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Comedy Writer Special user 594 Posts |
...Besides being funny. What are the elements of a great, funny act?
CW |
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Floyd Collins Inner circle Ohio 1633 Posts |
Truthfully one where the comedy does not outdo the magic and the magic does not outdo the comedy. And there is enough room in the act for both to take their own life within the performance. Sounds odd I know but I think those are the elements of a great act.
No one said it would be easy, or did they?
Check out my all new book "Chicken Scratches" visit my lulu store for more information. http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/thecenterstage http://www.collinscomedymagic.com |
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harris Inner circle Harris Deutsch 8812 Posts |
1. It has truth to it
2. It is appropriate for the venue 3. It works for the performer...the same script and bits and even music for one performer might fall flat when used by another 4. It can be seen and heard by the audience.(technically as good as the on stage act)
Harris Deutsch aka dr laugh
drlaugh4u@gmail.com music, magic and marvelous toys http://magician.org/member/drlaugh4u |
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suspectacts Elite user Boston 493 Posts |
I love that Comedy Writer is asking this question. If he is lost, what chance do the rest of us have.
As far as my opinion, don't worry about what's 'beyond' funny. Get your laughs per minute first and then follow your heart. |
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jay leslie V.I.P. Southern California 9498 Posts |
Quote:
...Besides being funny. What are the elements of a great, funny act? There are two different kinds of actors. The inner-outers and the outer-inners. I believe the funniest are the inner-outers because they are genuinely funny and could put all props aside. http://books.google.com/books?id=ZsIVqqz......t=result Page 81
Jay Leslie
www.TheHouseOfEnchantment.com |
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charliemartin Special user Rapid City, SD 779 Posts |
Solid magic and knowing who you are as a performer.
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jay leslie V.I.P. Southern California 9498 Posts |
But let's say that you know who you are, and you are serious.
Jay Leslie
www.TheHouseOfEnchantment.com |
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Dynamike Eternal Order FullTimer 24148 Posts |
Quote:
On 2009-03-10 20:31, Comedy Writer wrote: All the alcohol the audience had to drank. |
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jackstevens New user 87 Posts |
Great funny acts have a specific point of view and attitude. They don't do jokes everyone else does.
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jackturk Elite user 463 Posts |
I very much agree with Jack Stevens's post.
Steve Martin's book, "Born Standing Up" goes into a lot of detail on just this very topic. Martin worked years on uncovering exactly what it was that made him and his performances unique. He was totally focused on creative originality. Steven Martin doesn't really do jokes. He expresses a completely original, comical perspective and persona. IMO, that's the standard to shoot for... but man, is it a tough one... --J
"59 Ways To Recession Proof Your Entertainment Business -- FREE!"
http://www.GetLeadsLikeCrazy.com "How To Make $25,000 a Year Doing Birthday Parties Part-Time" http://www.magicmarketingcenter.com/birthdayPT |
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Father Photius Grammar Host El Paso, TX (Formerly Amarillo) 17161 Posts |
It engages the audience.
"Now here's the man with the 25 cent hands, that two bit magician..."
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MarceloElGrande New user 78 Posts |
I don't speak English very well, so I’ll try to condense what I think about this theme in just one word... authenticity
"A day without sunshine is like, you know, night." (Steve Martin)
"We are all amateurs, life is too short for us to be anything else" (Charlie Chaplin) |
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jay leslie V.I.P. Southern California 9498 Posts |
Or.... just wear your shirt inside out
Jay Leslie
www.TheHouseOfEnchantment.com |
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Magic Enhancer Inner circle Robert Haas 1805 Posts |
When it is in the TOP 5 funniest shows you have ever seen and you remember the name of the act or performer.
Robert Haas
Robert Haas
Magic Enhancer Quality magic products for the working professional. www.MagicEnhancer.com |
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Russell Scoggin Loyal user Lubbock, Texas 257 Posts |
Besides being funny huh? Well there are multiple and also different answers to that question. Timing, I think, is one of the most important things. I've heard some people try to do jokes or comedy and they have ended up flopping. Not because of what they said, simply because of the timing problems they were having. Also, I like to make it really clear about what you are making humor about. I've seen some performers who say "They'll get it or catch on in a little bit." Some people who do get the joke will laugh, but the ones who don't will be worrying during the whole show about what it was they missed and halfway won't be paying attention to what you are doing or saying at the time. So I think it's important to make your comedy clear to everyone. I don't know about you, but I would much rather the whole audience to be laughing at my comedy than just a few people. Another thing is to remember where you are performing at and who you are performing for. There are many things you can get away with in a comedy club or night club that you cannot in other venues. And I'm not just talking about risque material. I'm talking about the way you deliver your comedy to the audience and how you treat them. There's a lot of fine points that you will only understand through time and experience. Well I could go on, but those are just a few of the things.
