Last night I performed at a charity gig. They're not the best platform for comedy, especially when everyone has turned up for a disco.
Still, I like to think I did my bit for Feed the Children by restraining myself at the buffet and letting the stroppy 8 year old in the red jumper push his way in front of me.
And I'm still puzzling over the stats. Apparently 20% or so of kids don't eat breakfast before they leave home on the morning. So how come all these obese kids are running around? Oh, hold on. They're not.
It's a great cause and last night a lot of money was raised so it was Well Worth It.
On 3 February 2011 Laughter-House Comedy
will be playing host to many new out-of-town guests who have already purchased their tickets. Our headline act is the wonderful Simon Evans
Over one third of our tickets have already sold online - I have just added another ten but after they have gone, online tickets sales will be temporarily suspended for this event because I don't want our regulars to lose out.
However, please do buy your tickets before Christmas; available from myself (for Loyalty Members) or direct from the Red Lion Hotel in Basingstoke. It looks like we could easily sell out completely two months before the February event.
A big thank you to our much loved compere Danny Dawes. Danny is hugely popular with our customers and really adds to the Laughter-House ambience.
And final thanks go to our sound and light man - my husband Alastair - and our audience supporters and 'brand soldiers': you very special people know who you are.
Jan xxx
4 December 2010
3 December 2010
Ho Ho Ho
Well, it's the day after Laughter-House and I'm emerging blinking into the daylight.
We've been running our comedy club for three years and despite the snow, we had a full room last night, so I think a massive group hug is in order for that achievement.
Interesting audience interaction last night from a new visitor to Laughter-House...leading me to realise that one person's concept of enjoying a live comedy night isn't necessarily everyone elses.
Throughout most of the opening act, he delivered an uninvited loud running commentary almost as annoying as it was pointless. The atmosphere changed and there was increasing tension in the room as audience members became irritated with his interactions, some telling him what they thought.
When our compere Danny Dawes invited him to cease, he was puzzled. "But that's all part of it, isn't it?"
Er...no, not exactly. The odd amusing heckle adds to live comedy. Friendly spontaneous audience interaction is a large part of the Laughter-House fun, but he was impervious to the fact that he was potentially spoiling a great night out for the rest of the audience.
Sadly, I think it spoiled his evening too, to be invited not to shout out after every line. But when he was persuaded to stop it made everyone's elses a whole lot better. Unfortuntely, our opening comedian's Laughter-House experience had been effectively disrupted.
This episode demonstrated to us that December is often a strange month for comedy; it invariably seems to attract someone, who, on the night, remains completely and blissfully unaware of the delicate path that live comedy treads.
We never want to be heavy handed with any guest, but if it's not sorted we end up feeling anxious for the rest of the audience, and the comedian affected.
Time to reflect, and to be grateful about the rarity of such behaviour at Laughter-House, and a fervent hope the person concerned will conclude that live comedy is not for them in future, at least not one of our events.
A little harsh? The heckling wasn't ill-natured, so perhaps it is. But there you are. We didn’t all make huge efforts to travel through the snow for that...
So, on to the next show Thursday 3 February with the wonderful Simon Evans...
Book tickets through www.laughter-house.co.uk
And many many thanks for supporting our comedy club. We look forward to sharing a fantastic 2011 with you all.
Jan
We've been running our comedy club for three years and despite the snow, we had a full room last night, so I think a massive group hug is in order for that achievement.
Interesting audience interaction last night from a new visitor to Laughter-House...leading me to realise that one person's concept of enjoying a live comedy night isn't necessarily everyone elses.
Throughout most of the opening act, he delivered an uninvited loud running commentary almost as annoying as it was pointless. The atmosphere changed and there was increasing tension in the room as audience members became irritated with his interactions, some telling him what they thought.
When our compere Danny Dawes invited him to cease, he was puzzled. "But that's all part of it, isn't it?"
Er...no, not exactly. The odd amusing heckle adds to live comedy. Friendly spontaneous audience interaction is a large part of the Laughter-House fun, but he was impervious to the fact that he was potentially spoiling a great night out for the rest of the audience.
