Help--creating a fake tightrope parody act for my show

[Jason Kollum]

I'm thinking about a particular act as part of my show where I indicate
that I will be juggling with my eyes closed and a glass (cup) of water
balanced on my head while balanced on a tightrope.

I'll have two volunteers come up the stage, I'll hand them a long rope,
each volunteer holding one side, as the "tightrope" rests on the floor.
Blindfold is put on, glass on water on the head, holding juggling
objects, play out the "I'm really walking on a tightrope" act, etc.

I want the whole "tightrope" bit to be comical, but my concern is that
I'm fooling the audience--the fact that I say I'm going to walk across
a tightrope, and it's really just a rope resting on the floor, could
make for an umpressive and uncomical act.

(I used to do a bit where I juggled a real bowling ball, a knife, and a
"real, running chainsaw." I would then pull out this bright orange toy
chainsaw from my case, and cascade all three. Though funny for a
moment, the audience realizes it's a fake chainsaw. I've let the
audience believe I'm going to perform a hard trick, then I fool them,
and the trick appears "easy". It was dumb bit, and I've dropped it.

Fooling the audience into believing I'm really going to juggle
blindfolded on a tightrope, and then not really doing it, is sort of a
letdown. (sort of like the bit where you say you are going to juggle 8
balls, and then you pull out three "8" pool balls)

How can I make this bit really funny? Have more interactive play with
the volunteers, use a lot of comedy material and really play out this
"death-defying" trick, tell the audience to applaud, then say you'll
blindfolded and you can't seem anyways, make jokes about this is what I
do for a living, etc.

Thank you!

Jason Kollum

[Itsik Orr]

Jason Kollum wrote:
[...]

Post by Jason Kollum
Fooling the audience into believing I'm really going to
juggle blindfolded on a tightrope, and then not really
doing it, is sort of a letdown.

Exactly the reason why I dropped all these jokes out of my shows. Now what
really works for me, and what I usually do, is take the things I do, the
real stunts, and try to see how I can deconstruct them and make a "fooling
the audience" trick with it. That way, every number starts out with an
expectation of the ausience for some big trick, then I make them laugh but
they think "oh, he was funny but he's a lousy juggler because he didn't do
the trick" and after all hope is gone I go ahead and pull of the real
trick. It gets you about 10 times as much applause than doing the trick
straight out, and also gets you a lot of comedy points.
For your specific example, I wouldn't do a fake rope walking number until
I can safely perform a real rope walking number. Then I'd get on stage 6
volunteers, not just two, have them hold the rope a bit too high, then
tell them to lower a bit, just a bit more, just a teeny weeny little bit
more etc. till it's on the floor and to the fake thing. Take a bow, say
how great you are, give the volunteers kudos etc., then pull off the real
trick.
________________________________________
Itsik Orr

----== posted via www.jugglingdb.com ==----

[yonch04]

Post by Itsik Orr
[...]

Post by Jason Kollum
Fooling the audience into believing I'm really going to
juggle blindfolded on a tightrope, and then not really
doing it, is sort of a letdown.

Exactly the reason why I dropped all these jokes out of my shows. Now what
really works for me, and what I usually do, is take the things I do, the
real stunts, and try to see how I can deconstruct them and make a "fooling
the audience" trick with it. That way, every number starts out with an
expectation of the ausience for some big trick, then I make them laugh but
they think "oh, he was funny but he's a lousy juggler because he didn't do
the trick" and after all hope is gone I go ahead and pull of the real
trick. It gets you about 10 times as much applause than doing the trick
straight out, and also gets you a lot of comedy points.
For your specific example, I wouldn't do a fake rope walking number until
I can safely perform a real rope walking number. Then I'd get on stage 6
volunteers, not just two, have them hold the rope a bit too high, then
tell them to lower a bit, just a bit more, just a teeny weeny little bit
more etc. till it's on the floor and to the fake thing. Take a bow, say
how great you are, give the volunteers kudos etc., then pull off the real
trick.
________________________________________
Itsik Orr
----== posted via www.jugglingdb.com ==----

I'm not much of a performer, but for what its worth...

