Seven small words

"This isn't going very well, is it?"

Seven small words which can bring forth the end of a comedy set faster than any others.

However badly the set was going before those words were said, saying them will inevitably make it worse.

Because before those words were said the audience may well have been unconvinced about the set but afterwards the audience knows the comedian isn't convinced either. And since comedy is about confidence the revelation that the comedian isn't confident in the show removes any confidence the audience might have in it. In other words, it kills the set dead.

Of course, I can see how a comedian might be tempted to say it.

If the laughs are a little hollow and a little smattered around the room at the start, it must be tempting to acknowledge it, if only as a defense mechanism. The problem is that acknowledging it assumes that the lack of laughs is related to the funniness of the set when, in fact, there may be loads of other reasons for a slow start. The audience might still be digesting the previous set (if there was one) and adjusting to a new style, they may be assuming the initial jokes are building to a bigger pay-off and be pacing themselves (it happens), or they may just be waiting for some material which strikes a particular cord with them. A slow start can precede a staggeringly brilliant gig but a slow start followed by those seven small words will probably precede a sharp exit.

In a weird sort of way, by adding the 'is it?" comedians are also acknowledging the audience's role in the success, or failure, of the show. In a nod to the audience's capacity to create a good atmosphere for comedy (see You can make comedy funnier) the "is it?" suggests that if we can agree the show's not going well, we can do something about it. It's an appeal to the audience for help.

The trouble is that it inevitably tends to be said in the early part of the gig before the audience has had a chance to invest in the comic or the set. And since those words simultaneously suggest that the set's not going to get any better, the audience is going to feel even less inclined to help out. That's why, after those seven small words, the end is often nigh.

Because while I've heard comedians say "This isn't going very well, is it?" during a gig, I've never heard anyone shout back "Yes it is!"