Stand-up comedy

Stand-up comedy is a form of comedy where the performer speaks directly to the audience, with the absence of the theatrical fourth wall. A person who performs stand-up comedy is known as a stand-up comic, stand-up comedian or more informally stand up. It is usually performed by a single comedian, and usually with the aid of a microphone. The comedian usually recites a fast paced succession of humorous stories, short jokes (called bits), and one-liners, typically called a monologue, routine or act. Some stand-up comedians use props, music, or magic tricks in their acts. Stand-up comedy is often performed in comedy clubs, bars, colleges and theaters. However there is no real restriction on where it can be performed. Many smaller venues hold "open mic" events where amateur comedians can perform comedy before a live audience, offering a way for the performers to hone their craft and possibly break into the business.

Many stand-up routines are similar to one man shows, with the main difference being the expectations of the audience, who, with stand-up, expect a relatively steady stream of "laughs". This in turn affects the aims of the performer, who is under great pressure to deliver those laughs. If the performer cannot coax these laughs out of the crowd, sometimes the crowd will poke fun at the comedian. This rude practice is called heckling.

Stand-up comedy is considered difficult to master, because the stand-up comedian is at the mercy of the audience, which is an integral element of the act. An adept stand-up comedian must nimbly play off the mood and tastes of any particular audience, and adjust his or her routine accordingly. Stand-up is a comedic art form that is openly devoted to getting and receiving laughs from an audience above any other component of the form (unlike theatrical comedy, which creates comedy within the structure of a play and with character and situation). The skills attributed to being a stand-up comic are diverse; it is often necessary for a solitary stand-up comic to simultaneously assume the roles of a writer, editor, performer, promoter, producer, and technician. One test of a master stand-up comedian is the ability to not only face down a "heckler", but win over and entertain the rest of the crowd with a retort. Many stand-up comedians work for years to get 45 minutes of material, and usually perform their bits over and over, slowly perfecting them over time. Actor and comedian Will Ferrell has called stand-up comedy hard, lonely and vicious. [1]

History

Stand-up comedy has its roots in various traditions of American entertainment popular in the late 19th century, ranging from vaudeville and humorist monologues (with Mark Twain a notable master) to circus clown. Most early comedians were merely viewed as "joke tellers," who warmed up the audience as an opening act, or kept the crowds entertained during intermissions. Being a comedian was often considered a stepping stone to a proper career in show business. Jokes were generally broad and (oft when not broadcast) mildly risqué, and often dwelt on stock comic themes ("mother-in-law jokes," ethnic humor). "Blue humor," or comedy that was considered indecent, was popular in many nightclubs, but working "blue" greatly limited a comedian's chance for legitimate success.

The fathers of stand up comedy were the "masters of ceremony", as they often were referred to, of the "golden age" of radio broadcasting. Jack Benny, Fred Allen, and Bob Hope all came from vaudeville and often opened their listening programs with monologues and routines. These were topical, characterized by ad-libs and discussions about anything from the latest films to a missing birthday. The programs largely were split into the opening monologue, musical number, followed by a skit or story routine. Their guests were varied and included other radio comedians of the day including Burns and Allen. A "feud" between Fred Allen and Jack Benny was used as comic material for nearly a decade.

In the late 1950s and into the 1960s, a new generation of American comedians began to explore political topics, race relations, and sexual humor. Stand-up comedy shifted from quick jokes and one-liners to monologues, often with dark humor and cutting satire. Lenny Bruce became particularly influential in pushing the boundaries of what was considered acceptable entertainment (among comedians, such "boundary pushing" dates back at least to vaudeville in a traditional joke called The Aristocrats that comedians would tell usually only to each other). African American comedians such as Redd Foxx, long relegated to segregated venues, also began to cross over to white audiences at this time.

Stand-up comedy exploded during the 1970s, with several entertainers becoming major stars based on stand-up comedy performances. Stand-up expanded from nightclubs and theaters to major concerts in sports arenas. Richard Pryor and George Carlin followed Lenny Bruce's acerbic style to become counterculture icons. Steve Martin and Bill Cosby had similar levels of success with gentler comic routines. The older style of stand-up comedy was kept alive by Rodney Dangerfield and Buddy Hackett, who enjoyed revived careers. Television programs such as Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show launched the careers of other stand-up comedy stars.

By the 1980s, the great popularity of stand-up comedy led to a boom in stand-up comedy venues for both locally-based and touring comics in many cities. Many stand-up stars landed major television deals, and established television and film stars such as Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy, and Billy Crystal tested their comic skills with live stand-up comedy appearances. The advent of HBO (which could present comedians uncensored) and other cable channels such as Comedy Central added to the stand-up comedy boom.

