ESL Podcast 242 - The Comedy Club
sketch comedy - several short, funny scenes (acts) by a group of actors and comedians
Saturday Night Live is a TV show that is famous for its sketch comedy.
stand-up - a type of comedy where one comedian speaks informally and talks directly to the audience, usually from a stage
The stand-up comedian was so bad that the audience started throwing food at him!
rowdy - noisy and disorderly; not calm
When the teacher left the room, his students became rowdy and didn't do their work.
box office window - the place where tickets are sold for concerts, the theater, and other performances
After we waited in line for more than two hours, the woman at the box office window told us that there weren't any more tickets!
cover charge - the amount of money that must be paid to enter a club, bar, or event for an evening
This bar has the best music in town, but the $9 cover charge is too expensive for us, so we usually go somewhere else.
two-drink minimum - each person must buy at least two drinks to stay at the club, bar, or event
There is a two-drink minimum at that bar, but fortunately, the drinks aren't very expensive.
opening act - the first entertainment at a show or concert, before the main performer
Felipe said that the band that played in the opening act was better than the main act.
comic - someone whose job is to make people laugh
Valerie's favorite comic will be in town and performing this Saturday.
joke - a short and funny story that makes people laugh
Cynthia is very bad at telling jokes because she always forgets the punch line.
to fall flat - to not be successful; to not do what something was meant to do, such as when a joke doesn't make people laugh
The salesman's presentation fell flat, and no one bought his product.
to boo - to shout "boo" in a loud voice to show that one does not like a performer
When the audience started to boo, the actress was shocked and began to cry.
MC - Master of Ceremonies; the person who introduces performers or speakers at an event
The MC was horrible! He forgot the names of most of the performers he was supposed to introduce.
heckler - someone who makes loud, rude noises to interrupt a performance or speech
It was difficult to hear the speech because there were loud hecklers sitting in the back of the theater. The manager finally asked them to leave.
to do the trick - to do what something was meant to do; to be successful
I had a horrible headache, but a glass of water and some aspirin did the trick.
to cheer - to shout loudly to show that one likes a performer
Gabriel cheered so much at the basketball game yesterday that today, he can't even speak.
improv - improvisation; words or music that are created while the performer is performing, and not planned earlier
All of Johanna's work is improv. Every time she's on the stage, it's a different performance.
to roll in the aisles - to laugh a lot
They said that the comic was so funny that they were rolling in the aisles all evening.