If comedy boils down to a simple equation -- tragedy plus time -- then syndicated humorist Dave Barry and television writer Alan Zweibel sure didn’t adhere to that level of simplicity when collaborating on their new novel Lunatics. (Although their creative process might classify the scribes as a little loony themselves.)
See, the droll duo embarked on the sidesplitting project as a writing exercise. Barry would write a chapter in the voice of one character, and then send the section to Zweibel, who would follow up with a chapter as the second protagonist. As one might imagine, the two progressed the twisty plot with plenty of unexpected left turns, leading the two main characters to a George Costanza-style collision of worlds.
Fri., Jan. 20, 7 p.m., 2012