A priest, a minister and a rabbi walked into a bar…

Comedy – it’s all in the timing – well, timing and a few other things. Pat Fraley was the opening act – presentation – of VOICE 2010 and set the standard. He outlined “Eight Common Elements to Comedy” and then set out to challenge a few folks from the audience to be funny.

But first he called on a volunteer – specifically a male – tall – uh, say 6’7″ – oh and Jewish – and suprised the group with Brad Garrett who had positioned himself in the back of the room.

And from there the laughs grew. Pat and Brad are both naturally funny, but insist comedy can be taught – if you understand what it is all about and your role. Are you the straight man? Then don’t “wink!”

Here is the list of those 8 common elements of comedy from Pat’s presentation.

  • Pain
  • Pride
  • Deception
  • Misunderstanding
  • Contrast
  • Exaggeration
  • Parody
  • Inappropriate

So, what’s the punchline to the lead line? The bartender says, “What is this, some kind of joke?”