Hi All

I am doing a show at a local fete, so it will be outside and I will be wearing a suit but I thought to get the audience warmed up I could make them laugh (try to at least).

I was thinking if I started talking about trying to add a bit of style to my act and talked about the suit then said something like "OH I ALMOST FORGOT MY HAT" and then pull out a jester's hat and put it on IT MIGHT MAKE THEM LAUGH. But I can't think of anything to say about the hat. They might think I am serious about wearing a stupid hat. Do you Comedy Magicians have any ideas?

Luke

Not trying to be insulting but that hat thing doesn't sound very funny. One good one is to walk on stage and say, "Now when I walked on stage three questions popped into all your heads. The answers are-

My name is Luke Sheratt.
Yes, it is rented.
No, I'm not."

But that might not work on the Isle of Wight, which apparently is now Quarantine Capital of the UK. Apart from that I can't think of much. And that one sucked I know, but like the hat needs more work to work (if you follow).

Be yourself. If you are a funny guy you already know how to be funny ... if you aren't ... you aren't going to learn, now.

Bryan

ps. Most, MOST (not all) gimmicky ways to get a laugh fall flat.

I agree a poorly thought out visual gag will go badly. I don't agree with Bryan that you aren't going to learn. Be yourself. Is the rest of your act infused with comedy? If not don't throw it in at the start. It won't work at all.

What else are you going to do in your act and perhaps we can rally and help you come up with something better.
Jason

'There was a young lady of Wight
Who travelled much faster than light
She departed one day,
In a relative way,
And arrived on the previous night.'
From A Brief History of Time
by Stephen Hawking
From an Illustrated history of the universe

I find that I can't just sit down and add something funny to my act. It comes naturally to me. Either during rehearsing the act, or actually performing the act for an audience. Sometimes a spectator can say something funny that you can go with and make it hilarious. For me, comedy isn't about knowing what to do or what to say. If I planned out everything funny I wanted to say, it would come out like a robot and not be funny. I just think about what I want to say at a certain point, and if the timing is right I say it. If not, I just keep on going and hope something funny will come to me.

Perhaps instead of a jester's hat you could have a top hat filled with cream that goes all over your face when you put it on ... if you're into the physical comedy.

With patter a bit like so:
"So what does everyone think of the suit, pretty swishwy. But look it comes with a hat—"
(and splat).
The Masked Magician

You really like your whipped cream don't you?

I'm afraid I have to disagree with jr_illusion, he is right about how comedy can be created—on the spur of the moment/impromptu.

But...

I have to question the fact that a scripted line can not be funny. There are countless comedians who script every word (and have to). In fact, if you don't script every word and "hope something funny will come to (you)" more often than not you will stumble and land on your face.

Don't get me wrong—I use plenty of improptu lines in my act so the show is never the same but I ALWAYS have some rehearsed and ready lines that I ALWAYS use and every time they get the right reaction.

This relieves the pressure on me to "be funny" and often means that I look far more talented than I really am—comedy is NOT instinct—it is hard work, and the hardest thing to get an audience to respond to is comedy.

-Donovan

OK folks,

Let's all hunker down and try to help this guy. I have written plenty of jokes for my own show and many more for fellow performers, but this will be my first internet 'jam session.'

Let's start with the basics:
Luke, why do you think the hat will be funny? Because it's unexpected? Because it's a solemn event? To be honest, and this may be a cultural thing, I don't really get the hat going with the suit. In the states, a hat isn't usually part of formal attire.

Remember, to get laughs we have to be jerked from one thought to another. If it's a comfortable slide, you get smiles or nods but not laughs. And also remember that the hat must make some sort of sense, or else it's not funny, just incongruous.

Here's a thought, come out wearing the suit, show it off, and then say "You know I have to tell you I never wear a suit, I don't really feel comfortable up here like this... It 's a bit stiff, don't you think?"

(then pull out the hat) "Ahhh, that's better. Now I feel more relaxed." (This is not great, but it sets up the gag.)

Then later, when you bring up your male first volunteer, ask them "Do you feel a bit nervous in front of this big crowd? Wait, I know the perfect thing ..." (Pull out a second hat and hand it to them.) "Trust me it feels great."

Voila! A jest hat gag. Cute, but with a bit of work and the proper attitude, it could be good.

Remember to play it straight (don't enjoy the joke yourself; let them laugh at you a bit).

***

OK who's next?

Peter G
http://www.funnymagic.com

When you whip out the hat at first, it should be done totally deadpan. They will not think you are serious about wearing the hat! That should play "funny". (I hope!)

As for Jr. Illusion's comment that "I just keep on going and hope something funny will come to me," it may work for him (although I'll bet the comedy would be better if it were scripted in advance), but it's not good advice for most other people.

Some of the most carefully written and thought-out comedy lines ever were the "impromptu" and "throw-away" bits by people like Jack Benny, George Burns, Sid Caesar, Ernie Kovacs, and about a zillion more.

Now, this doesn't apply to you (unless you juggle too), but my friend has started to juggle plungers. I thought that if we had a hard surface above his head, he could stick it to the surface. Try things like that with your magic. I know some people use fire magic, and even do firebreathing during their routine. How funny would it be if instead of things like kerosine you used water, and put the torch out?

After a second wearing the hat and letting it sink in, say "lucky for all of us, the suit that goes WITH this hat is at the cleaners..."

If you really wanted to push it, you could appear later in a harlequin outfit and a top hat...

-Reg {*}

Hi

They are all great, you're all being a help. In answer to suspectacts, well over here, a hat is not part of a suit either but it's a street performance where I will be Juggling in the town square so I thought Street performing + Juggling = Jester. I just thought I would try and get the audience going as the other performers are all not doing any jokes or anything funny.

Thanks for the help, keep it coming. Some of these lines are great. The reason I thought the hat would be funny is because, well, how many people do you see wearing a suit and a Jester's hat? Usually it's only the football(soccer) fans that wear them. Don't ask me why.

Thanks, anymore help is greatly appreciated.
Luke

I like suspectacts idea of an internet jam/brainstorming session.

My suggestion is to dispense with the jester hat. It would appear that you are trying too hard— reaching for a laugh.

Instead, I would go with suspectacts approach, remarking "You know I have to tell you I never wear a suit, I don't really feel comfortable up here like this... it's a bit stiff, don't you think?"

And then reach behind your neck and pull out a hanger that was still in your jacket. Then say, "It still doesn't feel quite right." And reach into your bag and put on a peaked cap (baseball/beer logo type hat, as old and as beat up as you have). Look like something is still not quite right and reach up and turn the hat backwards. Then say, "Ahhh, that's better. Now I feel more like myself."

Do the same bit with the spectator as suspectacts suggests, again with a baseball cap for the spectator. If he puts it on brim forward, pantomime his turning it backwards until he does. (It will be funny.)

Another volunteer, another cap. (If it is a woman, turn the brim sideways.) You might even end with a cups and balls routine using the hats (a "Caps and Balls" routine). That might even justify using those little baseballs as the balls.

0pus

Hey Luke -
How about letting all us hard working creatives know how it all turned out?

SA

Hi

It went down great. I had the crowd in stitches thanks to all you guys. I got 7 repeat bookings thanks to that gig. Almost all of them said "When you do my kid's party do the hat thing again, they loved it."

I tend to get a little hyperactive when I perform and it turns out that they love it. I have tried toning down the hyperness but I can't help it, so what I did was take some of the stuff you and the others gave me and just went to town on it. Thanks a million to you all. Wow it sounds like an Oscar speech, I promised myself I wouldn't cry...
Thanks again
Luke

Would you call that the "Seven Hat Repeat?"

0pus