The Impact of Madea, Comedy, and Music of “Madea’s Big Happy Family”
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English 1302 26 May 2011
The Impact of Madea, Comedy, and Music of “Madea’s Big Happy Family”
In the play “Madea’s Big Happy Family” writer and director Tyler Perry displays a show of comedic and musical talents embraced by the cast in a way that it define who the characters where and how they play their particular role in the over all definition of the play in relation to the audience. Madea’s character plays an essential role in the play both as a comedian and as council to the family, while most characters comedy and or musical numbers give glimpses into the emotional state of that character in unison with Tyler Perry’s direction and over all transition toward the ultimate monologue of the entire play. Miss Shirley, Aunt Bam, Joyce, Kimberly, Byron, Donnie, and the comedian Madea all play essential to the delivery of the script through jokes or music. Miss Shirley, played by Chandra Caralley Young, is the mother in this play to a family of five: Kimberly, Byron, Donnie, Tammy, and Joyce. She is the one of the leads in this play and her motherly attributes are displayed well throughout the interactions with her children. Shirley is a woman in deep covenant with God displayed through her prayers over her children and her strength in relying on God. When she finds out she has cancer, she “accepts the news with barely a flinch”(Zoglin). She has a musical number involving her death at the end of a battle with cancer, where she sings to God how she makes it and how he kept her through her pain she has to indure. She also helps Aunt Bam in delivering some of her comic lines by showing the naive mother with a fragrance and pearls that leave a horrible smell and a green ring around the neck
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of whoever wears them. Through these scenes it defines her as the mother who’s oblivious to the jokes made against her behind her back at others expense, that her unwavering faith is the main truth of her existence, love for her children and God, strong attributes
English 1302 26 May 2011
The Impact of Madea, Comedy, and Music of “Madea’s Big Happy Family”
In the play “Madea’s Big Happy Family” writer and director Tyler Perry displays a show of comedic and musical talents embraced by the cast in a way that it define who the characters where and how they play their particular role in the over all definition of the play in relation to the audience. Madea’s character plays an essential role in the play both as a comedian and as council to the family, while most characters comedy and or musical numbers give glimpses into the emotional state of that character in unison with Tyler Perry’s direction and over all transition toward the ultimate monologue of the entire play. Miss Shirley, Aunt Bam, Joyce, Kimberly, Byron, Donnie, and the comedian Madea all play essential to the delivery of the script through jokes or music. Miss Shirley, played by Chandra Caralley Young, is the mother in this play to a family of five: Kimberly, Byron, Donnie, Tammy, and Joyce. She is the one of the leads in this play and her motherly attributes are displayed well throughout the interactions with her children. Shirley is a woman in deep covenant with God displayed through her prayers over her children and her strength in relying on God. When she finds out she has cancer, she “accepts the news with barely a flinch”(Zoglin). She has a musical number involving her death at the end of a battle with cancer, where she sings to God how she makes it and how he kept her through her pain she has to indure. She also helps Aunt Bam in delivering some of her comic lines by showing the naive mother with a fragrance and pearls that leave a horrible smell and a green ring around the neck
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of whoever wears them. Through these scenes it defines her as the mother who’s oblivious to the jokes made against her behind her back at others expense, that her unwavering faith is the main truth of her existence, love for her children and God, strong attributes
Cited: Zoglin, Richard. "Tyler Perry 's Big Happy Family." Time Magazine 2 Feb. 2010: 129. Print. Turner, Miki. "Tyler Perry Show Business His Way." Jet 18 Apr. 2011: 30-35.MasterFILE Premier. Web. 26 Mar. 2011. Mendick, Jonathan. "Review: Madea 's Big Happy Family." Sacramento Press / Front Page. 14 Jan. 2010. Web. 26 May 2011. Ward III, Aubrey. "Movie Review: Madea 's Big Happy Family (2011)." Firefox News. Firefox.org. 24 Apr. 2011. Web. 26 May 2011. Wakefield, Dawn Lee. "Tyler Perry’s ‘Madea’s Big Happy Family’ Hits Home Run in Houston Houston Arts | Examiner.com." Washington DC News. Examiner, 23 Sept. 2010. Web. 26 May 2011.