By the 1990s, a glut of stand-up comedy led to its decline, as the market became somewhat flooded with comedians of varying talent levels. Established stand-up comedians still commanded top ticket prices, however, and talented new comedians were presented with many smaller venues in which to establish themselves.

Many believe that Chris Rock's stand-up career, which took off in 1996 with his hugely popular special Bring the Pain, was incredibly influential in the resurrection of stand-up comedy that took place in the second half of the 1990s. By the 2000s, comedy had enjoyed a resurgence, not only because of Rock's popularity and success, but also because of newly accessible and popular media outlets such as the internet and television channels like Comedy Central. There is currently a renaissance of sorts occurring in the comedy world, with younger comics (often between the ages of fifteen and twenty nine) finding their way on stage and becoming the norm, evolving the art form in a new direction for a new age.

Stand-up comedy in the USA

New York City

In the USA, New York City is still considered by many to be the heart of the stand-up scene, with many of the young rising stars as well as the top performers regularly trying out material at the Comedy Cellar when not on the road. Caroline's on Broadway helped pioneer the "headliner club" and is still considered to be one of the top clubs in the country for headliners, with past performers including Andrew Dice Clay, Bill Hicks, Colin Quinn, Gilbert Gottfried, Mitch Hedberg, Jerry Seinfeld.

In New York City's Greenwich Village, comedy even flourishes outside of the stand-up club circuit. Theaters that are more known for sketch comedy, like the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater (UCB), as well as cabarets that do not exclusively offer any kind of comedy, like Rififi, have weekly comedy shows. The UCB Theater has "Crash Test" every Monday, hosted by Aziz Ansari. Rififi has "Invite Them Up", hosted by Bobby Tisdale and Eugene Mirman.

Some might even say these places are helping develop a new form of comedy -- alternative comedy -- which involves more character-based, surreal, or absurd humor as opposed to observations of everyday life or more polemical themes. A growing number of comics (Demetri Martin, Slovin and Allen, Andres du Bouchet, Greg Barris) do not strictly get on stage and tell jokes, opting to play music or act out sketches, making their performances more similar to vaudeville than to traditional stand-up.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles is the other major market for US stand-up comedy, being a home to much of the American entertainment industry, as well as providing stand-up comics with the greatest opportunity to branch out into television and film. The Los Angeles comedy scene consistently showcases many of the most well-known comics in the world regularly playing at major comedy venues, such as The Laugh Factory, the Hollywood Improv, and the Comedy Store. L.A.'s comedy scene is often criticized for having many comics interested in transitioning into other media, and fewer dedicated solely to stand-up as an artform. Prominent figures in the L.A. comedy scene have included Dane Cook, Kathy Griffin, Dom Irrera, Jim Carrey, and Jay Leno, none of whom got their start in LA. There is a newly burgeoning comedy scene in the North Hollywood and Silverlake areas of Los Angeles, as these areas have experienced an influx of artists over the past decade as the housing costs in West Los Angeles have risen.

Boston

Although not as well recognized as New York or LA, Boston has often had a thriving comedy scene. Although they often move to New York or LA before achieving mainstream success, Boston has arguably produced as many notable stand-ups in the 90s as New York. The Comedy Connection is Boston's most notable club, though the Kowloon in Saugus, MA has also scene many greats on their way up. Notable Boston-area comics include Denis Leary, Louis C.K., Lenny Clarke, Dane Cook, Doug Stanhope, Robert Kelly, Patrice Oneal, Bill Burr, and Gary Gulman. A number of other comedians born in New Jersey and New York got their start in the clubs of Boston, including Joe Rogan, Steven Wright, and Bobcat Goldthwait. Boston can be seen as comedy's second city.

San Diego

San Diego is also known in the comedy world for giving a start to many stand ups. Mark Brazil, Bobby Lee, Dat Phan, Fred Burns, Dante, Faison Love, Rene Sandoval, Jamie Foxx, Wild Willie Parsons, Anthony Ramos, and Tommy Chun all began their careers there.

San Francisco

At one point in the 1980s, San Francisco had nine comedy clubs running, including the Holy City Zoo, The Other Café, Cobb's Comedy Club, and The Punchline. Many comedians have spent time in San Francisco and been influenced by the liberal and intellectual atmosphere, such as Margaret Cho, Dana Carvey, Janeane Garofalo, Marc Maron, Jake Johansen, and, more recently, Rob Cantrell (of Last Comic Standing), Arj Barker, and Jim Short. San Francisco has also hosted a separate circuit of gay/queer comedy for many years at clubs like Josie's that produced Scott Cappurro, Marga Gomez, and politician Tom Ammiano.

Texas

Houston and Dallas have also produced many notable stand ups, perhaps most famously the legendary Bill Hicks (Houston).

