Star Practice

Friday August 3rd, 2012 – Crystal Lake, IL

Nothing but fun tonight as I made my fifth appearance at The Raue Center in Crystal Lake, IL for their monthly comedy night. I’ve enjoyed myself thoroughly every one of those times and my streak continued this evening. If every night were like this, I’d have a lot less stress in my life.

This gig is a perfect fit on several levels. It’s near where I live, and that’s never bad. They also tend to attract a mellower audience, and I like that too. It’s more of a theatre going clientele, and they plug in to what I do. I know how to tone it down and get in sync with them, and tonight was another example. I could feel it even before I got on stage, and I knew I was going to light it up.

Comedy is so much fun when it’s like this. I can sense the audience is there for the show, and I have a lifetime of experience to draw upon and I know what to do and when to do it. That makes it so much more satisfying, as I know they’re going to appreciate it and I want to give them more than they came for. I want to make them laugh so hard they can’t breathe, and then keep it going.

All of the staff at the Raue Center treat me like they’re genuinely glad to see me whenever I’m there, and that’s always a huge plus. They don’t do live comedy often, so it makes the comedians stand out in their minds. That really feels good, and I always try to be extra polite back to them.

This was a great opportunity to practice being a star, and I don’t mean that in an insanely out of control egotistical way. To me, a real star has a tangible aura of class from top to bottom that can be sensed from afar by all who are around them. It’s not just a matter of getting it done on stage.

A real star is approachable and friendly - NEVER cocky or rude. He or she is grateful for each and every fan that buys a ticket for the show and never treats anyone who approaches them after a show with even the slightest bit of disdain or disrespect. A star gives it all up on stage as well.

I totally did that tonight, but in a different way that I normally would. I have a lot of energy on stage, and have always tended to be a powerhouse ball of energy. I talk fast and hop around a lot, and when it works it’s a roller coaster ride. Tonight I slowed it down to about half that speed.

I consciously tried to stay in the moment the whole show and it totally worked. I switched my tempo, and I instinctively just knew it would work. And it did. I also made subtle changes to my material and switched around a few key words and terms I usually do, and that kept it all fresh.

I did close to an hour, and didn’t even have to touch most of my biggest bits. I had them in the moment, and stretched out what I did do over more time than I usually do it. I turned off the big machine gun and brought out a slingshot. I loved the challenge of giving them a unique show.

This was a very advanced workout, and not something the average person would even have the slightest interest in hearing about. Audiences just want to laugh, and tonight they did exactly that even though they have no idea how much work it took for me to be able to have a hot show like this. They don’t care, and they shouldn’t. Their job is to enjoy the show, and they did. I did too.

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