Sketchism

I just returned from watching my very first improv comedy show. I’ve forgotten the performance group’s name already, but I think that’s not such a bad thing. It’s unfortunate that comedians have to resort to low brow humor to try and get some laughs. What a cheap tactic. The opening act was this bald dude and his stand up comedy. It was in a small room with only about less than thirty people. I think to appreciate his comedy, you would have had to have been drunk. His transitions were terrible, the delivery was pathetic and the topics were… as they say in France… poopoo.

The improv routines were a bit better. It was an all-male cast of 4 guys who did a variety of wordplay/acting games with the audience. Two of the performers were excellent. They were witty, creative, fast, everything necessary for being a great improv comedian. When the other two guys came out, it was obvious the show became a little more vulgar and a little less comical. ‘Twas a shame.

Tonight was a good experience just for the fact of seeing how people respond to bad jokes, and how I responded as well. There were a few jokes that went right over our heads, but simply because they were delivered poorly. Silence can be the comedian’s friend or foe. It is good when you are in the process of delivering a joke, you don’t want someone in the audience interrupting or making comments in the middle of your set-up. Silence is NOT good when the punchline has been said and no one gets it. In this scenario, silence is your enemy and you have done something wrong. A good recovery line is necessary at this point, and if you don’t have that, you might as well start doing Cosby impressions ‘cause that’s all you’re worth at that moment.

On that note, I have a few performances coming up, one on January 31st and I believe two more in early February. I’m in the process of preparing for that with some new jokes and old ones. You’ll have the details once I am informed of them.