Comedy Store (Stand-Up)
Comedy (Stand-Up)
A stand-up comedian is someone that performs in comedy clubs, usually reciting a fast paced succession of amusing stories, short jokes and one-liners, typically called a monologue. Some stand-up comedians use props, music, or magic tricks in their acts.
Stand-up comedy is perhaps the easiest field of entertainment for new talent to enter, because many smaller venues hold "open mic" events where the inexperienced can perform comedy before a live audience. However, perhaps more than any other performer, the stand-up comedian is at the mercy of the audience, which is an integral element of the act. A truly adept stand-up comedian must nimbly play off the mood and tastes of any particular audience, and adjust his or her routine accordingly. The test of a master stand-up comedian is the ability to not only face down a "heckler," but win over and entertain the rest of the crowd with a retort. Many of the all-time greats are featured below.
Right: Steven Wright
Inside Amy Schumer: Seasons 1 & 2 (2013)
6.2/10
Starring: Amy Schumer
Straight from Amy Schumer's provocative and hilariously wicked mind, "Inside Amy Schumer" explores sex, relationships and the general clusterf**k that... Read more
Eddie Murphy: Delirious (1983)
8.2/10
Starring: Eddie Murphy
The year was 1983 and NOTHING was sacred! Jokes about puberty, dating, Mr T, disciplinarian mothers, and the personality traits of Michael Jackson wer... Read more
Grumpy Old Women: Live (2008)
7.3/10
Director: Peter Orton
Starring: Jenny Eclair, Dillie Keane, Linda Robson
Four sell out UK tours and a hugely popular run in Australia proved beyond any doubt that the Grumpy Old Women is a global phenomenon! Have you reache... Read more
Joan Rivers: Live at the London Palladium (2006)
7.4/10
Starring: Joan Rivers
Acerbic and self-deprecating comedian Joan Rivers performs a live concert of nonstop hilarity at the London Palladium. When Joan enters talking for th... Read more
Hal Roach: It's Himself (1995)
6.1/10
Starring: Hal Roach
Hal Roach has been star of the world famous Jury's Irish Cabaret in Dublin for over tewnty six years and has brought laughter to millions from the fou... Read more
Victoria Wood With All the Trimmings (2000)
7.4/10
Director: John Birkin
Starring: Victoria Wood, Alan Rickman, Julie Walters, Pete Postlethwaite, Celia Imrie, Jam...
Britain's funny woman Victoria Wood returns with this hilarious Christmas special chock-full of entertaining comedy sketches and witty musical numbers... Read more
Jason Byrne - The Byrne Identity - Live at Vicar Street Dublin 2008 (2008)
Starring: Jason Byrne
Described by The Independent as a cross between Spike Milligan and the Duracell Bunny, Jason Byrne, one of Ireland's best loved stand-ups, is back wit... Read more
America's Funniest Comedians: Volume 1 (2007)
5.4/10
Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler, Rosie O'Donnell
To experience the finest in standup comedy, you could go to a comedy club. But now you can enjoy the same laughs from some of the biggest names in Ame... Read more
Strassman Live! (2008)
7.7/10
Starring: David Strassman
American stand-up sensation David Strassman is the man who became the first ventriloquist for 30 years to have his own solo show in the West End of Lo... Read more
The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour (2007)
8.1/10
Starring: Ahmed Ahmed, Maz Jobrani, Aron Kader
In a world of racist propaganda and 'red alert' fears, a group of America's best Middle Eastern comics remind us all to laugh. Ahmed Ahmed, Aron Kader... Read more