Sadly, I think it spoiled his evening too, to be invited not to shout out after every line. But when he was persuaded to stop it made everyone's elses a whole lot better. Unfortuntely, our opening comedian's Laughter-House experience had been effectively disrupted.
This episode demonstrated to us that December is often a strange month for comedy; it invariably seems to attract someone, who, on the night, remains completely and blissfully unaware of the delicate path that live comedy treads.
We never want to be heavy handed with any guest, but if it's not sorted we end up feeling anxious for the rest of the audience, and the comedian affected.
Time to reflect, and to be grateful about the rarity of such behaviour at Laughter-House, and a fervent hope the person concerned will conclude that live comedy is not for them in future, at least not one of our events.
A little harsh? The heckling wasn't ill-natured, so perhaps it is. But there you are. We didn’t all make huge efforts to travel through the snow for that...
So, on to the next show Thursday 3 February with the wonderful Simon Evans...
Book tickets through www.laughter-house.co.uk
And many many thanks for supporting our comedy club. We look forward to sharing a fantastic 2011 with you all.
Jan
2 December 2010
The snow must go on
The snow must go on!
Winter snow seems to be a regular winter feature in the south these days - yet in three years Laughter-House has not lost a show.
So we sent our Christmas Elves out this morning to check on the M3 motorway traffic, the buses and taxis...and realised that by cancelling we would disappoint many people planning to come along.
So... unless conditions change dramatically for the worse this afternoon, we definitely have a loyal audience, we have comedians who want to entertain you, and the lovely Red Lion staff who are looking forward to welcoming you as usual. So come on in out of the cold for a Laughter-House warm welcome and an evening of laughter.
A number of regulars have already got in touch to say they are coming. Some people are even leaving cars at home to walk in. Dunkirk spirit! And we love it. And as a big thank you, tonight we will be doing a free draw for a bottle of bubbly - tonight we are going to make the Red Lion rock!
As a sensible precaution, we will make one final announcement on our website www.laughter-house.co.uk after 3pm to take into account any possibility of worsening conditions.
Still blown away by the Dunkirk spirit..thank you Laughter-House followers, you are stars!!!
Jan
Winter snow seems to be a regular winter feature in the south these days - yet in three years Laughter-House has not lost a show.
So we sent our Christmas Elves out this morning to check on the M3 motorway traffic, the buses and taxis...and realised that by cancelling we would disappoint many people planning to come along.
So... unless conditions change dramatically for the worse this afternoon, we definitely have a loyal audience, we have comedians who want to entertain you, and the lovely Red Lion staff who are looking forward to welcoming you as usual. So come on in out of the cold for a Laughter-House warm welcome and an evening of laughter.
A number of regulars have already got in touch to say they are coming. Some people are even leaving cars at home to walk in. Dunkirk spirit! And we love it. And as a big thank you, tonight we will be doing a free draw for a bottle of bubbly - tonight we are going to make the Red Lion rock!
As a sensible precaution, we will make one final announcement on our website www.laughter-house.co.uk after 3pm to take into account any possibility of worsening conditions.
Still blown away by the Dunkirk spirit..thank you Laughter-House followers, you are stars!!!
Jan
20 September 2010
The things we have to do
Oh, the glamour of setting up a Laughter-House comedy night.
I'm sure most Women of a Certain Age don't usually spend their evenings on their hands and knees with their bottoms in the air.
Or maybe they do. But if they do, are they likely to be clutching a thick black cable in one hand and wrestling with something rubbery in the other? Well maybe that's another yes.
That's the worse part of a Laughter-House Comedy Night. The best part is of course, an evening full of people laughing their socks off.
September's show included the interactive Paul Redwood who proved very popular, with lots of reminiscing about the old days, and involving everyone in his daughter's unique version of stone, scissors, paper. A classic.
Next up, Mark Simmonds,wonderful one liners and a really comfortable presence...a real find...
And then of course Mike Gunn, who kept the audience laughing for 40 minutes and seemed to thoroughly enjoy our little club. His list of the differences between men and women will be etched in more than a few memories for a while. As someone commented, "What an absolute professional..such smooth delivery".
