Instant Comedy - Laffio 29Jan2015

The day has finally come for the first installation of Instant Comedy at Restaurant Laffio, 337 Beach Road, Singapore. It was brilliant - full house with tickets sold out before the event.

I have my material fairly tested by now at Scape and Comedy Club Asia and its delivery adjusted to the audience's reactions on the fly on the very night. Hard doing that while remembering the content and flow.

It was a very lively and supportive crowd. Thank you very much. Sorry I cannot give all of you a free bottle of wine.

Here is the gig:

What I have learned:

1. Content is king and content in context is bigger king, BUT content in context, in good timing is King of Kings. Therefore, content is only 50%. The other 50% is delivery. It is important to eliminate stammers and unnecessary words, and improve body language. 
2. Interact with the audience. I think I did well this time, but that makes remembering the script harder. More rehearsals would have helped.
3. Always plan for a soft landing, in case your punchline bombed. It worked!
4. Assess the audience well and quickly. If something does not work, drop it, don't let it die a painful slow death.
5. It is possible to have breakout laughters without sex and profanity.

The next event will be on:

Date: 12th Feb 2015 (Thursday)

Time: 7.30pm

Place: 

Hotel Jen, Orchard Gateway Singapore, 

277 Orchard Road, Singapore 238858. 

Lounge@Jen, Level 10

(Nearest MRT Somerset)

Tickets: http://instantcomedhoteljen.peatix.com

For other posts about comedy, click here.

Instant Comedy

I am into standup comedy. I wrote my material, got them tested and am now in the performing circuit.

I need Standup. After some time as a film actor, one can easily be dictated by scripted dialogues, camera angles and directors' visions of how a performance ought to go. Then, spontanaeity goes out of the window.

 I think Standup is one of the hardest form of improv acting, as the performer has to adjust to the audience, on the fly. He has to think on his feet and yet be on his toes. Now is that possible? These are what I have learned on the job so far:

1. Don't try to be funny. 

Don't try to make people laugh. Just go on stage and be enthusiastic. Everyone loves a high spirit.

2. Don't try to tell stories. 

Stories are too logical. Humour is often not. They are usually surprisingly cruel. Sometimes the more cruel they are, the more laughters you get.

3. Talk to the audience. 

Interact. Get them involved.

I bet there will be lots more that I have to learn. It is a job that can only be practised with a live audience. Dead ones are more challenging, but they will lift your performance to even greater heights.

The moral of the story here is to get started and jump into the deep end. If you happened to have led a miserable and troubled life, then don't despair, for you are more than likely to have an unfair advantage. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you.

Come and support us on:

Date/Time: 29th January 2015, 7.30pm

Place: Laffio, 337 Beach Road, Singapore 199565

There will be other comics performing that night too!

 Cheers!

The sound recording is bad, so I have a transcript of the first minute or so...

...as a very angry and frustrated man. So I was thinking,... how I was as a newbie, how I can get into character of such a big role

So I observed how sergeant majors behave, researched on them, scripted Singlish and military lingo, practised them over and over again , and finally, abstained from sex. 

*laughters*

It worked. I won the Best Performance Award... for acting as a frustrated sergeant major.

So I thought it was good news right? So I went home and told my wife that I won the Best Performance Award, she said, "I am not surprised!".

*laughters*

Ok, some of you didn't get it... probably because you are getting it every night.

*laughters*


If you are wondering which sergeant major that was, it is none other than the famous Warrant Officer Lee Teck Hong in Hentak Kaki, For more, click here.

For more posts about comedy, click here.