comic interlude
Humorous scene between
A comic interlude is a brief humorous scene or episode inserted into a serious work—a moment of levity that breaks tension before drama resumes.
Shakespeare's plays famously include comic interludes amid tragedy.
The term extends beyond theater: The wedding speech provided a comic interlude between the formal toasts.
Any light-hearted break in otherwise weighty proceedings qualifies.
- slapstickExaggerated physical humor
- sight gagJoke told through action
- funny businessDeceptive or mischievous conduct
- vaudevilleTheatrical variety entertainment
- running gagRepeated joke across episodes
satire · farce · wordplay · pacing · irony · absurdity · intermission · subplot · punning · parody · tension release · sitcoms · laugh track · levity · entr'acte · caricature · buffoonery · bit part
- comic relieflevity, slapstick, pratfalls, sight gags, visual gags
- farceslapstick, pratfall, mistaken identity, pratfalls, buffoonery
comic interludedramatic climax
Story's decisive turning point
tearjerker · death scene · funeral scene · pathos · lamentation
comic interludeclimax
Point of greatest intensity
turning point · main event · crisis point · dénouement · showdown
comic, interlude, comics, comical, comically, comedian, comedic, comedy, comedies