{"id":8107,"date":"2025-10-11T17:01:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T21:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/?p=8107"},"modified":"2025-10-23T09:18:06","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T13:18:06","slug":"bomb-alert-an-onstage-survival-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecomedybook.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/11\/bomb-alert-an-onstage-survival-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Bomb Alert! An Onstage Survival Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi Dave \u2013 What should you do if no one is laughing or if you realize that you are starting to bomb? \u2013 A.B.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hey A.B. – Duck and cover.<\/p>\n

\"\"

On stage excitement!<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Okay, that\u2019s probably not the answer you were looking for. So, here\u2019s another one that I\u2019ve seen actually work.<\/p>\n

But first, a quick definition.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some readers may not know exactly what bombing<\/em><\/strong> means. It\u2019s when you\u2019re on stage doing your best to entertain \u2014 whether you\u2019re a comedian or a humorous speaker \u2014 and absolutely nothing<\/em><\/strong> is working. The audience isn\u2019t laughing, you start to panic, you begin to sweat, and you\u2019re convinced everyone in the room hates you.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s Bombing 101<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And if you ever get used to it, you\u2019re in the wrong business. I don\u2019t know a single comedian who hasn\u2019t gone through it. And if one claims they haven\u2019t, they\u2019re just playing a joke on you.<\/p>\n

The dedicated comics never let bombing stop them. But the smart<\/em> ones use it as a learning experience – usually discovering what not<\/em> to do next time.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>In my book Comedy FAQs and Answers<\/em><\/strong>,<\/a> I talked with comedian George Wallace about this. Early in his career, he performed under the stage name The Reverend George Wallace<\/strong> and used a phone book as his \u201cBible.\u201d The bit killed in New York City – until his first road gig in upstate New York.<\/p>\n

The audience hated it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He was booked for an hour, and he did an hour, but it was a mega-ton<\/em> bomb. Driving home, he felt so bad he actually thought about steering off a bridge.<\/p>\n

But that night became a turning point. He swore he\u2019d never let that happen again. He rethought everything about his act and his stage persona. The \u201cReverend\u201d was gone \u2014 so was the phone book. He decided that if he<\/em> was having fun on stage, the audience would too.<\/p>\n

And if the audience is having fun, you\u2019re not bombing.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever seen George Wallace perform, you know what I mean. The man is practically immune to bombing.<\/p>\n

How to Turn It Around – In Real Time<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, what should you do when it\u2019s happening to you<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a proven technique I\u2019ve seen big-name comics use to turn a tough crowd around: talk TO and WITH the audience.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seriously \u2014 I\u2019ve seen it more times than I can count. When your material isn\u2019t connecting, stop pushing it. Put the script aside for a moment and start engaging the people in front of you.<\/p>\n

A Story from The Improv<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I was scheduling comics for the Hollywood Improv, one of our most reliable \u2014 and funniest – acts had a rare off night. His material was top-notch, but for whatever reason, the audience just wasn\u2019t responding.<\/p>\n

To my surprise, he did something I\u2019d never seen him do. He took the microphone out of the stand, walked to the front of the stage, and started talking directly<\/em> to the audience.<\/p>\n

He kept it casual: \u201cWhere are you from?\u201d \u201cWhat do you do for a living?\u201d<\/p>\n

Simple questions that led to funny exchanges and real conversation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once the audience was relaxed and engaged, he stepped back, put the mic in the stand, and went back to his material. This time, they loved<\/em> him. They got the jokes, laughed hard, and he walked off to huge applause.<\/p>\n