I Almost Bowed!
Last Friday was a weird day. I’d performed my shows the evening before onboard a ship carrying 2,600 guests: 1600 of them were Dutch, 500 American, some Aussies and Canadians, a Kiwi and 22 Brits.
It’s not unusual for me to perform in front of such a demographic. I make it work. I am a pro with nigh on thirty five years experience of trying to make people laugh. So for the show to still be on my mind the following day was very unusual. I have spent my whole career successfully managing to put shows out of my head as soon as the lights go down and the curtain is closed or certainly way before the midnight buffet is enjoyed. *
So why not this time?
Pitted against the cruise line’s signature evening event, when I stole a glance of the ‘audience’ from behind the curtain, there was the daunting view of a small multinational crowd and lots of empty seats.
For a moment, I stood wondering out loud, ‘Why waste me?’
But then I realised, my favourite time to perform is when the odds appear stacked against me. Yes, I’d love a full house but I’d prefer this challenge any day. I am professional comedian and I had been given another opportunity to prove it.
It wasn’t until the next day, whilst awaiting pizza, pretending to enjoy a ridiculously bad coffee and sitting with my book open but not reading, when the reason these shows were on my mind finally hit me.
The shows weren’t on my mind. The reaction from the audience was, or to be more specific, my reaction to their reaction was.
I had said my goodbyes after the last laugh and turned to return the microphone to its stand when I found myself, inexplicably, facing the audience and..what’s that?..acknowledging their applause!
Now, I don’t bow. I never have. There are many, many pros who have told me I am wrong. There are many, many non performers who have also told me I am wrong. And they’re right. I know that the audience are using this point to say thanks for the show. I just don’t think it is necessary. I believe they have thanked me (hopefully, four times a minute) when they reacted to each joke. Anything more than that just makes me feel uncomfortable.**
WRIITE THE PUNCHLINE HERE FROM THE CLIP. Just one line. Put as a hyperlink.
Not last Thursday night. Nope, there I was, facing the audience, listening to the ovation. I nodded (still not a bow). I waved and mouthed a ‘thank you’.
Why? The answer is simple. I felt deserved it. That night was difficult and a couple of things came into my head in the split second that I found myself in this most unusual of positions.
I hadn’t been wasted. The bosses knew in this situation I was the safe pair of hands. I would make the audience laugh.
I deserved that show of appreciation.***
However, in that same split second I managed to regain my sense of reality and I turned from the crowd and walked off. But not before I pointed and laughed at the couple who had walked into the show during my final joke.
*I am aware that to some it would appear that I don’t care but that simply would not be the case. The most important part of the show are the jokes. I can spend days making sure that no word is wasted, that the gag is exactly right. Oh, and it never is, there is always room for improvement. And that improvement can often come from the most random of sources.
A singer once came up to me after a show with a tip. Admittedly, I walked away in disgust. But then I went through the gag in different ways and soon realised she was exactly right. My way of telling the gag saw it garner a laugh maybe sixty percent of the time. Since it has been changed I don’t remember a time it hasn’t got a big laugh.
** Any post show interaction makes me uncomfortable and try my best to remove any opportunity. After my final show I walk up the stairs to the buffet – never would I call for the elevator after a show. Never. Why would I willingly put myself in a confined space with strangers who might, god damn it, want to compliment me? That’s worse than being critiqued. Nope, stairs it is.
Once though, I was walking up the stairs on a ship in exactly the same situation. I’d performed minutes earlier and while I moved from step three to step four I’d heard,
“Excuse us, Paul.”
They were so polite and I couldn’t ignore them. They had used my name! Too often members from a recently entertained audience would try to grab my attention using anything other than my name. I have had ‘Funny Man’, ‘Comedy Guy’ and ‘Joke Boy’! Now, in those instances, I am something of expert at ‘not hearing’! But those guests used my name so, somewhat reluctantly, I had turned around and was greeted with,
“We know you’re going to hate this but we just loved your show. We’ll leave you in peace now.”
Well that was the perfect compliment. Short. To the point. Short!
***It is important to me that while you read this blog you know it isn’t written to encourage any sort of congratulatory response. It was just a weird day and writing a blog helped me to work out why.
Comments 1
I enjoyed that Paul, don’t want to ruin your day but you are a great comic, there’s not many that can play to such a mixed international audience .