Whilst you are all wrapping presents and settling down to a roaring fire and some cosy Christmas telly, spare a thought for us entertainers. Just as the weekend is a rest time for hard working ‘normal’ people and us comedians travel off to comedy clubs to entertain you, Christmas is a time for family and winding down, but it’s the busiest time for comedians!
What adds to the fun is naturally, that Christmas is the time for excess, of food and more dangerously, alcohol! Throw in a party full of friends or work colleagues and the comedy clubs at Christmas can be a really explosive bundle of energy! Sometimes this can be a great recipe to have fun with the crowd, get the audience laughing more and get them relaxed very quickly. The plus side is you don’t have to warm them up as much: people aren’t as tense and self-aware when they are drunk or ‘lubricated’ with mulled wine. This means that often a crowd gets more involved with your show, is happier to answer your questions, and wants to interact. The negative however is that people become completely unaware of their own noise, their concentration can wonder, and people feel less subtle about letting their opinions be known. If you hesitate or falter for a second, the rowdiest of groups (fuelled by festive excess!) can take you down, and let you know exactly what they think of your last joke, bringing your whole show potentially to an end.
Last Christmas a couple of shows ran away from me, where large groups at the back of big rooms switched off from my efforts, feeling disconnected and too far away to be able to concentrate, and too excited by the cracker party hat and Blue Nun sat on the table (not the wine... it was fancy dress!). Often groups who go out together have all been sent to the comedy club courtesy of their boss, and they just want to chat and have a social evening, especially when the alcohol arrives!
If the comedian isn’t their thing, where as in September they’d sit and give the comic the benefit of the doubt and 5 minutes to settle in, the Christmas frivolity brings a whole new roller coaster to the party! Strap in! It’s going to get bumpy!
Don’t worry though. This year I’ve done a whole host of private parties and shows where alcohol has been flowing. So feel free to come to see me at Spinnaker Tower Comedy Club, and get involved. I’m ready!
@comedyjames www.jamesalderson.net