside the mid-90s coiffed affectation and dating-centric discussion seen here. How far she has come - and how much further can she go? Check her out on Broadway this week and next week only to find out!

Next up in our comedy showcase is perhaps the male equivalent to Kathy Griffin insofar as his outrageous antics onstage and no-hold-barred opinions - cultural, politic and otherwise - are concerned: the one and only Chris Rock. Outspoken only begins to describe the stylings of this groundbreaking comedian-turned-actor, as this clip from a recent Comedy Central special can attest. Chris's take on rap music - culturally and intellectually - here. Check out the rest of this special for the whole edgy enchilada!

Now, check out this clip from his most recent HBO special centering on doctors and drugs. WARNING: Contains Strong Language!

Following the path of Chris Rock - unquestionably the most popular comedian of the 1990s - we have the most popular stand-up of the first decade of the 2000s (mostly thanks to his gigantic collegiate fan base): Dane Cook. While he has appeared in a number of dramatic roles since his stand-up heydays - most memorably in MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL and MR. BROOKS - it is in his first comedy specials for Comedy Central and HBO that his observational wit and commentary comedy truly shines its brightest and cuts the deepest. Watch this complete video of his VICIOUS CIRCLE stadium arena show - which starts much like a rock concert, with even the excessively enthusiastic audience - from HBO to see what all the fuss was and is still about. WARNING: Explicit Language.

One of Cook's most recent - and most jaw-dropping - appearances occurred when he was interviewed alongside country superstar Taylor Swift. To the shrieks of female audience members, Cook decides to doff his top (revealing a fan-obsessed tattoo) and serenade a stricken Swift. Believe it or not, he can sort of carry a tune, too - as those who have seen him live have known all along! But, the real question is: can he carry a Broadway show? We will soon see with FAT PIG - and, clearly, judging from this clip, Cook is anything but one of those! Kathy Griffin isn't the only comedian on the circuit who is bikini-ready, apparently.

Which brings us to our next comedian-turned-actor, who is actually embodying an animal in his new Broadway role: perhaps the most recognizable stand-up-turned-superstar actor of the last twenty or thirty years is none other than MORK & MINDY alum - and Oscar-winner - Robin Williams. What can be said about Williams that hasn't been said? He's a walking, talking cartoon and in Disney's ALADDIN he finally came through on his promise by voicing one of the most memorable characters in animation history and bringing the Genie to life in a way no one else - comedian or otherwise - could possibly have come close to doing. Here's why.

And Dane Cook isn't the only comedian currently - or soon to be - on Broadway who can carry a tune! Here's "Friend Like Me" from ALADDIN!

Going back over twenty years ago, check out this legendary routine where Williams describes his feelings on - and experiences with - cocaine. Also: Sylvester Stallone doing HAMLET? If Robin's playing him - I'm there! He could do it if anyone could! But can he become a Bengal tiger? We will soon see!

The last entry in our comedy showcase is perhaps the most well-known and successful individual of the bunch. Having scored in a very, very big way with an unparalleled series of financial successes - THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY all the way up to last December's LITTLE FOCKERS which started 2011 at #1 at the box office - the last thing Stiller would seemingly need to do was tread the boards. But, then again, perhaps he is looking to add a little bit more craft to his decidedly cookie-cutter films like the NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM series. Lest we forget that Stiller is a stupendous dramatic actor, as well, as he proved in his first two major film roles: especially the eternally awesome FLIRTING WITH DISASTER co-starring Lily Tomlin and Alan Alda being at the top of the list.

In his darkest role to date, playing a drug-addict, be sure to see PERMANENT MIDNIGHT for a taste of what Stiller is capable of bringing to the table. There's a lot more there than fart jokes and bathroom humor, for sure! Warning: This is a RED BAND trailer and contains EXTREMELY explicit content.

Noah Baumbach's GREENBERG in 2010 co-starring Greta Gerwing is the most recent example of Stiller flexing his dramatic muscles - with award nominations (IFC Spirit Award among them) to prove he's still got it. Next, John Guare - in Stiller's case, again!

So, who's got the chops and who has not? Who will leave them rolling in the aisles - and weeping, perhaps not just from laughter? Kathy, Rock, Cook, Williams, Stiller - whose is the crown? The Spring season on Broadway will soon tell! Stay tuned!

That's all for this week. Please remember that if you have discovered a particularly thrilling, unique, bizarre or hilarious Broadway-related clip to please send us a line at the link below. Until next week…