I think it would depend on the audience, or how the rest of your routine
goes, but I am prone to agree with Itsik, it would work a lot better if
you could actually do a tighrope walk, then you could really play up the
floor thing. Walk across the floor as if you're trying to keep your
balance, wobbling, and perhaps even falling down, but all the while
looking extremely satisfied with yourself. It might work without the
actual trick if your act is more geared toward comedy, but if it doesn't
fit with the flow, it would probably be pretty lame. The only way to
really know, however, is to test it out.

Peter

----== posted via www.jugglingdb.com ==----

[Daniel Holzman]

I think every routine a comedy juggler performs for an audience has a
certain level of built in interest. The more interesting the routines
premise is the longer you can milk out the routine without hurting the
overall pacing of the routine or your overall show. If your overall premise
is "I'm going to juggle while pretending to walk a tightrope placed on the
floor and being held by two volunteers" my initial interest level is almost
zero. Granted I'm not your regular audience member, and I may be completely
unaware of your comedy ability to pull this off, but I feel the chances of
this developing into a funny well paced routine with a good payoff are low.
It's difficult to promise an audience a routine and then not do it while
still maintaining their goodwill. You could actually do the trick you
promise, getting audience volunteers to hold a rope while you juggle on it,
but having seen it done by a few performers before you I recommend you start
building your routine on a more original premise.
Dan

Post by Itsik Orr
[...]

Post by Jason Kollum
Fooling the audience into believing I'm really going to
juggle blindfolded on a tightrope, and then not really
doing it, is sort of a letdown.

Exactly the reason why I dropped all these jokes out of my shows. Now what
really works for me, and what I usually do, is take the things I do, the
real stunts, and try to see how I can deconstruct them and make a "fooling
the audience" trick with it. That way, every number starts out with an
expectation of the ausience for some big trick, then I make them laugh but
they think "oh, he was funny but he's a lousy juggler because he didn't do
the trick" and after all hope is gone I go ahead and pull of the real
trick. It gets you about 10 times as much applause than doing the trick
straight out, and also gets you a lot of comedy points.
For your specific example, I wouldn't do a fake rope walking number until
I can safely perform a real rope walking number. Then I'd get on stage 6
volunteers, not just two, have them hold the rope a bit too high, then
tell them to lower a bit, just a bit more, just a teeny weeny little bit
more etc. till it's on the floor and to the fake thing. Take a bow, say
how great you are, give the volunteers kudos etc., then pull off the real
trick.
________________________________________
Itsik Orr
----== posted via www.jugglingdb.com ==----

[Jason Kollum]

Post by Itsik Orr
Exactly the reason why I dropped all these jokes out of my shows. Now what
really works for me, and what I usually do, is take the things I do, the
real stunts, and try to see how I can deconstruct them and make a "fooling
the audience" trick with it. That way, every number starts out with an
expectation of the ausience for some big trick, then I make them laugh but
they think "oh, he was funny but he's a lousy juggler because he didn't do
the trick" and after all hope is gone I go ahead and pull of the real
trick. It gets you about 10 times as much applause than doing the trick
straight out, and also gets you a lot of comedy points.
For your specific example, I wouldn't do a fake rope walking number until
I can safely perform a real rope walking number. Then I'd get on stage 6
volunteers, not just two, have them hold the rope a bit too high, then
tell them to lower a bit, just a bit more, just a teeny weeny little bit
more etc. till it's on the floor and to the fake thing. Take a bow, say
how great you are, give the volunteers kudos etc., then pull off the real
trick.
________________________________________
Itsik Orr

Interesting thoughts. The problem is I don't actually own a tightope
yet. ;-)

In a rehearsal a few weeks ago for a show I'm working with all summer
long, we were doing some red-nose clown bits.

One of the bits was for one individual to enter the room and announce
that another performer was going to perform the most amazing trick the
world has ever seen, that he/she has traveled the globe and amazed
audiences worldwide. This is the greatest trick in the universe, and
gets the audience all riled up.

