棟篤笑 Stand-up comedy - Introduction

Stand-up comedy is a style of comedy where the performer speaks directly to the audience, with the absence of the theatrical fourth wall. A person who performs stand-up comedy is known as a stand-up comic, stand-up comedian or more informally stand up. It is usually performed by a single comedian, with the aid of a hand-held microphone.

The comedian usually recites a fast-paced succession of humorous stories, short jokes (called "bits"), and one-liners, which comprise what is typically called a monologue, routine or act. Some stand-up comedians use props, music or magic tricks to enhance their acts.

Stand-up comedy is often performed in comedy clubs, bars, colleges and theaters. However, there is no real restriction on where the craft can be performed. Many smaller venues hold "open mic" events, where amateur comedians perform comedy before a live audience, offering a way for such performers to hone their craft and possibly break into the business.

In North America, many comedy clubs feature the now-iconic brick wall as the backdrop for stand-up performances.

Many stand-up routines are similar to one-man shows, with the main difference being the expectations of the audience, who, in the case of stand-up, expect a relatively steady stream of "laughs". This in turn affects the aims of the performer, who is under great pressure to deliver those laughs. If the performer cannot coax laughs out of the crowd, sometimes the crowd will poke fun at the comedian, a practice known as heckling.

Stand-up comedy is difficult to master partly because the performer is at the mercy of the audience, which is an integral element of the act. An adept stand-up comedian must nimbly play off the mood and tastes of any particular audience, and adjust his or her routine accordingly.

Stand-up is an art form that is openly devoted to getting laughs from an audience above all else (unlike theatrical comedy, which creates comedy within the structure of a play and with character and situation). The skills attributed to stand-up are diverse; it is often necessary for a stand-up comic to simultaneously assume the roles of a writer, editor, performer, promoter, producer and technician.

One hallmark of a master stand-up comedian is the ability to not only face down a "heckler", but win over and entertain the rest of the crowd with a witty retort. Many stand-up comedians work for years to develop 45 minutes of material, and usually perform their bits repeatedly, slowly perfecting them over time. Actor-comedian Will Ferrell has called stand-up comedy hard, lonely and vicious.

棟篤笑即英文的「stand-up comedy」，港人黃子華於1990年從西方引進入華人社會的新表演藝術。但當時中文並沒有「stand-up comedy」的任何譯名，最後黃子華改之成棟篤笑。而林海峰在其表演則稱之為是但噏，兩者皆為英文「stand-up」的譯名（前者意譯、後者音譯）。據黃子華說是但噏是由俞琤改的。

在香港，最早以類似形式表演而知名的是許冠文及黃韻詩；但首先將之以單一節目表演（超過兩小時）的是黃子華。黃子華為香港棟篤笑祖師，並親手帶領棟篤笑二號人物張達明進入「棟篤舞台」。棟篤笑經過十多年發展，漸漸廣為香港普遍觀眾所認識和接受。除此之外，著名舞台劇演員詹瑞文亦創立「形體棟篤笑」，在2005年，更有許冠文和林海峰加入棟篤笑表演行列，希望打入在這新市場中。繼二人之後，2008年森美亦打算打入市場。現在，香港的棟篤笑文化已經開始步向多元發展，而棟篤笑的表演模式也開始慢慢地被中國大陸部分人（尤其是年輕一輩，會說廣東話的尤甚）所認識。

有人認為，棟篤笑對中國來說不是一種新的表演方式，而只是「單口相聲」。雖然這樣理解或者分析並無不妥，可是相聲和棟篤笑在側重點跟表達手法上略有不同，「單人相聲」著重惹笑的效果而「棟篤笑」較側重內容深度。現在香港流行的單人舞台講話表演源于北美的 stand-up comedy，還是被稱為棟篤笑比較恰當。