When working comedy clubs, is it absolutely essential that your act be a laugh-a-minute full-on COMEDY act? Can the clubs accommodate a "straight" mentalism act, for example? I would assume that they would book anything that is entertaining. The thing is, the people are coming to laugh, and may be predjudiced against an act that doesn't make them laugh.

--Zack

My 2 cents only. I've started working out at the open mics at a comedy club, and mostly I'm doing mind reading. I am trying to make the act funny, but I'm not going in as a comic. I recommend working a few open mics to get your feet wet. With luck, you'll get the owner's attention and he might book you; at the very least you'll have a place to try out new material.

Anyway, a club might be interested in booking a variety act to break up the comedy. I would suggest that you make the act humorous (it is a comedy club, after all), and I'd avoid routines that are drawn out and require a long time to set up.

With the popularity of Crossing Over With John Edward, I think a mental/psychic act would go over very well in a comedy club.

See ya!
Joe L.

Thanks!

My act is actually "humorous," but it's not a laugh a minute, the way Amazing Jonathan is. The humor happens along the way in fits and starts. You said it perfectly. I may be funny, but I'm NOT a comic, and I wouldn't pretend to be one.

--Zack

A couple of points:

First of all, comedy clubs have pretty much had their day; they are on the downward spiral.

Second, yes, if you plan to work comedy clubs your act should be a "laugh a minute"; after all, they are called "comedy" clubs, not "variety" clubs.

Third, the audience is there for the comedy, since that's what's advertised and that is what the common convention is about a comedy club! To give them something else once you've got them in the door is a bit like inviting people to a wedding and, when they get there, instead of a marriage, they find that they are attending a funeral!

Most comedy club operators are not happy about any act that uses props— so unless you plan on working "bare", you have been warned!

Audiences are, indeed, there to laugh, Zack. And the operators are there to give the audiences what they want. So don't expect anyone to buck the trend and give the audience something they don't want! No matter HOW good it is!

Remember: If it isn't funny, it won't "play" in a comedy club!

Hi Peter...

I agree with you to an extent. We've had lots of clubs come and go here in San Antonio. We even had a Funnybone club go broke and shut down... and that was part of a franchise!

But right now we have a club that has been going great guns here for several years. Part of the success, I'm sure, is that they wisely cater to the tourist trade. Ultimately, I guess it's survival of the fittest.

Also, whether or not to hire "prop" acts probably just depends on what the owner believes his audience wants. For instance, Kozak and Jeff Dunham have both headlined here at the Rivercenter Comedy Club; I grant you, they are two of the exceptions rather than the rule.

See ya!
Joe L.

I respect Peter Marucci's opinion. He says
"First of all, comedy clubs have pretty much had their day; they are on the downward spiral."

So what is going to take their place? They provide a lot of work for magicians.

I would be interested in his opinion.

There was a period, maybe 10 years ago, when it looked like comedy clubs were going to start "morphing" into more family oriented variety clubs. But that hasn't happened... or maybe it's just happening more slowly than people anticipated. I think it's likely the success of Comedy Central gave comedy clubs a shot in the arm.

Perhaps, at a point, the variety club will take the place of the comedy club. But I don't think that'll happen on a widespread basis for a while.

See ya!
Joe L.

It's very difficult to get into playing clubs like the Improv, etc. In the 80's it was very easy, not today.

Rich Marotta has done well on this circuit, but he's been doing it since the 80's.

I played the Improv this weekend at an Open Mike night. No magic, though.

I spent a lot of time working comedy clubs both as a comic magician/juggler and as a straight stand-up at the end of the comedy boom. To answer the original question: No, your act doesn't have to be "a laugh a minute". It has to be two laughs a minute. Pretty much the "industry standard" for a successful club act is an average of a laugh every 30 seconds. That's an AVERAGE so you can talk a little while without a laugh and then hit them with a big punch and a couple-three strong tags to rack up your laugh total. No one will be sitting there with a stop watch but the people that book the clubs know what the right kind of act
"feels" like and they'll know if you are getting a proper laugh count.

About props; the club doesn't care, really, if you use props as long as you can carry them on and carry them off the stage with you. They will not be happy if you ask to preset anything on stage or leave a mess when you're gone. The other comics WILL look down on you for using props, though. They'll resent you because what you're doing isn't "pure" stand-up and because sometimes prop acts get bigger laughs than they get and they think you used a crutch to outshine them.

