let the pie do the work

do only as much as you need to

I once worked with a theater director who would say, “Let the pie do the work.”

He explained, “If someone throws a pie that hits you in the face, it’s funny all on it’s own. You don’t need to show how you feel about getting pied in the face. In fact, you don’t have to do anything. The circumstance all on its own is funny. And if you try to sell it, if yo…