Audience or Industry: The Comedy Connundrum

Who should comics be performing for, the audience or their fellows in the industry, including critics?

I ask this because I was once told not to do my Jack Nicholson impression because "everyone is doing Jack". What was really meant was that management sees too many Jack Nicholson (and Bill Cosby and Christopher Walken) impressions, although I've only seen one or two others myself, in recent years. But the comment I was given was a valid one, except that the audiences LOVE a good Jack impression (which mine sometimes is).

So that begs the question: if audiences are enjoying a show and laughing loudly at the material being performed, should the comic listen to other comics or management or critics, or should the comic perform for the people who came to see him or her?

Now, if the comic is trying to move up in the industry and be unique and get a TV or movie deal, they will need to pander to the industry and give them something they haven't seen before.

So, what's it to be? Who should comics be performing for, the audience or their fellows in the industry, including critics? Both, if possible, I suppose. Be as funny as possible and as unique as possible, but I think that career aside, we are there to make people laugh so that they come back and bring friends with them.

Like San Fransisco comic Steven Kravitz says: "Comics are just glorified liquor salesmen." So true.


Ciao for now.


Tim Reynolds.
Author of Stand Up & Succeed
www.StandUpAndSucceed.com