As for the club circuit, yes, it's dying. There are still some great clubs out there and you can make a living, but there are just too many comics fighting for too little work and as basic economics tells us that means that the pay has gone down. Way down in some cases.

Here's what I would suggest: Work the clubs. Work clean. Be original and don't steal! (That will lose you work MUCH faster than a low laugh count--the bookers have seen it all and they know if you steal!) Use the clubs as a stepping stone to college work. I haven't done that but if I get back into it that's where I'm going. You can make more in one night at a college gig than you can make all week headlining many of the top clubs these days. You need about an hour of clean, strong, funny stuff but you don't actually need quite the same laugh count you need to work the clubs.

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice, Scott. Interesting point about not leaving a mess on stage. I have heard that one of the reasons Kozak ONLY works as a headliner is because the stage is a huge mess at the end of his act! The other reason, of course, is he's very good at what he does.

See ya!
Joe L.

I always go for six laughs a minute.

I cut my teeth with Comedy Sportz back in the 80's. Magic Sportz ala Tim and Sue Ellen (I believe) is based on Comedy/Theatre Sportz.

Improvisation is still going strong. (At least in my nearly normal programs.) Jonathan Winters is one of my comedy heroes.

I did the Comedy Club thing in the late 80's. As I got a bit older the smoking and the boozing got a bit much for me. Back then there was a boom. A lot of clubs in places like neighborhood bars and even steak houses.

If you get an opportunity, I would recommend attending an improvisational class in your area. I went to one last year put on by the Kapootz Klowns.

They really opened my eyes up in the area of Nearly Normal Clowning.

Harris Deutsch
Laughologist
http://www.nearlynormalmagic.com

[quote]Mike Jorden writes: "I respect Peter Marucci's opinion. He says
"First of all, comedy clubs have pretty much had their day; they are on the downward spiral."
"So what is going to take their place? They provide a lot of work for magicians.
"I would be interested in his opinion."
[quote]
First of all, my apologies for the delay but I've been out of town for about a week and am just now getting around to all the messages.

What is going to take the place of comedy clubs?

Hey, if I knew that, I'd be out there renting space for "it" right now, rather than sitting here in front of my computer!

I started my comedy magic career in comedy clubs.Eventually I dropped the magic because I wanted to be able to focus on my comedy character. If I could establish myself as a monological comic I could ALWAYS bring some magic back later but this time to enhance my show not to "drive" it.Of course there is always room and a need for comedy magicians and those who are good at it have done very well(ie: T.C. Tahoe, Amazing Jonathon, Mac King, etc)Comedy clubs are more difficult because as some have said,you are NOT a comedian but a magician.Magic clubs don't expect you to be funny so ANY humor is going to be more surprising to an audience expecting mystery, consequently you are going to come off much funnier and entertaining then they had planned.Comedy clubs as has been noted DO expect comedy so the expectation of your show is different from the audience perspective right off the bat.Whats interesting is comedy clubs demand an element from the performer that magic books have been preaching for years....your PERSONA is more important than your magic!!Great magic still falls flat in the hands of a bore whereas an intriguing and or funny/entertaining/ mysterious/unusual or whatever your style happens to be magician will always be able to sell even an old stock trick.Use the open mic nights as a chance to stretch your performing chops, get creative,take risks, but by all means have fun!!By the way, there is definitley less clubs than there used to be but one or two still pop up. There is more competition because of more comics with less weeks available but that can be GOOD if you are bringing a show to the table that is unique. You will stand out amongst the rest. One other thing, get used to writing clean material and you will have WAY more options as far as work goes.

We are lucky here in So. Calif., to have the Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach. I used to work there a lot. The club still is going strong, partly thanks to Jay Leno working there ALMOST EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT.

The owner loves magic and books in good magic in the middle spot (just before the comic headliner).

I also MCd there a lot... and did a few of the other clubs in the L.A. area. Then I moved away and stopped doing that kind of act, and now am back here, but don't have the motivation to jump back into the fray.

And, with the Magic Castle 10 minutes from home, I can see all the magicians I wish to when they come through.

During the "hot" period, with dozens of Comedy Clubs in the area I was lucky to work a lot with Leno, Seinfeld, Shandling, and many others... but they have all moved on to TV and retirement with $100 Million or so in the bank.