"A clown must be in action and reaction." -- Bill "Pinky" Greene
"The reaction is the best part of comedy. The action might be funny, but the reaction is funnier." -- Harry Shearer
I attended a one-day workshop by the Klassic Klowns, an amateur clown club in Southern California, in March 1974. That was the start of my clown career. I joined the club that day and made my first appearance as Charlie in a parade in May 1974. Bill "Pinky" Greene was one of the instructors that day, and his statement about action and reaction formed the foundation of my clowning. I am grateful for all of the instruction I received that day because it got me started in the right direction and I avoided many mistakes made by inexperienced clowns.
The character's reaction is the key to comedy. Humor is not what happens to the character. It is how the character reacts to what happens. Duane Laflin and I both perform a magic effect known as the Silk Fountain or Silk Cascade. In this effect the performer is holding a small handful of scarves when suddenly one scarf after another pops up from the center of the bundle of scarves. It creates a very beautiful image. Even though we perform the exact same magic effect the audience response is different. When Duane performs it the audience applauds. When I perform it the audience laughs. Our reaction to the effect causes the difference in response.
When Duane performs it, his reaction is pride and joy at being able to share something so beautiful with his audience. When I perform it, my reaction is surprise and amazement. Duane presents it as something he has caused to happen through his magic powers. He does it quickly and smoothly. He gestures dramatically while it happens and sweeps the hand holding the scarves around to display them to each section of the audience. I present it as something that happens to me and I have no idea what is causing it. I do it slowly. I move the hand holding the scarves as little as possible so there is less of an indication that I am doing anything to make it happen. As the scarves begin to appear, I scratch my head. I look around to see if somebody or something near me may be causing the magic to happen. I look at the audience and give a little shrug. I sigh with impatience waiting for the scarves to stop appearing. Sometimes I finger my collar because I am nervous about what will happen next. My actions are a little different in each performance because I am also reacting to the audience.
I vary my reactions based on audience response. If they laugh when I act nervous, I continue to act nervous. If they laugh when I look to see what is causing the magic, I continue looking around for the cause. At a recent performance some of the kids began predicting the color of the next scarf to appear. I reacted to them and whether their predictions were correct. I don't think ahead or do a series of prepared reactions. I react in the way that seems most appropriate at the time. Entertainers refer to this as "being in the moment." Reacting to what is currently happening is what keeps my act fresh for me and my audience. I have performed the Silk Fountain hundreds of times, but it is still one of my favorites.
Sometimes people promote "simple" magic effects as being "comedy" magic, especially when pitching products to clowns. However, simple doesn't necessarily mean funny. Some of the magic that I do is considered technically difficult. It is not sold as "comedy" magic. The comedy comes from my character's reaction, not from the magic prop.
Reacting requires that you slow down and not rush a performance. I recently watched a DVD of the 1973 film version of "The Three Musketeers". The bonus extras included an interview with Raquel Welch, one of the film's stars. This was her first comedy role. She said she kept doing large "oh" and "ah" reactions to what happened, but Richard Lester, the director, told her to slow down and do less when she reacted. That is known as "under playing it." If you over react it can seem phony as if you are simply being silly. If you pause and do less it seems more realistic. It creates the illusion that your character is alive because they are thinking. It allows the audience to imagine what you are thinking which is often funnier than what you are actually thinking. Watch performances by Jack Benny and the cast of the Burns and Allen television show to see how under played reactions add to the humor of a situation.
How can you pace a performance to give your character time to react? How does your character react to circumstances? How can you use reaction as a technique to turn a dramatic effect into a comedy effect? How can you practice "being in the moment" when you perform? How can you incorporate "under playing" as a comedy device?