Then the performer would come out and do something really stupid, like
jump off their chair and raise his/her arms as if to receive the
greatest applause in the world.

The premise was that there is this great trick, the audience gets
excited, and the performer does something really stupid, rather
non-existant. In the clown bits we were working on, we didn't use any
props. When I asked how you can build the audience up again after
letting them down, well, I never really did get a clear answer from the
person teaching the clown bits.

I see the letdown of a fake tightrope. I see the trick being cool to
watch (ie blind juggle with water balanced on the head), but I see the
tightrope as sort of being irrelevant, the same with that toy chainsaw
example I mentioned.

I can see, perhaps, using adult volunteers, having them hold the rope
high, making it actually seem like I will be walking on the rope, and
then like you mentioned, having them lower it and lower it.

I guess the only way to see if it works and is funny is to....try it.

I do rola bola on a high stool, which goes over well. I could play the
same it with a rola bola on the floor, starting to juggle on the board
resting flat on the floor, building up to actually doing it on the
stool.

[Little Paul]

Post by Jason Kollum
Interesting thoughts. The problem is I don't actually own a tightope
yet. ;-)

Learn to slackrope rather than tightrope. That way, you don't need to
cart a tightrope rig around to gigs with you, all you need is a length
of suitable rope.

If you get 6 or 8 "big strong volunteers" out, so that you've got 3 or 4
people holding each end of the rope - it's perfectly feasable to have
them hold the rope high enough to slackrope on, I forget the exact
setup, but I think it's similar to your standard "tug of war" type of
thing.

Don't forget to give them all safety gear (start with helmets and
goggles, moving on to floppy hats and oversized sunglasses when you "run
out")

Packs flatter, gives you scope for doing the "rope on the floor" bit as
a setup - *and* gives you an impressive trick.

Don't forget to make it easy on youself by using a fake blindfold ;-)

-Paul

[popstar_dave]

Post by Jason Kollum
I'm thinking about a particular act as part of my show where I indicate
that I will be juggling with my eyes closed and a glass (cup) of water
balanced on my head while balanced on a tightrope.
I'll have two volunteers come up the stage, I'll hand them a long rope,
each volunteer holding one side, as the "tightrope" rests on the floor.
Blindfold is put on, glass on water on the head, holding juggling
objects, play out the "I'm really walking on a tightrope" act, etc.

You've got to consider the audience expectations after you tell them what
you're going to do, and how they'll feel after you do it.

If you tell them you're going to do something great and then do something
less great (albeit funny), they're not going to be impressed.

A much better way, as Itsik pointed out, is to be able to pull off the
trick that you say you'll perform.

You tell the audience what you're going to do (expectations high), you do
your comedy bit on the floor (expectations decrease), then you actually
erform the original trick (expectations exceeded = thunderous applause).

I'd suggest that you work on a way to make a trick (that you can currently
do) funny. Eg. using your pool-ball example, say your going to juggle 6
balls, then do three "6" balls, but then do a quick run of six after that.


Dave

[n8rae]

Post by Jason Kollum
I'm thinking about a particular act as part of my show where I indicate
that I will be juggling with my eyes closed and a glass (cup) of water
balanced on my head while balanced on a tightrope.
I'll have two volunteers come up the stage, I'll hand them a long rope,
each volunteer holding one side, as the "tightrope" rests on the floor.
Blindfold is put on, glass on water on the head, holding juggling
objects, play out the "I'm really walking on a tightrope" act, etc.
I want the whole "tightrope" bit to be comical, but my concern is that
I'm fooling the audience--the fact that I say I'm going to walk across
a tightrope, and it's really just a rope resting on the floor, could
make for an umpressive and uncomical act.
(I used to do a bit where I juggled a real bowling ball, a knife, and a
"real, running chainsaw." I would then pull out this bright orange toy
chainsaw from my case, and cascade all three. Though funny for a
moment, the audience realizes it's a fake chainsaw. I've let the
audience believe I'm going to perform a hard trick, then I fool them,
and the trick appears "easy". It was dumb bit, and I've dropped it.
Fooling the audience into believing I'm really going to juggle
blindfolded on a tightrope, and then not really doing it, is sort of a
letdown. (sort of like the bit where you say you are going to juggle 8
balls, and then you pull out three "8" pool balls)
How can I make this bit really funny? Have more interactive play with
the volunteers, use a lot of comedy material and really play out this
"death-defying" trick, tell the audience to applaud, then say you'll
blindfolded and you can't seem anyways, make jokes about this is what I
do for a living, etc.
Thank you!
Jason Kollum