Look out for him on Michael MacIntyres Comedy Roadshow......
So now to get ready for the next show..posters to prepare and a newsletter to write.....and all the anticipation of my next encounter with a piece of pliant rubber...
I'm sure most Women of a Certain Age don't usually spend their evenings on their hands and knees with their bottoms in the air.
Or maybe they do. But if they do, are they likely to be clutching a thick black cable in one hand and wrestling with something rubbery in the other? Well maybe that's another yes.
That's the worse part of a Laughter-House Comedy Night. The best part is of course, an evening full of people laughing their socks off.
September's show included the interactive Paul Redwood who proved very popular, with lots of reminiscing about the old days, and involving everyone in his daughter's unique version of stone, scissors, paper. A classic.
Next up, Mark Simmonds,wonderful one liners and a really comfortable presence...a real find...
And then of course Mike Gunn, who kept the audience laughing for 40 minutes and seemed to thoroughly enjoy our little club. His list of the differences between men and women will be etched in more than a few memories for a while. As someone commented, "What an absolute professional..such smooth delivery".
Look out for him on Michael MacIntyres Comedy Roadshow......
So now to get ready for the next show..posters to prepare and a newsletter to write.....and all the anticipation of my next encounter with a piece of pliant rubber...
6 September 2010
How to make your Mum Proud
So another prostitute has emerged, blinking into the daylight and shouting to the media about her liaison with a Premier League footballer.
Apparently all she wants to do is 'make her mother proud.'
So she sleeps with Wayne Rooney for a few hundred quid whilst his wife is pregnant, announces it to the world and then takes a cheeky swipe about HIS morals.
Her nickname is 'Premiership Jen'. She's boasted of sleeping with a further three Premier League footballers, and has claimed she performed a sex act on a well-known striker in a nightclub toilet before charging him £75.
Amazing isn't it. And very noble.
When I was a child, all I had to do to make my Mum proud was to avoid picking my nose in company.
Apparently all she wants to do is 'make her mother proud.'
So she sleeps with Wayne Rooney for a few hundred quid whilst his wife is pregnant, announces it to the world and then takes a cheeky swipe about HIS morals.
Her nickname is 'Premiership Jen'. She's boasted of sleeping with a further three Premier League footballers, and has claimed she performed a sex act on a well-known striker in a nightclub toilet before charging him £75.
Amazing isn't it. And very noble.
When I was a child, all I had to do to make my Mum proud was to avoid picking my nose in company.
22 July 2010
Joke Theft - Cheggers Plays Innocent
Question: Why did Keith Chegwin cross the road?
Answer? Probably to avoid several comedians whose gags he has tweeted to his Twitter followers, allegedly passing them off as his own.
Joke theft is currently a hot topic on the comedy circuit; the most recent furore surrounds Keith Chegwin, accused by Ed Byrne and other comedians of repeating their jokes without crediting the true authors.
The one-line comedians are suffering the most. Tim Vine, Gary Delaney and the wonderful Milton Jones all write clever, witty one-liners that are easily lifted. Some of their jokes appear on forums where members have been invited to post ‘their’ best jokes, which, of course, aren’t 'theirs' at all. As a writer/promoter myself, I immediately post a comment crediting the joke back.
There’s nothing much anyone can do about joke stealing, except personally challenge the offender, which of course is what is happening to Keith Chegwin. He’s been canny though; tweeting to his adoring followers that all he wants to do is make people happy but he is being 'bullied'.
Accordingly his followers are now up in arms defending their ‘Cheggers’, and referring to his adversaries as ‘twats’. In truth these ‘twats’ are likely to be many of the comedians who provide much of the material Keith Chegwin’s followers enjoy reading in his tweets.
Chegwin’s followers are telling Chegwin to ‘block them’ – but in truth wouldn’t that be biting the hand that feeds them?
If Keith Chegwin wishes to avoid being ‘bullied’ perhaps he should study the Twitter etiquette that dictates you should re-tweet a hilarious comment, rather than cutting and pasting it and passing it off as your own.
