Last weekend I attended a Grand Finale Comedy Festival at the phenomenal Bath Forum theatre. The event was a showcasing of the winners of twelve heats, but I only witnessed that final night. Never before did I foresee myself ever going to see a live comedy act, however, I went to support a friend who performed.
There were different levels of expertise amongst the comedians, but each act earned its spot on the stage, and overall it was an entertaining evening that was worth the 5 hours of travel.
Laughter is a natural endorphin that makes us feel good.
... I'm an advocate for laughter therapy and can attest to the benefits of laughter, as it helps me to eliminate negative thoughts and emotions. All the same, I was sceptical about a comedy act, simply because I believe humour and comedy are subjective, and I was apprehensive about how organic and natural the jokes might be. Still, I was pleasantly surprised, from the start of the event, as the host was a comedy veteran, who did a fantastic job at engaging and loosing up the crowd.
Most of the jokes revolved around daily nuances and real-life events, in a chucklesome fashion. What I find most amusing about stand-up comedy is not necessarily the jokes themselves, but the open-mindedness and acceptance of "taboo" topics; Something that's contrasting in our everyday lives.
There was no Will Smith moment!
Thankfully, there are many different kinds of humour and jokes, and it's hard to pre-empt the demographics of an audience. So, I applaud someone who dares to walk on a stage and tell random stories. Contrarily, with real-life situations and observing political correctness and appropriation, one needs to be mindful of their decorum, because as positive as laughter is, laughter can have negative effects if done with malicious intent.
I don't consider myself as funny, but I was made aware of how my humour was perceived from my high school days.
My literature teacher, unlike my other teachers had a great sense of humour and understood me. She always responded to my remarks by saying;
"Could you add a little gravy, please?"
... I then became known as one with dry humour and being blunt.
However, I know when to act with the utmost decorum and would not belittle someone with my words, unless it was dire.
Despite being blunt, I was voted the most diplomatic and was assigned to work with diplomats in my former profession.
On one occasion, a former prime minister was staying at the resort where I worked. I'll refer to his assistant as [Bull Dog] for conversation sake. Bull Dog complained to the villa staff that there was no key lime pie awaiting the PM. The staff relayed the message to me.
Before going to meet Bull Dog face-to-face, I called the kitchen to see if they by chance had a key lime pie available. I also attached the Prime Minister's corresponding file to my clipboard.
Entering the villa, I hear Bull Dog barking complaining at the top of her voice about how inefficient the staff is.
I calmly greeted Bull Dog and said "I understand that you're upset that there's no key lime pie for the PM... Bull Dog quickly snapped.
"YES! You are inefficient! You people have a communication problem! I SENT AN EMAIL AND I REQUESTED A KEY LIME PIE FOR PM!"
Me: May I ask to whom, and how many emails were sent?
Bull Dog: I sent the email to [Mary Jane].
Me: Was there only one email?
Bull Dog: YES! [Like a loud sharp bark]
Me: [Soft, calm, firm voice] There was no request for a key lime pie.
Bull Dog:[Loudest bark ever] SO YOU'RE CALLING ME A LIAR!
Me: [Nonchalant] I'm not calling you names. However, I am holding a printed copy of your email to [Mary Jane] and you can read it with me. There is no mention of a key lime pie.
Bull Dog went muzzy! She swallowed a humble pie and vanished from my sight without uttering a word.
I had my staff deliver a key lime pie as I walked away, just so Bull Dog could witness true efficiency.
See, I tend to always look for humour in every situation.
... When it comes to humour, my favourite colour is blue, which my mum hates. She says I got it from my dad, who she loves. Doesn't that mean that deep down she loves my jokes?
I don't know, but...
I was spanked as a child for being naughty, with my tongue-in-cheek humour; When I became an adult I discovered that spanking, and tongue in cheek, is naughty.
Happy weekend peeps:)
All photos were taken by me