Stand-up comedy is a modern form of entertainment that got its start in the United States during the 19th century. Comic lecturers, like Mark Twain, toured the country and used an engaging stage presence combined with a unique delivery of their material to engage their audiences and gain popularity.

Comedy in Vaudeville Houses

Stand-up performances became even more popular when vaudeville comedians were a core part of the variety shows of the early 20th century. Comedians had quick sets (around 10 minutes) and needed to capture the audience’s attention fast which helped lay the foundation for the modern style of stand-up we know today. Popular vaudeville comedians included Frank Fay, Henry Youngman, and Bob Hope. The performances were most often pre-planned routines but soon an approach that allowed performers to play off of current events started gaining popularity.

Bob Hope, in particular, was forced to come up with fresh material so he hired a team of writers to write jokes based off of the daily news, local gossip, and other things he and his friends were up to. This was a significant departure from the generic jokes audiences expected at the vaudeville shows and proved to be a hit.

A New Style of Stand-up

The style of stand-up comedy Hope helped master continued to headline popular entertainment before it became a core of many television shows like the Ed Sullivan Show. In the 1950s, however, a new group of stand-up comedians emerged who brought a new style to the table. Mort Sahl was one of the comedians who appeared onstage sitting on a stool with a newspaper and talked with the audience in a casual conversational tone. He didn’t deliver gag lines but commentary on popular culture, political leaders, and where he thought the country was headed that were intended to make people laugh while questioning how ridiculous it all seemed. The smart, politically dissenting comedy was a hit in many hip nightclubs and inspired a group of new comedians to adopt the style.

With this new style, comedy became a place for performers to confront various aspects of an uptight, conformist era and people started to take notice. Bob Newhart, Shelley Berman, Dick Gregory, and Woody Allen all used stand-up as a vehicle to point out real-world problems.

Rise of the Comedy Club

By the 1970s stand-up comedy was a strong voice for the younger generation looking to protest the Vietnam War. Comedy clubs started popping up across New York and Los Angeles to give younger comics a place to master their skills and build an audience. These comics would work everyday to develop a unique style and eventually a more intimate “observational style” of comedy more interested in the trials of everyday urban life and relationships began to take hold. These comics, like Richard Lewis, Freddie Prinze, and later Jerry Seinfeld, used this new style of comedy to reach comedy even further and connect with bigger audiences. 

Comedy clubs continued to pop up in smaller cities like Boston where comedians would find ways to take stand-up to another level.

Comedy in the Digital Age

The digital age has changed comedy by revolutionizing how comedians stay in touch with their audiences and creating a new avenue for content creation. The days of waiting for a show to see your favorite comedian are over with social media where they can post jokes on a weekly or daily basis to keep fans engaged. Popular comedians in the social media age include Jeff Arcuri, Andrew Schulz, Nikki Glasser, and Stavros Halkias.

Stand-up Comedy Today

Stand-up comedy is one of the most popular forms of entertainment for people of all ages today. There are considerably more ways to consume jokes from the most popular comedians than in the late 19th century with numerous comedians, performance venues, comedy specials, and other platforms available. Stand-up will always be evolving with more voices and modern trends but the goal to make people laugh remains the same. 

Check out the Comedy Connection Boston Show Schedule to see if there’s an upcoming show for you!