Ten Comedy Secrets of Becoming Absolutely Hilarious on Stage - Part 2
Seems like comedy is a hot topic yeah? I got a lot of diggs for the previous article. Here another three hot tips for you to be a hot fave on stage!
4. Humor stands for tragedy
Comedians are effectively just people who get paid to complain! And it is true that a large of comedy comes from tragedy, such as your embarrassing moments, being called a fat ass, being ditched by ugly ex girlfriends/boyfriends, crazy bosses who demands you to work 8 hours/day. It could even be as silly as slapsticks (like slamming yourself on the lamp post as you tried to pick up a girl...) Take a look at America Funniest Home Videos. Tons of slapsticks. But guess what, people love it!
People love to hear other people's tragedy coz' it relieves theirs. It is really as simple as that. But here's lies the danger as well. Some people unleash their personal tragedies without giving a humorous spin with it. And it often turns out to be an absolute sob story. Trust me, we have enough pain in our world. We don't need yours!
There was one year in the humor contest when this gentleman talks about his heart attack experience. Mind you, it almost killed him. But when he related his near death encounter to us, the audience was roaring with laughter. We love the story! And no prize for guessing the winner for the humor contest.
So remember, open your eyes and take note of your personal tragedies. Don't just mull over it. Make full use of it - tell a story, point out a contradiction and most importantly make your audience laugh!
A final note (borrowed from Steve Roye, a really funny standup comedian):
"Comedy is tragedy. However tragedy all by itself is best suited for the funeral home, attorney's office or the pyschotherapist's office than it is on the comedy stage."
5. The best jokes aren’t written. They are rewritten.
This tip is built on the previous tip on Comedy is a process!!!
In his CD, Darren raves about his mentor who after 11 years of doing standup comedy has only 1 hour and 14 mins of material. Not one min more, not more min less. Just 1 hour 14 mins of absolutely spine-tickling stuff!
It is really that simple. Tell a story and figure out what was it that make people laugh. Focus on what make them laugh. See if you can make it funnier. Work on the not-so-funny stuff, see if you can make it funnier. For those dead jokes, remove them. Add new ones and test it out again. In no time, you will have a compact speech with absolutely hilarious stuff.
6. Attitude
I think Darren is talking about the body language behind every punchline that you make. Like an actor, you got to FEEL your lines. If you are suppose to be angry, be angry! If you are suppose to be sad, be sad! The use of pauses is also extremely important. It creates suspense. It creates anticipation. Both are important elements of surprise which makes your line funny. If you rush through your funny line, say "Take my wife please!", it is not going to be as funny as "Take my wife... please!!!"
Whispering also helps make your lines funnier. I experimented it some time ago and it works like wonder! Remember my speech on "There's something about Singapore". The tragedy in the story lies in my country being extremely small. I also lamented on how people thought that Singapore is part of China (which is the case!!!)
So as you can guess, one of my punchlines was "Singapore is part of China!"
During the second part, I explained to my audience two reasons why Singapore do not like to be call "part of China"
"Reason number one... (whisper) Coz we are not part of China..."
The audience love this line best! After much though, I realize that it has to be do with me being all secretive (by whispering), only to tell them something that they should have already know. Yes it is so DUH!!!!!!! But here's the irony, people still think we are part of China!! How amazing.
Review your speech. See if you can add an emotion, a body language, a pause or a whisper in your line. It is worth the tickle and the fun your audience have!
RELATED: Ten Comedy Secrets of Becoming Absolutely Hilarious on Stage - Part 1
4. Humor stands for tragedy
Comedians are effectively just people who get paid to complain! And it is true that a large of comedy comes from tragedy, such as your embarrassing moments, being called a fat ass, being ditched by ugly ex girlfriends/boyfriends, crazy bosses who demands you to work 8 hours/day. It could even be as silly as slapsticks (like slamming yourself on the lamp post as you tried to pick up a girl...) Take a look at America Funniest Home Videos. Tons of slapsticks. But guess what, people love it!
People love to hear other people's tragedy coz' it relieves theirs. It is really as simple as that. But here's lies the danger as well. Some people unleash their personal tragedies without giving a humorous spin with it. And it often turns out to be an absolute sob story. Trust me, we have enough pain in our world. We don't need yours!
There was one year in the humor contest when this gentleman talks about his heart attack experience. Mind you, it almost killed him. But when he related his near death encounter to us, the audience was roaring with laughter. We love the story! And no prize for guessing the winner for the humor contest.
So remember, open your eyes and take note of your personal tragedies. Don't just mull over it. Make full use of it - tell a story, point out a contradiction and most importantly make your audience laugh!
A final note (borrowed from Steve Roye, a really funny standup comedian):
"Comedy is tragedy. However tragedy all by itself is best suited for the funeral home, attorney's office or the pyschotherapist's office than it is on the comedy stage."
5. The best jokes aren’t written. They are rewritten.
This tip is built on the previous tip on Comedy is a process!!!
In his CD, Darren raves about his mentor who after 11 years of doing standup comedy has only 1 hour and 14 mins of material. Not one min more, not more min less. Just 1 hour 14 mins of absolutely spine-tickling stuff!
It is really that simple. Tell a story and figure out what was it that make people laugh. Focus on what make them laugh. See if you can make it funnier. Work on the not-so-funny stuff, see if you can make it funnier. For those dead jokes, remove them. Add new ones and test it out again. In no time, you will have a compact speech with absolutely hilarious stuff.
6. Attitude
I think Darren is talking about the body language behind every punchline that you make. Like an actor, you got to FEEL your lines. If you are suppose to be angry, be angry! If you are suppose to be sad, be sad! The use of pauses is also extremely important. It creates suspense. It creates anticipation. Both are important elements of surprise which makes your line funny. If you rush through your funny line, say "Take my wife please!", it is not going to be as funny as "Take my wife... please!!!"
Whispering also helps make your lines funnier. I experimented it some time ago and it works like wonder! Remember my speech on "There's something about Singapore". The tragedy in the story lies in my country being extremely small. I also lamented on how people thought that Singapore is part of China (which is the case!!!)
So as you can guess, one of my punchlines was "Singapore is part of China!"
During the second part, I explained to my audience two reasons why Singapore do not like to be call "part of China"
"Reason number one... (whisper) Coz we are not part of China..."
The audience love this line best! After much though, I realize that it has to be do with me being all secretive (by whispering), only to tell them something that they should have already know. Yes it is so DUH!!!!!!! But here's the irony, people still think we are part of China!! How amazing.
Review your speech. See if you can add an emotion, a body language, a pause or a whisper in your line. It is worth the tickle and the fun your audience have!
RELATED: Ten Comedy Secrets of Becoming Absolutely Hilarious on Stage - Part 1
posted by Tripp at 10:30 AM
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