Then his claims to want to “make people happy” might just carry a bit more weight.
©Jan Jack 2010
Answer? Probably to avoid several comedians whose gags he has tweeted to his Twitter followers, allegedly passing them off as his own.
Joke theft is currently a hot topic on the comedy circuit; the most recent furore surrounds Keith Chegwin, accused by Ed Byrne and other comedians of repeating their jokes without crediting the true authors.
The one-line comedians are suffering the most. Tim Vine, Gary Delaney and the wonderful Milton Jones all write clever, witty one-liners that are easily lifted. Some of their jokes appear on forums where members have been invited to post ‘their’ best jokes, which, of course, aren’t 'theirs' at all. As a writer/promoter myself, I immediately post a comment crediting the joke back.
There’s nothing much anyone can do about joke stealing, except personally challenge the offender, which of course is what is happening to Keith Chegwin. He’s been canny though; tweeting to his adoring followers that all he wants to do is make people happy but he is being 'bullied'.
Accordingly his followers are now up in arms defending their ‘Cheggers’, and referring to his adversaries as ‘twats’. In truth these ‘twats’ are likely to be many of the comedians who provide much of the material Keith Chegwin’s followers enjoy reading in his tweets.
Chegwin’s followers are telling Chegwin to ‘block them’ – but in truth wouldn’t that be biting the hand that feeds them?
If Keith Chegwin wishes to avoid being ‘bullied’ perhaps he should study the Twitter etiquette that dictates you should re-tweet a hilarious comment, rather than cutting and pasting it and passing it off as your own.
Then his claims to want to “make people happy” might just carry a bit more weight.
©Jan Jack 2010
9 June 2010
Cutbacks at Social Services...a light hearted tale
I used to work at Social Services, circa the early eighties.
Even in those days there were cutbacks. No computers then, oh no. Most of us had manual typewriters.
There were two secretaries with electric machines; the rest would cast envious eyes, and the lucky recipients of such machines had been known to suffer a sly jab with a knitting needle during the lunchtime visit to the staff rest room.
I was delighted to take possession of the next available electric typewriter; no matter that the M no longer worked, cutbacks were cutbacks, and it was the best I was ever going to get.
One day I was in disgrace; a not unusual situation for me. I remember my supervisor, standing in front of my desk, determinted to make a point.
"If you have time to photocopy certain of your body parts I am sure you have time to type these meeting minutes for me. IMMEDIATELY.".
She turned on her heel; leaving me to start work. I began typing frantically in a bid to find my way back into favour.
Job done, I scurried to her desk and deposited my work with a puppy dog smile.
Within thirty seconds she was back, her large shadow looming over my desk. I remember that the tip of her nose was white with anger.
"I think you'll find that my name benefits from having the M in front of it."
I looked in dismay at the typing, full of uneven spaces, and looked sorrowfully up at her face, which was still bristling with indignation.
"I'm sorry Miss Manus. Truly I am."
Even in those days there were cutbacks. No computers then, oh no. Most of us had manual typewriters.
There were two secretaries with electric machines; the rest would cast envious eyes, and the lucky recipients of such machines had been known to suffer a sly jab with a knitting needle during the lunchtime visit to the staff rest room.
I was delighted to take possession of the next available electric typewriter; no matter that the M no longer worked, cutbacks were cutbacks, and it was the best I was ever going to get.
One day I was in disgrace; a not unusual situation for me. I remember my supervisor, standing in front of my desk, determinted to make a point.
"If you have time to photocopy certain of your body parts I am sure you have time to type these meeting minutes for me. IMMEDIATELY.".
She turned on her heel; leaving me to start work. I began typing frantically in a bid to find my way back into favour.
Job done, I scurried to her desk and deposited my work with a puppy dog smile.
Within thirty seconds she was back, her large shadow looming over my desk. I remember that the tip of her nose was white with anger.
"I think you'll find that my name benefits from having the M in front of it."
I looked in dismay at the typing, full of uneven spaces, and looked sorrowfully up at her face, which was still bristling with indignation.
"I'm sorry Miss Manus. Truly I am."
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