Years ago when me and luke used to perform to gether we did a lousy gig of
touring around the oldies dinner clubs christmas meals in all the villages
near us. We did a whole circus rip off with juggling, acrobatics, animal
tamers, clowns, etc.

One gag we did was the tight rope. This is how we did it.

Take two light cheap village hall chairs.
Tie the rope on to the top of the back rest.
Pull the chairs apart so the rope is really tight then stand on the seat.
Test the rope with one foot to make sure it is tight enough.
Do a big build up about how you are going to do loads of juggling and
stuff on the rope.
Count to three and jump onto the centre of the rope.
Duck as the chairs flip over and hit you in the back.
Shout at each other and blame each other for doing it wrong.
Thats it.


If luke doesn't add what happened one time we pulled this stunt i'll add
it later.


Nathan Rae.


ob tight rope: As I am putting up new fences around my garden at the
moment i have taken the oportunity to give my self a tight and slack rope
rig by sinking two off the posts realy deap on either side of the lawn.
Pictures to follow when it's all done and i've hurt myself a few times.



--
----== posted via www.jugglingdb.com ==----

[Luke Burrage]

Post by n8rae
Years ago when me and luke used to perform to gether we did a lousy gig of
touring around the oldies dinner clubs christmas meals in all the villages
near us. We did a whole circus rip off with juggling, acrobatics, animal
tamers, clowns, etc.
One gag we did was the tight rope. This is how we did it.
Take two light cheap village hall chairs.
Tie the rope on to the top of the back rest.
Pull the chairs apart so the rope is really tight then stand on the seat.
Test the rope with one foot to make sure it is tight enough.
Do a big build up about how you are going to do loads of juggling and
stuff on the rope.
Count to three and jump onto the centre of the rope.
Duck as the chairs flip over and hit you in the back.
Shout at each other and blame each other for doing it wrong.
Thats it.
If luke doesn't add what happened one time we pulled this stunt i'll add
it later.

I think it involved a near death experience by one old lady in the
audience. I'll let you tell the story as you obviously remember it better.

[drewfool]

The exercise you were doing with the red-nose clown performing the
"greatest act" is just that, an exercise to develop a character and an
attitude on stage. It's not a routine. It may be funny in a workshop,
but onstage is a different matter. It needs a satisfying ending that
you build up to (with a strong and likable character and an abundance
of imagination and timing).
Context is important--unless you are playing this type of character
throughout the show, doing a routine like this will come out of nowhere
and fall flat.
You wouldn't really be fooling an audience, because there is not really
a surprise. If you can come up with something really unexpected (but
logical), then they won't care that you didn't do the real trick (one
that if you really did do it, my reaction would be "very skilled" and
then "so what").
You might want to come up with as many endings as you can (write down
the dumb ones, the obvious ones, even the unoriginal ones, because if
you censor yourself with these, you'll probably overlook the great
ideas too), just so you can explore as many options available to you
as possible. Keep asking questions like "what if I...?" and ""What
else can I do?" and " How can I push this farther". This is hard work
so have fun. Also, I find it helpful to ask myself what game am I
playing and then to make sure I'm consistent with the rules. If I'm
doing a fake tightrope act, then what if everything was fake? The
blindfold would have holes in it, I'd super glue the glass to my head,
the balls would have elastic tied to my hands, the volunteers would
turn out to be my parents, and at the end, I'd play a recording of
applause, take off my wig, remove glass eyes from my sockets, put them
in my mouth, and juggle them like ping-pong balls.
Foolishly,
Drew
http://www.dramaticfool.com

p.s. You might want to post this question to the "physical and visual
comedy" yahoo group.

