I just added a question for prospective clients having an employee party.

"Are you having a hosted bar?"

I have been performing for quite a while and asking pretty pointed questions, but last night's group fell through the cracks. I did a show for a hotel/casino employee party. The average age of the group was mid 20's. About 300 people with the cocktail hour starting at 6 PM. Dinner at 7:30, raffle at 8:30 and magician at 9 with drinking going on the whole time. Coupled with the owner stating that if anybody was too drunk to drive he would put them up in the hotel.

Needless to say, there were only about 40 people sober enough to be polite and enjoy the show. But I'll tell you, it's tough to talk over 250 young drunks! In the end, the fee was good, the people with the presence of mind enjoyed the show; so I left happy/disappointed. Next time though...I've added some questions to my script that will flush this situation out, hopefully.

Back when I did adult banquet / party shows, I asked this question, while discussing their party details, before quoting my fee and discussing packages.

If the answer was yes, then my fee doubled.

- Donald

Steve
One time I did a banquet, and after the show I told my wife "I really was hot tonight wasn't I dear". She then told me "they were all drunk, and would have laughed at anything". My wife always tells me the truth, and keeps me grounded, but my show is very flexable, and I always have fun with a loose crowd.
HAVE FUN
Al Angello

I once performed at a Christmas Party for a huge group of Army Airborne troops and their families. An open bar was provided by the enlisted club. Not only was there complete disorder and some SERIOUS heckling, but there were a couple of times I wasn't sure I was going to get out of there alive...especially when they discovered I was an Air Force investigator on loan to the local (and much hated) CID branch. Whew! I laugh about it now...but, I think I should have collected combat pay for that gig.

So, I'm with you guys. If there's an open bar or holiday drinking involved, I believe a premium fee may be justified. Personally, I no longer do a full magic show at these types of events. I limit my participation to a stand-up comedy showcase or close-up and bar magic at a stationary position where the interested participants can come to me.

Skip

Well always get a premium fee.

I actually have never been to a holiday party, or corporate function where the bar was NOT a feature. No matter what the age group.

Most times entertainment is an afterthought. I can prove this as they secure the liquor and bartenders and food LONG before they secure us.

Just do your time and collect your check. What questions could you possibly ask?
Will you have 200 drunks?

Nope, I figure we should only have about 175 since by the time your on, I figure 25 will be passed out.

Bartender bring us a jug a beer every 5 minutes until someone passes out, and then every 10 after that....

Yea you get my point.

I once did a show where the audience would in small groups disappear to an upstairs room and reappear later. These were all members of one computing firm and earning a small fortune. Turns out they were taking a certain white powder. Needless to say the overall show wasn't brilliant (it was a medieval banquet) but they were very impressed by my juggling (I'd love to know what they thought they saw!)

Nigel

Wow. Maybe you should just start distributing it yourself before flinging pins. That should also qualify for adding a premium fee.

This one time.... at band camp................

So THAT is what you are supposed to do with a Fantasio Vanishing Flute. hehehe

Kyle

Alcohol alone shouldn't be blamed for rude audiences. I've played just as many great drunk crowds as I have horrible drunk crowds. The difference, I've found, is that the rude drunk crowds are usually led by one or two people whose intoxication has turned on the "must-be-the-center-of-attention" switch. If you can disarm these people, any drunk crowd will be no different than a sober one - if not better.

Great advice Michael. Perhaps if it is ok with you, you could show us some of the ways you handle this in your own shows. perhaps this information would be of help to us all. I know I would appreciate it and could learn from it.

Kyle

Performing for drunks is a lot like performing for children. Their reactions are the same...just multipled by a factor of ten.

A sober adult purse their lips and frown if they don't like you.
A kid/drunk will leap up and try and punch you in the guts.

And don't get me started on drunk kids!

Thanks Kyle,

The situation is really different every time - I've always felt that there's no hard and fast rule for dealing with unruly audience members. That said:

1) I don't subscribe to the "heckler stopper" school of thought. By that I mean that I think running "a line" on the person isn't going to do anything. Even the most witty line will sound rehearsed and even if it gets a laugh, it might just make the person more motivated to one-up you. You're not going to win the battle of who's loudest and meanest. Regardless of your amplification, he's the one sitting next to the other audience members.

