There are so many different styles of comedy and everyone has their own, at least the ones that stand out do. You have the standard monologists that stand with a microphone and use words to craft their humor, musical type acts that either use instruments or sing and have musical accompaniment, prop acts that use visual aids to make the crowds laugh and improvisational acts that do comedy off the cuff. They are all great in their respective ways and I will not begin to categorize each and every style here. I will simply go through many stage performing comics and state why they are my favorites and then try to put it in a Top 10 list. There may even be some on here that you never heard of....yet! But that doesn't mean that they aren't amazingly funny. It just means that they aren't a household name. There are thousands of great comedians out there performing all the time on the world stage that haven't been discovered yet and just because you are great, it does not preclude that you will be a star. So here we go:
Robin Williams is a terrific example of comedy that has no boundaries. High energy and uninhibited with a flair for the dramatic and with a good percentage of improvisation thrown in.
Jerry Seinfeld is a monologist that uses very well crafted words and sentences in observations on topics that everyone can relate to. Nothing comes out of his mouth that isn't carefully thought out beforehand.
Richard Pryor was one of a kind when it came to stand up. You never knew what he was going to say but you knew sure as hell that it was going to be delivered in his irreverent style and that you were gonna laugh your ass off!
George Carlin is the best of both worlds. He is a monologist, a wordsmith and his facial expressions are to die for. He is very animated in his approach and you can't help but get caught up in the show.
Brian Regan also fits the same style of monology with animated goofy facial expressions. His material is all very relatable and makes him one of the most enjoyable acts working the circuit today.
Howie Mandel is one of the best ad-libers in the business today. His wit and likability is flawless and when he first appeared on the scene in the late 70's would sometimes work in props to add to the experience.
The Amazing Jonathan, like Howie, uses the audience to make a 'no two shows the same' kind of atmosphere. He uses props as aids and sort of does magic in a unique way.
Steven Wright has a classic style. He uses well thought out and creative observational humor and puts it all in a very deadpan and deliberate delivery with his very own slant on things. I remember working with Steve at the old Improv in NYC. He was about to go on and looked very introspective and I asked him if he was okay. He looked up and in his low key voice said, "I'm very hyper." He kills me.
Bill Cosby is the classic storyteller. No one can deliver them like he does. The best thing is that no matter how long the story is, you never get bored listening to him tell it. Great style and many have been influenced by him over the years.
Victor Borge was definitely a master musical comedian. He started as a classical pianist, who later evolved into a consumate comedian. Known as 'The Great Dane', he surely was and is terribly missed.
Otto and George is a Triple X rated ventriloquist that is very dirty and hysterically funny. He is one of a kind and one act that I absolutely love to watch when I am off and can get to a show. He makes me hurt from laughter. You never know what Otto is going to make George say.
Sam Kinison was a comedian with a very irreverent style as Pryor was. You never knew what topic he was going to rant about but you knew he was going to attack it with full force. A great, loud and funny stage persona.
Jay Leno is a fantastic monologist. Don't go by what you see on The Tonight Show either because that is written material that has to be put together quickly by a staff of writers all of the time. Go see his live show and you will see the real Jay Leno. Like Seinfeld, he uses carefully crafted words to construct a very visual image for the audience to imagine.
Abbott & Costello were one of the best comedy teams of all time. As I mentioned in other articles, they had the unique ability to mix cerebral material and slapstick together as one and present it in one of the most enjoyable presentations you could ever see.
Don Rickels is a great crowd working comedian that uses the audience for his humor. He breaks down all stereotypes and barriers and makes people realize that in the end we are the same. And even though his stage persona may come across as insulting in a comedy way, you know that in his soul he is sweet, genuine and a very nice man. He is all of those things.
Martin & Lewis were a great comedy team that mixed slapstick with music. Dean had a great, warm and loving personality on stage and Jerry was the hyper wild kid that might do just about anything for the laugh. They were the show to see in the 50's and well worth any price of admission.
For my honorable mentions I would love to list Steve Martin, Jack Benny, Henny Youngman, Jim Carrey, Monty Python, Burns & Allen, Red Skelton, Bob Nelson, Eddie Murphy, Dom Irerra, Richard Jeni, Ellen DeGeneres, Bob Hope, Pudgie, Buddy Hackett, Pat Cooper, Danny Kaye, Woody Allen, Mel Brooks & Carl Reiner, Jackie Mason, Jeff Dunham, The Great Ballantine, Lisa Lampanelli, Mario Cantone, Rosie O'Donnell, Senor Wences, Foster Brooks, George Wallace, Lewis Black, Bobby Collins, Burns & Schreiber, Phyllis Diller, Patti Rosborough, Greg Hahn, Alan Stephen, Dennis Blair, Carrot Top, Pee Wee Herman (Paul Reubens), Jackie Vernon, Charlie Callas, Larry David, Nick Di Paolo, Denis Leary and Allen & Rossi.
So here we go:
My Top 10 List Of Favorite Stage Comedians
1. Abbott & Costello
2. Martin & Lewis
3. Robin Williams
4. Otto & George
5. Richard Pryor
6. George Carlin
7. Bill Cosby
8. Howie Mandel
9. The Amazing Jonathan
10. Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno & Brian Regan (Tied for 10th)
That's it for my Favorites List. Believe me, that was difficult for me to do. Being a comedian myself for so long it is obvious that I have been heavily influenced by the genre and there is just so many acts that I have loved to watch in my life. For me to mention them all would take entirely too long. If you have any favorites that I haven't mentioned, let me know because I might have forgotten a few myself. Once again, thanks for reading, from THE COMEDY TORNADO!!
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