Post by Jason Kollum
How can I make this bit really funny? Have more interactive play with
the volunteers, use a lot of comedy material and really play out this
"death-defying" trick, tell the audience to applaud, then say you'll
blindfolded and you can't seem anyways, make jokes about this is what I
do for a living, etc.
Thank you!
Jason Kollum

[Luke Burrage]

Post by drewfool
The exercise you were doing with the red-nose clown performing the
"greatest act" is just that, an exercise to develop a character and an
attitude on stage.

<snip lots of good advice from Drew>

Post by drewfool
Foolishly,
Drew
http://www.dramaticfool.com

For more great advice, check out the tutorial on Drew's website:

http://www.dramaticfool.com/Intro-stealmaterial.html

To be honest, I've only seen Drew perform once, and while it was a fun
little number I wasn't blown away or anything. However, I have used the
ideas and games in the above workshop a few times myself with some good
results.

Luke Burrage

[David Cain]

Jason,
What about this idea. Build up the idea of juggling while standing
on the rola bola, which will be on the top of the stool. Make a show
of this, pointing and poking at the top of the stool. Then remove the
top of the stool, which could be a very flat piece of clear silicone or
other material cut to the exact size as the top of the stool. Place
it on the ground and do the rola bola on it. Don't do the whole trick,
but enough for the joke. Then actually do the entire real trick on the
actual stool. It's different than the more common slack rope held by
volunteers and you can actually do the trick. The same can be done
with juggling on a unicycle. For the joke, lay the unicycle on the
ground and stand on it while juggling. Then really do the trick.. Any
additional humor you can milk from the situation, such as using
volunteers, is icing on the cake.

David Cain

Post by drewfool
The exercise you were doing with the red-nose clown performing the
"greatest act" is just that, an exercise to develop a character and an
attitude on stage. It's not a routine. It may be funny in a workshop,
but onstage is a different matter. It needs a satisfying ending that
you build up to (with a strong and likable character and an abundance
of imagination and timing).
Context is important--unless you are playing this type of character
throughout the show, doing a routine like this will come out of nowhere
and fall flat.
You wouldn't really be fooling an audience, because there is not really
a surprise. If you can come up with something really unexpected (but
logical), then they won't care that you didn't do the real trick (one
that if you really did do it, my reaction would be "very skilled" and
then "so what").
You might want to come up with as many endings as you can (write down
the dumb ones, the obvious ones, even the unoriginal ones, because if
you censor yourself with these, you'll probably overlook the great
ideas too), just so you can explore as many options available to you
as possible. Keep asking questions like "what if I...?" and ""What
else can I do?" and " How can I push this farther". This is hard work
so have fun. Also, I find it helpful to ask myself what game am I
playing and then to make sure I'm consistent with the rules. If I'm
doing a fake tightrope act, then what if everything was fake? The
blindfold would have holes in it, I'd super glue the glass to my head,
the balls would have elastic tied to my hands, the volunteers would
turn out to be my parents, and at the end, I'd play a recording of
applause, take off my wig, remove glass eyes from my sockets, put them
in my mouth, and juggle them like ping-pong balls.
Foolishly,
Drew
http://www.dramaticfool.com
p.s. You might want to post this question to the "physical and visual
comedy" yahoo group.

Post by Jason Kollum
How can I make this bit really funny? Have more interactive play with
the volunteers, use a lot of comedy material and really play out this
"death-defying" trick, tell the audience to applaud, then say you'll
blindfolded and you can't seem anyways, make jokes about this is what I
do for a living, etc.
Thank you!
Jason Kollum

[David Cain]

I came up with a joke for you for your stool routine. As you're
preparing to do the trick, note to the audience that you really don't
want to fall and land awkwardly on the stool, because it's really hard
and would be painful. Then say, "Hey, maybe a stool softener would
help!"

If anyone doesn't know what a stool softener is, google it.

