Like Circus Amok, whose clowns in drag perform ... Our modern exemplars include Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Brothers, Carol Burnett, Steve Martin and numerous “Saturday Night Live” icons.

Synetic Theater's The Immigrant, Ada Limón, 90 years of Porgy and Bess, The Summer I Ate the Rich, and bacteria as art.

Charlie Chaplin is widely regarded as the greatest comic artist in cinema. He's also considered one of the most significant ...

Campbell is an editor at large at TIME, based in the Singapore bureau. He covers business, tech, and geopolitics across Asia. He was previously China bureau chief. More From TIME ...