On television, Last Comic Standing has brought milder stand-up comedy into the homes of persons who otherwise wouldn't partake.

Other countries

Outside of the United States, there is a burgeoning stand-up comedy scene in Canada, the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands, with major comedy, film, and entertainment industry festivals occurring in all of these locations. Not only this, some comedians are using their stand-up work to make an impact on international relations or to promote peace and understanding across cultures. For example, the "Allah Made Me Funny--Official Muslim Comedy Tour" is an example of three American Muslim comedians (Preacher Moss, Azhar Usman, and Azeem) using humor generally and stand-up comedy in particular to ease tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims, promote better understanding of Muslim culture and practices, and dish out social commentary about topics related to Muslim life in America.

Australia

Australia has a thriving stand-up comedy scene, with comedy clubs in most capital cities which stage events featuring professional comedians, and nurture and promote new talent through open mic nights.

Some of Australia's most famous stand-up comedians include 'blue' comedian, Rodney Rude, Steady Eddie and Jimoen. A more extensive list of Australian comedians can be found in the article List of stand-up comedians.

Each year, Melbourne, Victoria plays host to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, one of the World's largest comedy festivals. According to its official website, the festival aims to showcase local talent, bring the international comedians to Australian audiences and nurture and develop new performers.[2] The third of these aims is furthered through events such as Raw Comedy, a prestigious open mic competition for amateur comedians, and MICF Class Clowns, an event for aspiring comedians who are between the ages of 14 and 17 [3]. A number of smaller festivals are also held around the country.

A number of comedians who began their careers in stand-up comedy have gone on to achieve fame in other media, such as film, radio and television. Examples of these include Rove McManus (television), Eric Bana (film), Jimoen (film and television), Tahir Bilgic (television) and Wil Anderson (radio & television).

Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, stand-up comedy is translated into Dong-du Xiao, which Dong-du means standing alone and Xiao means laughter. The colloquial Cantonese translation was firstly introduced by Mr. Dayo Wong Tze Wah in 1990, when stand-up comedy was still fresh to the Chinese community.

Michael Hui would be considered the first famous artist in Hong Kong performing similar to a stand-up comedian. However, it was Dayo Wong who started doing a stand-up as a completed show for more than 2 hours. Popularity of Hong Kong stand-up comedies graudally increases with more than a decade effort of various artists, including Jan Lamb. The impact has even spread into Mainland China, especially to those who understand Cantonese.

Some people believe Dong-du Xiao is not a new type of performance to China, but a kind of single Xiangsheng. However, Xiangsheng concerns more on making people laugh but not delivering the in-depth message behind the jokes.

The Netherlands

In the Netherlands, there exists a phenomenon known as the "conference", which is similar to stand up comedy, although a conference is generally one or two hours long. The performer is called a "cabaretier", but the act is not exactly cabaret either. There is a decades long tradition of such "conferences" at New Year's Eve, started by Wim Kan. Other famous former cabaretiers are Toon Hermans and Wim Sonneveld. The most famous present cabaretier is Freek de Jonge, who, in the tradition of Wim Kan, made it a point to ridicule politicians. In 2006, he even had a political conference the night before the national elections.

Comedy festivals

Stand-up comedy is the focus of four major international festivals: the Edinburgh Fringe in Edinburgh, Scotland; Just for Laughs in Montreal, Canada; the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, CO, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in Melbourne, Australia; and a number of other festivals, most prominently The Comedy Festival in Las Vegas, NV, the Boston Comedy and Film Festival, the New York Underground Film Festival and the Cat Laughs Comedy Festival in Kilkenny, Ireland. The festival format has proven to be quite successful at attracting attention to the art form, and is often used as a scouting and proving ground by industry professionals seeking new comedic talent.

Other media

Some stand-up comedians achieve their own television or radio programs or star in major motion pictures, reaching a level of mainstream success and recognition often unattainable in the comedy club circuit alone. Examples of this include Woody Allen, Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Newhart, Bill Cosby, Martin Lawrence, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Ellen DeGeneres, Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Ray Romano, Dave Chappelle and more recently Dane Cook.

See also

• Improvisational comedy
• List of stand-up comedians
• Sitcom
• Comedy
• Rakugo
• Manzai
• Open mike
• List of musical comedians
• Humor

External links

• http://www.sheckymagazine.com - Stand-up comedy blog begun in 1999
• http://www.dead-frog.com - Nationwide stand-up comedy blog
• http://www.dcstandup.com - Stand-up comedy in Washington, DC
• http://www.sfstandup.com - Guide to San Francisco comedy
• http://www.theapiary.org/ - "Kinda like the US Weekly of NYC comedy."
• http://www.standupcomedyvideos.net - Collection of stand-up comedy videos