David Cain

[Little Paul]

Post by David Cain
I came up with a joke for you for your stool routine. As you're
preparing to do the trick, note to the audience that you really don't
want to fall and land awkwardly on the stool, because it's really hard
and would be painful. Then say, "Hey, maybe a stool softener would
help!"

"This stool is from Ikeas new Supösitöry range of furniture - you have
to put it up yourself..."

-Paul

[David Cain]

Post by Little Paul

Post by David Cain
I came up with a joke for you for your stool routine. As you're
preparing to do the trick, note to the audience that you really don't
want to fall and land awkwardly on the stool, because it's really hard
and would be painful. Then say, "Hey, maybe a stool softener would
help!"

"This stool is from Ikeas new Supösitöry range of furniture - you have
to put it up yourself..."
-Paul

Oh my!

David Cain

[It's Him]

"This stool is from Ikeas new Supösitöry range of furniture - you have
to put it up yourself..."
-Paul

As spoken by Steve Rawlings in his act for the last 15 years.

[popstar_dave]

Post by David Cain
I came up with a joke for you for your stool routine. As you're
preparing to do the trick, note to the audience that you really don't
want to fall and land awkwardly on the stool, because it's really hard
and would be painful. Then say, "Hey, maybe a stool softener would
help!"
If anyone doesn't know what a stool softener is, google it.
David Cain

How about... you can ask a member of the audience to check that the
danger is real and it is in fact a real stool. Get them on stage for a
quick stool sample.

Dave

[David Cain]

Post by popstar_dave

Post by David Cain
I came up with a joke for you for your stool routine. As you're
preparing to do the trick, note to the audience that you really don't
want to fall and land awkwardly on the stool, because it's really hard
and would be painful. Then say, "Hey, maybe a stool softener would
help!"
If anyone doesn't know what a stool softener is, google it.
David Cain

How about... you can ask a member of the audience to check that the
danger is real and it is in fact a real stool. Get them on stage for a
quick stool sample.
Dave

Oh, what have I started! The potential is unlimited.

David Cain

[David Cain]

Jason,
After the inital idea I mentioned of placing the "top" of the stool
on the floor and doing rola bola on it, you could then say, "I suppose
that you'd like to see me stand on the board and the pipe while they're
on top of the actual stool, right?" Then grab the stool, turn it on
it's side, place the board on it, put the pipe on the board in a manner
so that it's jammed up against the underside of the seat, and then
stand on the pipe. Maybe another configuration would work better, but
you get the idea. It's just an intermediate level that might add to
the routine.

This whole concept of stating that you'll do something and then
disappointing the audience before finally doing the trick has lots of
potential variations. Obviously there's the 8 ball routine. Another
common joke is, after doing 5 or 6 balls, to say, "would you like to
see 7 balls." They say "yes" so you grab a 7th ball and hold them all
up for everyone to say and say. "see, 7 balls." Then you do the trick.
Does anyone else have any examples of this kind of joke or routine.

David Cain

[Jason Kollum]

Post by David Cain
Jason,
After the inital idea I mentioned of placing the "top" of the stool
on the floor and doing rola bola on it, you could then say, "I suppose
that you'd like to see me stand on the board and the pipe while they're
on top of the actual stool, right?" Then grab the stool, turn it on
it's side, place the board on it, put the pipe on the board in a manner
so that it's jammed up against the underside of the seat, and then
stand on the pipe. Maybe another configuration would work better, but
you get the idea. It's just an intermediate level that might add to
the routine.
This whole concept of stating that you'll do something and then
disappointing the audience before finally doing the trick has lots of
potential variations. Obviously there's the 8 ball routine. Another
common joke is, after doing 5 or 6 balls, to say, "would you like to
see 7 balls." They say "yes" so you grab a 7th ball and hold them all
up for everyone to say and say. "see, 7 balls." Then you do the trick.
Does anyone else have any examples of this kind of joke or routine.
David Cain

Thank you everybody for your help. I'm going to try the stool routine,
I like the stool softener and stool sample jokes.

I suppose if I attempt the trick, and screw up, "crapt" would be
approrpriate verbalization. ;-)

Jason