If you really want to study a comedy master who has a very wide range when it comes to delivering a stand-up comedy act on a high level, you may want to check out comedian Craig Shoemaker.(#ad)
Craig Shoemaker first grabbed my attention very early in my comedy career when at the time I was watching A&E’s Evening At The Improv, trying to figure out how to develop and deliver a stand-up comedy act myself in the early 90’s.
Well, I got the chance to watch Craig’s stand-up comedy special called Daditude and I have to say that it wasn’t just hilarious, but but from a professional stand-up comedy aspect it also had these noteworthy characteristics:
Very tight stand-up comedy material. You’ll be hard pressed to find other comedians that can deliver a tighter set for over an hour. By that I mean the punchline frequency ranges from 8-12 for virtually ever minute of his performance.
This is particularly significant since a great deal of Craig’s stand-up comedy material is story based. So, if you want to know how story based stand-up comedy is delivered at the highest level, comedian Craig Shoemaker is one of the comedians to study.
I can also tell you from experience that Craig averaged over 24+ seconds of laughter for his entire set in Daditude.
Impeccable timing. Craig talks fast, faster than comedians. However, you won’t see him running over laughs. He knows just how long to pause between laughs to get the maximum laughter response.
Selective use of profanity. You simply won’t find excessive amounts of profanity in comedian Craig Shoemaker’s act, giving his material that does contain profanity much higher impact.
This is not only refreshing, but makes him stand out among other comedians.
Side note: It’s not surprising that Craig also specializes in corporate comedy as well as providing more “adult” stand-up comedy material in comedy club venues.
Great use of killer impressions and natural characters. Besides delivering his signature “Love Master” character (which he has extensively developed and is hilarious), he also does spot on impressions of both new and old personalities without appearing dated.
Masterful use of innuendo and double entendres. While Craig certainly has a considerable amount of what I would consider clean comedy, he also has adult comedy material that is very skillfully delivered with awesome use of innuendo and double entendres.
In other words, it is simply not your typical graphic “adult” comedy that seems so prevalent today, which really makes Craig stand out.
This is particularly apparent when he launches into his famous “Love Master” character:
Let me leave you with this:
If I had to make a list of comedians to study when it comes how to deliver a masterful, high impact, story based, wide ranging and hilarious stand-up comedy routine, comedian Craig Shoemaker (#ad) would be on the top of that list.
Wow! Talk about tight and funny. His “less and two minutes Love Master” caused me to review my entire act to see where I can tighten. Absolutely fantastic!