What's so particular about stand-up comedy?

The performance of stand-up crosstalk has its own characteristics. Compared with cross talk, generally speaking, the use of the third person in narration is closer to the art of storytelling; The form of stage modeling is changeable, and performers need to go in and out of various roles constantly, and they can't lose their true colors as commentators; Speech is the main method of expression, or narration or discussion, or publicity or suppression, all depends on the actor's personal skills and stage experience. Therefore, the performance of stand-up crosstalk is more complicated and delicate, and the difficulty can be imagined.

When it comes to attention, performers don't have to stick to it. In the past, some people did prescribe certain things, but most of them were artificial, which did not have a positive effect on stage art, but only proved that the actors were "famous teachers" or "authentic" to some extent. This tendency that the form is greater than the connotation actually limits the performance of crosstalk performers, and Mr. Wang's famous book Rules has incisive criticism on this.

Of course, as a part of culture, these "exquisiteness" that have been praised by many artists of the older generation can also be used for your reference. Here are some brief introductions:

First, if there is no special need for actors, they are all behind the table (if there is a table). Sitting posture is the main form, and traditional long stand-up comedy is often used. Because the actors' props, such as folding fans, handkerchiefs, eye-catching and so on, are all placed on the table, so it is only convenient to use when sitting on the table. But some actors stand behind the table or don't use the table at all, especially performing some short stories. Now we see some stand-up comic videos of Mr. Ma standing behind the desk. It is conceivable that most of the actors in the early cross talk performances were street performers, and it was impossible to perform cross talk without a table.

Second, the poem about Dingtian. Fixed-field poetry is a common technique in storytelling performance, with the purpose of "opening the door to declare righteousness and gathering people to gather gas". This method can also be used for reference in stand-up crosstalk performances and in long traditional works. However, this form of performance must be combined with the atmosphere of the scene to play a role. If the atmosphere is warm and you want to pursue a hot effect, the fixed poem can be short and concise, with paragraphs (such as "two monks taking a bath"). If the atmosphere is dull and the work itself is lengthy, there is no need to include the burden in a fixed poem (such as "Lost the halberd and Lost the Sand"). Of course, in modern works, the role of fixed-field poetry is not great, and it must not be imposed when performing, so as not to appear nondescript. In short, form should serve the content and must not be inverted.

Third, the rules of performance, in the past, some actors were very particular. The representative is Mr. Wang Changyou, the older generation artist of Beijing Quyi Troupe. It is said that Mr. Wang used to draw lessons from the stage form of Peking Opera performance and formulated a series of action specifications for crosstalk performances, including when to wear sleeves, when to take a fan, how to take a handkerchief, what instruments to represent when the fan is opened, and so on. , can be described as rules and regulations. However, this formalistic pursuit is obviously incompatible with the flexible artistic style of cross talk, so these rules are little known now. If we look at the performance videos of Mr. Wang Changyou and his disciple Mr. Zhao Zhenduo, we may find their efforts in this respect.

The main reason why crosstalk can live to this day is that its form has always been combined with its content, or that it has always served its content faithfully. Crosstalk must not say "death". Look at famous stand-up artists such as,, Ma, etc. They have different styles and different forms of performance. Even a person can show different artistic characteristics. The application of various forms actually comes from a lot of stage practice and experience summary, which is bound to condense the crystallization of artists' re-creation. The rules themselves, if divorced from artistic practice, will undoubtedly move towards rigid shackles, which is by no means what artists pursue.

Friends who ask questions, I'm sorry I said too much. Some of my comments are really not directed at you. I hope you can understand and forgive, and I hope these contents can be used for your reference.

By the way, if you are in Beijing, you can go to the Chongwen District Cultural Center to watch the performance of the Crosstalk Club. Many actors are members of Beijing Quyi Troupe, including Mr. Cui Qi. Teacher Cui is a senior scholar who studies the traditional culture of crosstalk. He has an in-depth study of traditional forms of cross talk, and he may give you more and better information.

Thank you again for your understanding. Welcome to correct me.