When someone pitches a joke for a character that is just perfect, and you can imagine that actor reading that line at your table read or on the set, it's like the sound of a snap snapping into place.
Michael SchurRead
All of comedy at some level is trial-and-error, whether it's a stand-up trying out jokes or a comedy show trying stories.
Interpretation
Comedy relies on experimentation to find what resonates with the audience.
This quote emphasizes that the essence of comedy is deeply rooted in trial-and-error. Whether through stand-up routines or comedy sketches, comedians continuously test their material to determine what elicits laughter and connection from their audience, highlighting the iterative nature of the craft.
In practice
During a stand-up comedy show, a comedian might refer to this quote while talking about the importance of testing new jokes.
When someone pitches a joke for a character that is just perfect, and you can imagine that actor reading that line at your table read or on the set, it's like the sound of a snap snapping into place.
Since I don't smoke, I decided to grow a mustache - it is better for the health. However, I always carried a jewel-studded cigarette case in which, instead of tobacco, were carefully placed several mustaches, Adolphe Menjou style. I offered them politely to my friends: "Mustache? Mustache? Mustache?" Nobody dared to touch them. This was my test regarding the sacred aspect of mustaches.
Life is too short to be taken seriously.
I enjoy darker sardonic wit more than knock-knock jokes. I spent the first healthy chunk of my career playing all-American, pleasant, average, nice people, so it's fun to have some complications there.
Nothing is funnier than unhappiness, I grant you that. Yes, yes, it's the most comical thing in the world.
Comedy is the difference between how you see a person and how they see themselves.
'I am' is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that 'I do' is the longest sentence?
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