“I can’t watch any sitcom before 2000 because it’s all so cringe. Racism, sexism, rape, and toxic behavior are not funny to me.” You may have heard a friend or family member say something along those ...

Stage humor is in transition. The old humor of the gag and the wise crack was confident, benign, a pick-me-up rather than a putdown. The new humor, which draws its tone from play wrights such as Albee ...