Day: April 21, 2008

This piece in the Sunday Times (UK) offers an intriguing look at how London comedy clubs allow famous comedians to perform "anonymously," at least on the listed bill, as mystery guests so audiences don’t get their expectations out of whack. Comedians talk about trying to get ready for a new tour and shaking off the rust (as Chris Rock did, acknowledging to me last summer and fall before his current tour), about how they approach surprise club dates differently from theaters, and how to deal with audience expectations. Here’s one of several good quotes from the article: “It’s about managing expectations,” says the comedian and TV host Dara O’Briain. “If you’ve been away from the circuit, you’re not match fit. And you never know if something’s funny till you say it out loud – the amount of stuff for this tour I’ve had to ditch when I found it wasn’t as funny as it had been in my head.” O’Briain did a dozen club nights of varying degrees of hairiness as he got ready for his current show. “Once the tour starts, you’ve got to be ready,” he says. “No one pays £20 to be on your side as you work through some stuff.” The situation, of course, is not unique to London. The article even describes one comedian watching Rock work out new material at the Comedy Cellar...