What Grease Reminded Me About Comedy
The Show Must Go On & Other Tips
Attending Grease with my wife recently wasn’t just a fun night out, it was also a good reminder about what goes into live performances. Watching actors sing, dance, and deliver lines in real time, I kept thinking, Stand-up is pretty similar! So yeah, there were some good reminders and takeaways that hit home. Here are a handful.
First, keep going. Throughout the show, I caught a few flubbed lines, some voice cracks during songs, and during a dance even saw a bandana get dropped. But they didn’t stop. They didn’t apologize. They just kept rolling with it, and most of the audience never even noticed. In stand-up, there are going to be missteps, a joke won’t land, a line will come out wrong, someone in the crowd will cough at the worst possible moment. It doesn’t matter. You have to move forward like a) you meant to do that all along, or b) it’s all happening in real-time and you’re fine with that.
Second, the audience wants to have a good time. That’s why they’re there. They paid to have fun. Now, I’ve done plenty of open mics, so I know this isn’t always true. Some crowds show up with their arms crossed like they were forced at gunpoint to attend live comedy, like you’re threatening to take them hostage with humor. But generally speaking, audiences are rooting for performers. They want you to succeed, because your success makes their night better. This is easy to forget when you’re in your own head on stage, but people are usually there to enjoy themselves, not to critique.
Third, you having fun invites the audience to do the same. You have to look like you want to be there and even love being there. The cast of Grease was fully committed to the performance, even when things went wrong. They looked like they were enjoying it, and that gave the audience permission to do the same. This is something I’ve been working on in my own comedy, just letting loose, embracing the moment, showing the audience I believe in the material and myself. If you don’t look like you’re having fun, why would anyone else?
Fourth, some things are out of your control. For instance, during portions of this show, the mics weren’t loud enough. That’s brutal in a musical. If people can’t hear you, it doesn’t matter how great the performance is. In comedy, it’s really the same. Tech issues, bad sound, distractions in the venue, these things can kill a show. But the best performers adapt anyway, something I’m still learning. They seem to have a keen ability to lean in, speak up, and work with what they have.
Fifth, storylines keep people hooked. Even though Grease is essentially just a collection of catchy songs and high school drama, it works because there’s a throughline. People care about what happens to these characters. In fact, they’ve cared for decades. That’s something I’m always thinking about with my own sets, too: how do my jokes connect? How do they lead into each other? How do I keep people invested in what’s coming next? A good joke is great. A good joke that fits into a bigger arc is even better.
And sixth and finally, familiarity is a friend. Comedy is largely about surprise, but there’s a reason Grease still packs theaters. People know the songs, the story, the characters. And that’s comforting. There’s something fun about watching something unfold that you already know, but still loving the ride. Comedy can actually work the same way. A callback, a running theme, a joke structure the audience subconsciously recognizes, it all builds familiarity. And when people feel comfortable, they laugh more.
I went to Grease expecting a good night out with my wife but a boring show, and I left with a fresh set of notes on how to better myself as a comedian. So yeah, if the T-Birds and Pink Ladies reminded me of anything, it’s that if you stay cool, roll with the punches, and commit to what you’re doing, the audience will be right there with you. Even if you drop a bandana. Or, at the end, a mic.
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