Comedians, particularly bad ones, all too frequently leave the stage following a poor set and blame the audience.
Rather than learn from the experience, they brush it off.
Today’s Stand-Up Spotlight leads with some strong advice from Vir Das, who recommends that comedians let the audience be their editor. If a joke doesn’t land, there’s a reason. If a line within a good bit consistently doesn’t work, drop the line.
Ultimately, it’s going to be the audience that decides what’s funny.
The Spotlight also includes a sober comedy show that encourages audience members to wear pajamas. If that somehow becomes lingerie, there may be an audience in Lake Worth.
There are also stories about the comedy careers of Loni Anderson (Loni Anderson performed stand-up? Wow!), Albert Brooks and Angie Healey.
Funny is all around us.
STAND-UP SPOTLIGHT – November 28, 2023
‘There is no greater editor or re-writer of your stand-up comedy than the audience’: Vir Das
Shefali Shah, Jim Sarbh and Vir Das, nominated for the International Emmy Awards 2023, were at a recent Express Adda in Mumbai, where they spoke on performing, not being boxed in categories and looking for good stories. Das won the award this week in the comedy series category for his stand-up special, Vir Das: Landing.
On what defines mainstream: Vir Das– I think when people come to see you for you, with just the expectation of you existing, perhaps that’s mainstream. Where they’re like, I just love this person, I admire this person so much that I’m just showing up for them. I don’t think comedians relate to that too much because when you show up, first there’s a gigantic expectation — here’s what I want from you, and here’s what I paid for. So I think that might be mainstream.
New sober comedy night encourages audiences to dress in their pyjamas
Bristol’s thriving stand-up scene is no secret, with numerous gigs to choose from on any given day of the week.
However, to date, the landscape has not included a sober night. Class Act Comedy are changing that, with the establishment of Pyjama Party, a new regular night of “comfy comedy” to be held at various venues within Bristol and the region.
Minnesota native and TV star Loni Anderson tells of her stand-up comedy past
In “Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas,” Loni Anderson plays a former soap opera sensation learning to accept that she’s no longer an ingenue. In a pivotal moment, she removes her wig, revealing gray hair to her co-stars.
It’s a scene that had the Minnesota native reminiscing about a similar occasion from her younger days.
Albert Brooks finds humor in everyday life: ‘I never told jokes’
The comic/filmmaker is the subject of a new HBO documentary, Defending My Life, directed by his longtime friend Rob Reiner. In 1996, Brooks spoke about his early career in stand-up.
This is FRESH AIR. I’m Tonya Mosley. Comedian, actor and filmmaker Albert Brooks is the subject of a new HBO documentary directed by his longtime friend Rob Reiner. It’s titled “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life.” Today, we’re going to listen to our interview with Brooks, who our critic at large, John Powers, once called the funniest man in America and our leading satirist of middle-class self-indulgence. Brooks has written, directed and starred in the films “Real Life,” “Modern Romance,” “Lost In America” and “Defending Your Life.” He started his career as a stand-up comic, and in addition to making his own films, he co-starred as an insecure journalist in “Broadcast News” and as a campaign worker in “Taxi Driver.” More recently, he appeared in HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Playing himself in the episode, he decides that after going to so many funerals where wonderful things are said about the deceased, he wants to have his own funeral before he dies. Here he is stopping by his friend Larry David’s house. Larry is there with his sidekick Leon.
Comedy Spotlight: Angie Healey
Next month, Angie Healey will celebrate both her birthday and her 9th anniversary of performing stand up comedy, which conveniently fall upon the same day. When I reframed her career as being “nearly a decade” in length during a recent interview, she seemed equal parts surprised and pleased by that assessment.
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