"As a kid, I loved Mad Libs. Nothing was funnier to me than hearing a straightforward sentence with unexpected words in it. “I had to take my
TURTLE to the
CIRCUS because he was
GOOEY.”
That was the height of comedy to 3rd grade Howard. And frankly, it still is.
Not to be all “the definition of comedy is…” but that’s kind of the definition of comedy, right? An unusual variable placed in a usual situation. Things that don’t go together. When something straightforward takes a turn.
But what I’ve learned more and more doing improv is just how important that starting sentence is, the one with the blanks. It’s the base reality. The words we put in the blanks aren’t funny on their own, the magic only happens when we pair them with the grounded sentence.
So start by focusing on a grounded sentence. We need to know we’re on a train before we can take it off the rails. Clarity is key. Make it clear. Make it believable. Then make it funny.
We have to know who people are to each other. We should try to know where they are, how they’re feeling, what they want. Establish reality first. The funny will come. An unexpected discovery will be made. Something strange will happen. You and your funny teammates will make sure that things get heightened, exaggerated, or twisted. But none of that can happen without a clear, grounded foundation.
Start with the sentence, then add the funny nouns and adjectives. The words we use to fill in the blanks will get the laughs, but it will only be possible if the sentence is clear and JIGGLY."
