Category: Performance Critiques

This is me at a comedy contest in LA.

(I moved to LA in early August for grad school, went on a two week vacation and then did a bunch of open mics that didn’t allow taping. I was on stage 14 times between my last performance critique and this one, with 13 of them being open mics. If anyone has an easy way of uploading audio files, I’ll go back and write them up.)

Sorry for the bad camera angle, I couldn’t use my camera and my friend was drunk.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L6rqtgutok

0m10s Based on the reactions I was getting, I decided this is a stronger opening joke

2m50s Two punch lines in a row with applause, not bad

3m17s Nice pause to let everyone finish laughing

4m42s Noticing what’s going on the with the crowd and interrupting the flow can be risky, but it worked this time

6m11s I can’t wait for the day that this joke doesn’t work because I have an actual fan base

Overall: I came in third place out of the nine comedians. I couldn’t have done any of my jokes any better or gotten a stronger reaction. Based on my set and watching the other comics, I thought I had won, so I was already standing in the back getting ready to accept first place when they called me for third. The look of shock on my face must have been hysterical to everyone but me. And it’s funny to me in retrospect.

My last writer’s mic in NYC, I hosted it. (I did a show on Aug 1, but it’s audio only.)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzJCpXE_7ao

0m34s Change my voice more for my friend’s reaction

1m28s This is a new variation of my old joke, I tried changing it from the AIDS scenario to the having her mom walk in

1m45s Move around the stage for the different characters

Overall: I didn’t commit to either act out enough to learn whether it’s funny or not. I think the mom walking in could be good, if I really get the characters going.

Another weeknight crowd:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7v9n_aGkO0

0m29s I think the audience member’s “you should be in porn” comment was sarcastic

1m41s Good job waiting a few seconds so everyone gets the joke

2m36s I can cut out “I wasn’t born in this country” because it’s redundant with “I came to this country when I was four”

3m07s Pause for a second between “get PhD” and “then do what want” as they started laughing

3m25s Get rid of the “help me please” line

3m34s It’s always nice to get applause with a 12 person crowd

3m57s That line didn’t hit because I didn’t make it obvious I was responding to what my mom said

5m36s Admit “that was too far, you’re right” then say something worse

6m02s Don’t do the finger thing, until after “take two” and then do the thing twice

6m22s I think the PEZ characters for morning after pills with alliterated names are hysterical, but it doesn’t seem to be working

Overall: Pretty decent overall, I need to keep tightening the immigrant and the morning after pill jokes

Weeknight show with a small (but English speaking! unlike last night…) crowd, and my eyes are still messed up so I’m in glasses

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QEjUoeaadE

0m20s Good pause to get the laugh

1m05s To this point of the set, I’m moving a very nice, slow pace. I should always go at this speed

3m48s It’d be a good call back to say, “You won’t have to know it anymore, cause once you get engaged, you keep the baby”

4m23s Commit more to my act out of trying to rip the package open

5m12s I think PEZ Character names are hysterical, but the audience doesn’t seem to agree… I hate when my new favorite line doesn’t work

Overall: This is the best tonality, pacing and waiting for the audience to catch up that I’ve done in a while. The morning after pill joke didn’t go over as well as I would’ve liked. I need to find a way to get the audience to relax about a (potentially) controversial topic. Calling them out on getting nervous might do the trick.

The 10:30 show on a Monday, another 10-12 person audience

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddFREVILQlI

1m15s Saying something like this is usually the equivalent of throwing in the towel

1m27s But it sorta paid off, as the guy said that they were all foreign, so I changed the joked I was gonna do

2m35s With the changed set list, I actually get a good laugh

3m47s I had fun explaining this one

4m33s First time in months I did the subway joke, I decided this was a more physical joke, and a better chance the foreign audience would get it

5m03s And that idea didn’t work that well

6m17s No idea why I thought that joke would get a laugh when it takes Americans a few seconds to figure it out

7m10s Throw in a “woah” before “mom, they’re not all drunks”

7m27s At least I ended on a laugh

Overall: Doing stand up for people who don’t speak English as a first language will grow some hair on your chest. Once I figured out what was going on (after the first 90 seconds) I had fun with it and it worked out-ish.