2) If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! I don't mean steal the double scotch from the guy in the front row and start drinking! I mean I try to join in on their fun & give them the quick satisfaction they're looking for by laughing at their joke. My show is very conversational, so I can get away with just treating the situation as if it were happening in a normal social setting rather than being onstage. And in a social setting, that's the best thing to do when someone makes a crack on you. Laugh at their joke and it's over. You come away as the calm, collected one and the heckler gets the satisfaction his wife obviously isn't giving him at home.

3) If I were doing a different act, for example more of a classical magician character, I probably couldn't act this way. I might halt the show and politely ask the offender to respect other audience members who are trying to pay attention. If the person isn't embarrassed into submission, this will at least get other audience members on your side and maybe they'll "shush" him or her. I don't play comedy clubs, but I understand there's pretty much a limit in most clubs as to how much heckling they'll put up with from an audience member before they'll be asked to leave. The club's paying (not) good money for the act; they want a show full of rehearsed material, not a p*$$ing match between a professional and a drunk.

4) Drunken roudiness is one thing; beligerence is quite another. If someone's beyond social accord with their drunkeness (i.e. falling over, walking onstage, etc.), there's absolutely nothing you're going to do. Protect your props and ask for help.

5) If all else fails, I've always thought the Michael Richards (Kramer) method of stopping rude drunk audience members was pretty effective. But for this, one needs a pretty powerful publicist and an already-dying career.

Michael,

Great information and a great share my friend. I am glad you chimed in here with your thoughts and ideas and I was really curious to your approach. Some of them I have done myself while others are new to me and I thank you as I learned and gained form them. It is much appreciated.

I agree with you in that most cases I try and place the joke or laugh at the joke at first. If they make fun of me, I can handle it as part of my style is comedy in the first place. I also have a hearing disability and am mostly deaf in both ears. I am used to hearing lines and such all my life (pun not intended lol). Because I am used to it, I can usually laugh at it and let it go. Usually that works just fine and the person has the satisfaction they want, the audience laughs and we go on our way. this happens more cases then now and so it just becomes a smooth tansition in my show.

Because my wife and I work a lot of festivals and fairs, we get all types from people just trying to be funny, to people drunk and spending too much time at the beer lines and everyuone in between. We get used to handling situations like this and the first rule of thumb is pretty much as you described it above so nicely.

But it is interesting how you addressed the fact that it is ok for you to work in this fashion because your show and your character and style is one of more conversational then a classic performer. That is a very good poitn as it brings up the issue of how do you act based upon what your style of performance is. Very interesting point.

Thanks Michael for your thoughts and Merry Christmas to you.

Kyle

No Problem, Kyle. Merry Christmas!

Don't go drinking too much anyone!

MK

Aww man but I just got 3 bottles of wine and a bottle of flavored vodka. =) Maybe I will just give it to the kids I perform for before my show. Now THAT would be a fun gig. hehe Kidden .. only kidden.

Kyle

Having worked more than my share of "drinkin' crowds", I have to tell you, only on RARE occasion is it the crowds fault if you bomb, especially if they are heckling. Drinking brings out truth talk... if you catch my drift.

Throught trial and error (did I mention the ERROR part!?) I discovered that whenever I EASED into a show where alcohol was present, (sort of like many magicians think is "hyp" today while trying to be mr. trendy showbiz), I got the hecklers. But if I came out and right off the bat WHAMED 'em in the FACE with something fast, visual and incredible, the rest of the show took on a whole different tone... When I started using VERY strong openers (the fire eating bit, loud noise, etc.), people (even drinking) would shut up and let the thing get started and then even cheer/toast me on.

When I came out meeble or more subtle or tried to "warm up" to them... Well, I had a rocky road ahead of me to say the least.

You have to figure something out that will get everyone to SHUT UP and polarize them. Then when you have 'em, it's pretty much all gravy from there (hopefully!)

Keith

Thank you for taking this bullet for me. I have been not saying it as I get accused of being mean. BUT you are right on target here.

You won't beleive it but I actually got a PM that told me how the guy NEVER did a bad show that was his fault, always the crowd. He is only 25 too, and such skill amazing to behold!