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Flying Magus Loyal user 286 Posts |
I would say that the best acts use situational comedy. Funny stuff just seems to happen during the show. Each audience gets the impression that this is the only time this has happened, and not something scripted. It then becomes funnier.
Hope that makes sense. My brain isn't working too well at the moment.
Magically yours,
Michel Fouché Believe in the Impossible |
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Sam Sandler Inner circle 2487 Posts |
Comedy begins with the performer. Some are gifted and just have teh "it" factor others spend coutless hours brainstorming, studying, and creating bodies of work that took coutless years to make funny.
My personal favorite is physical comedy and I use it a lot through out my show. Abbot and castello, laural and hardy, Jerry lewis, even Krammer. Just as the best magic tricks are ones that are built around a personal experience so is comedy. when you can make it realte to you and the audience that is when it is golden. buying the vanishing Bandana trick does not mean you do comedy. it means you have a funny trick but it takes time,energy, and creativity to make it hilarious. from facial expressions-Bill Cosby to physical reactions - jerry lewis, krammer. my favorite comedy magic performers are Kole and Company. I alwasy have to where Depend when I watch them as I pee my self everytime. I love them. my favorite comedian this one is tuff but I love jonathon winters and robin williams. I love robin because of the energy he puts into his antics. so I end with this to make it funny make it personal think about it kids love the I don't see effect and adults and kids love watching you get "hurt" on stage one last thought. there used to be a trick out there where a plunger ended up on the kids head and I alsways thought is was mean, and never got great results. so I changed it up and started having the plunger end up on my head. from then on it was really funny. sam
sam sandler- America's only full-time DEAF Illusionist
http://www.samsandler.com http://www.deafinitelymagic.com |
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MetalBender Loyal user 248 Posts |
The question is not what makes a comedy magic act great, but what makes a comedy act great. There is a very clear distinction here. A comedy magic act is great if the comedy and the magic work seamlessly together so that the audience can't tell if one or the other is happening, while both elements are allowed to breathe on their own. It doesn't have to have wildly original magic, though that is always a plus. Phil Van Tee has a great comedy magic act, and a lot of the stuff he does is standard effects. His chop cup routine is the best, hands down. It's funny, engaging, authentic, magical, and completely seamless. If you've seen it and you can name a better one you are lying.
What makes a comedy act great is a different matter all together. You can talk about originality, quality of the writing, physicality, authenticity, ect. All of these things can be achieved, or at least simulated very well. That doesn't mean that the audience gets what it needs to elicit the proper reaction. I know many spectacular performers who have terrible acts. By the same token I know performers who many would consider awful but their act is stellar. It comes down to audience reaction. Not every act is for every audience. I am friends with comedians who perform very well for other comedians, but a real audience doesn't enjoy them in the least. Does this mean they have a terrible act? No. The audience they work the best for is an audience of comics, and there's nothing wrong with that. However there is the other side of the coin. I've met a number of road comics who have come into Los Angeles and done a show or two that I produce, and admitedly there are a lot of comics in the audience, and the road comic doesn't do so well. Keep in mind that this is the same act that they destroy real audiences with. A great act is an act that is great for an audience. It's going to vary from audience to audience and night to night, but it depends on the audience that the act is being performed for. A squeaky clean christian comedian who performs primarily for the 700 club is going to have a terrible act when dropped into some of the dive bars I play, and vice versa. Oh yeah, then there's the stuff about truthfulness, innovation, playfulness, and an act that the performer thinks is funny without laughing at it themselves. That however is my girlfriend's opinion, and what does she know? She's only one of the leading comedians in Los Angeles. She probably doesn't know what she's talking about. |
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magicgeorge Inner circle Belfast 4299 Posts |
You're all wrong. the correct answer is:
a monkey I think. |
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Anatole Inner circle 1912 Posts |
You might want to check your public library or used book store for these titles:
_How to be funny: Discovering the comic you_ by Steve Allen _Stand-up comedy: the book_ by Judy Carter _Cartoonist's and gag writer's handbook_ by Jack Markow They all take an analytical approach to what makes something funny. Steve Allen also wrote _Funny People_, _More Funny People_ and _Make 'em Laugh_ that would be educational. ----- Amado "Sonny" Narvaez
----- Sonny Narvaez
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