Of course all of us consider ourselves witty and pretty sharp, but do you consider Derren to actually be a Comedian or just moderately funny? Could he play a comedy club? Asking for a friend.

Having some moments that are amusing, with some laughter, can contribute to the audience experience, but that is a long distance from an act that is essentially comedy.

George

I certainly wouldn't consider him a comedy mentalist

Being a stand up comedian, and being a variety performer capable of working an actual comedy club are two VERY different things. Ask your friend which they need confirmation bias on.

I would not consider Derren Brown to be a comedy mentalist. That's not to say there aren't funny moments in his shows but I don't think most would see his show and think it was any kind of comedy show.

Especially if considering LPMs as many comics, comedians and industry professionals do.

I have the opportunity to play a comedy club. I think my laugh factor is about the sam as Derrens. I'm asking because we played this club as the Blues Brothers and even though it was 80% music we got enough laughs between songs to be invited back. I just wondered if the same would hold true for mentalism? I'd bet TC Tahoe would know.

Quote:
On Apr 18, 2024, Mindpro wrote:

LPM is escaping me??? Your inbox is full... Smile Laughs per Minute????

Lol, I tried to PM you and your box was also full. Here's what I said...

Yes, Laughs Per Minute. The best shoot for one laugh every 12 seconds or 5 a minute. I've headlined comedy clubs for years, and still produce and books clubs and comedy concerts and while LPM isn't the only criteria I consider it is a factor. The thing is there are different styles of comedy and some will not fit into the LPM format, such as storytelling comics vs. setup/punch lines or oneliner comics.

Its hard for a specialty act to transition to standup where the primary things must be the laughs. Best of luck!

Thanks... I don't think it will be easy but I can't resist.

Measuring the entertainment factor of an act based on LPMs sounds like a prime example of Goodhart's Law.

You always challenge me to investigate!!!!!

I have never liked the Laughs per Minute idea. Forget lines, tricks, and LPM. It’s not about that; it’s never been about that. It is and always has been about the performer’s connection to the audience.
Is Derren Brown a comedy magician? I don’t think of him as one, and I would doubt he does either. He is an entertainer who uses comedy as one of his tools.
Just my thunks.
Also, yes, Philemon Vanderbeck, it is a great example of Goodhart's Law.

Dave, just be you.

I perform stage and close up. My laughs are audience participation based. They create the moments and I extend them. I don't knock the participant or put them down, we laugh together. My Magician friend is comedy but from structured one liners. Not as good in my opinion. It gets annoying sometimes.

I think I could play a comedy club.

A mentalism act without good humour, charm and a little wit would be very dull indeed. I find some mentalists approach to their shows very dry. I'm not sure I'd like to see a comedy mentalist particularly, but I'd sure prefer it if the performer could engage the audience with his personality rather than some repetitive, boring monologues about the human psyche.

Bob Cassidy was hilarious, but I wouldn't say he was comedic. Max Maven's persona had a kind of camp theatricality about it that was very amusing.

Derren is a very sharp and witty guy, but he chooses to play it down. I can guarantee that he and Andy Nyman spend half their time rolling with laughter as they work on shows together. One could argue that Derren could well be a comedian, but has chosen to act the part of a more serious mentalist. I wonder if, when working on his persona and format for the original TV series, that he and Andy decided to mute Derren's fun side and go for a more serious approach. It certainly paid off, and I wonder if Derren finds it arduous at times having to keep a straight face.

I think I'll book my act into a Comedy club. Let's find out!!!!!!

Interesting question! He is certainly very funny, and humor seems to drive much of his stage performance.

Personally though, I wouldn't call Derren a comedy mentalist -- I'd classify him as a more straightahead "mentalist", who happens to be very funny and entertaining. And honestly as mentalists, perhaps we ought to put some more thought into being entertaining, funny, and charming. It seems like the kind of thing a mentalist OUGHT to be able to do! At the end of the day though, I feel the majority of Derren's effects aren't rooted in comedy, as is the case with other "comedy mentalists" that come to mind

What type of crowd does your mentalism show draw? If they draw folks who purchase items (Food and drink.) at an impressive enough rate then you are hitting the mark. Laughs are the ticket in the door for the show. You have GOT to be funny, that much is assumed. It is right there in the title after all it is a comedy club. If the crowd you draw sells more food and drink and T-Shirts and Hats or what not than others, you get asked back.

It is an interesting phenomenon. I have had SO many comics ask me why so and so is getting SO much more work than they are at any given time. They are not as funny as me. They fixate on the laughter. Laughter is GREAT and as I stated categorically it IS the ticket in the door for your show. If it isn’t funny they probably won’t use you. Just understand that generally the tickets pay the talent, the other things pay the house. (Generally, not always.) So IF you can draw a crowd, and IF they buy stuff the funny isn’t quite as important.

The GOOD news is that you found a comedy club without a bias towards variety acts! Indeed a bird of rare plumage. Congrats.

As for Darren I saw Secret on Broadway. It was incredible, bit he didn’t strike me as particularly amusing. It was one of the best entertainment experiences of my life and would recommend it without reservation. I just didn’t find him particularly amusing. In fairness I do not know if he was going for funny or not.

I personally think Derren Brown was funnier before he shaved his head. Interestingly, his shows from when he had hair are much funnier than the ones where he's bald. It seems like he also changed his philosophy along with his hairstyle.

In my opinion, "Something Wicked This Way Comes," "An Evening of Wonders," "Enigma," and "Svengali" were his best shows, and he was absolutely hilarious in them. "Infamous," "Miracle," "Underground," "Secret," and "Showman" are still great, but they don't have the same vibe as his earlier work, and they are definitelly less funny.

You've done it, you cracked the code.

This is the same thing that inflicted Howie Mandel.

First of all to answer the original question:

No he is not. Yes he is very funny. That is a very important part why his shows are great. But the core of the show is not about the jokes or the fun stuff.



Now to the previous two posts.
Yes his shows got more serious.

Basically because he wanted to adress more serious topics. His shows now have more depth. And If you make such shows the can not be that funny anymore because of the message itself.
Especially his last show. Very personal.... Also very emotionally touching.Therefore less "funny"... But it's probably exactly the show he wanted to make to tell the story he wanted to tell... More jokes at some parts of the show would have undermined the core message...


Jokes at the wrong instances can definately ruin the mood. The best example for me is the movie THOR Raganrök... At the moment Asgard gets completely destroyed and Thor and all of the Asgardians loose their home forever The director decided to make a joke about the destruction of their home ...Completely ruins the end for me because it takes away all meaning of the moment.

So let moments have impact. Some of them need the seriousness they deserve...