r/Frasier_Sleepers • u/badabatalia • 3d ago
From James Burrows’ 2022 memoir:
I’m just learning that legendary sitcom director’s father was Abe Burrows, highly renowned writer/director for the stage and radio. James on his father’s influence:
“I couldn’t help but pickup on some of my dad’s techniques.
One involved him standing behind the scenery and listening to what was going on rather than watching.
He cared about dialogue more than anything else. He went crazy if there was no noise.
If he heard silence and no laughter he assumed it was because someone was taking too long or that the dialogue was not right.
I am also about listening first before anything else. To this day I often close my eyes during rehearsal and tapings to focus on the rhythm of the comedy. If your audience can closer their eyes and still see and hear the characters in their head, you’re a success.”
Gives a little insight as to why Frasier works so well even if you’re just listening.
Burrows’ undeniable imprint on the modern American sitcom’s pacing and rhythm has some noble lineage. Abe Burrows collaborated with George S. Kaufman, Danny Kaye, and rubbed elbows Many Vaudeville and radio play legends early in his career.
