So Lee Evans liked my suit...
Posted by Andre King on Monday, February 7, 2011
Under: Life
I have always been of the opinion that if you are going to be an 'Entertainer' you should do your best to look like an entertainer. Having seen a massive amount of live stand up on the box over here, it was pretty clear that the successful comics, who are working in regular TV gigs all chose to be decked out in the classic suit, some were suit and tie, others, suit and no tie. I would be the only comic sporting a suit with matching tie / pocket square or a tuxedo, no other comics appear to be wearing those either. Branding - something to think about - which I obviously have - perhaps even a little too much :D
So why am I writing about this? Well, I had my first spot at a glee club over the weekend in Birmingham. Had a great time, the show went really well and to top it all off, I was able to meet Lee Evans. First up, let me say, Lee Evans is a bloody nice bloke who had nothing but nice things to say about my suit - as we were both wearing suits that evening - he even commented that you don't see a lot of comics wearing suits on the circuit these days!
I've also made a huge discovery, well huge for me. After working in Amsterdam, I realised that when performing comedy to an audience where english is a second language, they don't always understand puns, word play, double entendre etc. Last time I was there, I was put in the position of having to take the comedy down a notch or two, just so the premises were clear enough to be understood. I was recently booked to headline a couple of shows in Zagreb and Slovenia, both audiences had English as a 2nd language, fortunately I had some of my magic props with me and found that no matter what language is spoken, the 'effects' worked as they always do in front of a crowd. THIS IS MASSIVE!!!
No longer do I need to worry about jokes not being understood, not when I can do a 15 minute card routine with a volunteer! not when I can 'lights from anywhere' throughout the course of the entire gig. The magic I've been doing has been reserved for close up table hopping performances, I've finally found a way to incorporate it into my sets and it worked so well for non expat audiences it's something that I will keep with me for the duration!
In addition to all that, I've been asked to be the resident MC at a gig in Lanzarote every two months, and next month off to Romania & Bucharest (will be bringing the cards!!!!) Also... with a good performance put in at Glee Club, it opens up all 4 of the Glee venues to me as an act that can be booked there, so pushing now for weekend work
So why am I writing about this? Well, I had my first spot at a glee club over the weekend in Birmingham. Had a great time, the show went really well and to top it all off, I was able to meet Lee Evans. First up, let me say, Lee Evans is a bloody nice bloke who had nothing but nice things to say about my suit - as we were both wearing suits that evening - he even commented that you don't see a lot of comics wearing suits on the circuit these days!
I've also made a huge discovery, well huge for me. After working in Amsterdam, I realised that when performing comedy to an audience where english is a second language, they don't always understand puns, word play, double entendre etc. Last time I was there, I was put in the position of having to take the comedy down a notch or two, just so the premises were clear enough to be understood. I was recently booked to headline a couple of shows in Zagreb and Slovenia, both audiences had English as a 2nd language, fortunately I had some of my magic props with me and found that no matter what language is spoken, the 'effects' worked as they always do in front of a crowd. THIS IS MASSIVE!!!
No longer do I need to worry about jokes not being understood, not when I can do a 15 minute card routine with a volunteer! not when I can 'lights from anywhere' throughout the course of the entire gig. The magic I've been doing has been reserved for close up table hopping performances, I've finally found a way to incorporate it into my sets and it worked so well for non expat audiences it's something that I will keep with me for the duration!
In addition to all that, I've been asked to be the resident MC at a gig in Lanzarote every two months, and next month off to Romania & Bucharest (will be bringing the cards!!!!) Also... with a good performance put in at Glee Club, it opens up all 4 of the Glee venues to me as an act that can be booked there, so pushing now for weekend work
In : Life