Oh, boy. You’re here because your significant other dragged you to an improv show, and you don’t get it, right? I’m sorry, friend. I hope you had an enjoyable experience, even if it wasn’t the funniest thing you’ve ever seen. I have some theories on why improv is funny.
Honestly, Honesty is Funny.
About ten years ago, I was working as a Senior Experience Coordinator for LivingSocial. Basically, I took adults on field trips to things like shooting ranges, trapeze classes, ski trips, and wineries. Until my wife and I opened our first theater, it was the best job I’d ever had. I don’t mean to brag, but the guests—by and large—loved me. And I think it was mostly because I teased them when they were being dumb and honestly pointed out their hilariously dumb comments. By way of example, we were going to Indiana to take a river raft trip down the Tippecanoe River. One guest asked me if there were fish in the river. After obligatorily responding, “Fish? No. Sharks? Yes,” I gave her about a minute of grief about the question. Unless there was a negative review I never heard about, she had an amazing time laughing along about the absurdity of her question.
In an improv scene, we get to be honest. If a scene partner asks if that dress looks good, in reality, I’d almost certainly say, “Yes.” In improv, you have permission—no encouragement—to say, “No. It looked much better on the mannequin, but only because she has a much better figure than you do.”
The Possibility of Failure.
A bigger and—I think—more accurate reason that improv is funny is similar to why watching a tightrope walker or a NASCAR race or a live TV show is entertaining. There is a chance that the walker might fall. That the cars might crash. That Norm Macdonald might let a swear word slip.
In improv, there are no safety nets. The performers are giving the audience everything they’ve got in real time. There are no second takes, no flattering angles, and no ADR. It’s thrilling, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s impressive when it’s done right. People laugh for many reasons. Finding something funny is just one of those reasons. Laughter is a largely social habit, which is why you might not laugh at a comedy by yourself, yet be obnoxiously snorting at that same comedy in a packed theater. It’s also largely why improv is much better experienced in person.
Maybe it wasn’t Supposed to be Funny.
Improv is not always supposed to be funny. It’s easy to get a laugh, in my opinion. It’s much harder to move an audience to tears or to make them think about a hot topic in a different way. That’s why Second City and Saturday Night Live have stayed relevant for so long. Because they know how to do it, and they know how to do it well. So, don’t go into every improv set thinking that you’re going to see something you’re not. Heck, even within improv, there are sets that are more jokes-per-minute, and sets that are more of a slow burn. Improv is a spontaneous artistic expression, usually prompted by an audience suggestion. There’s no mention of comedy in that definition. Meet the show you’re watching where it wants to be met, and keep an open mind.
I Know it When I See It.
Honestly, if you’re here because you googled, “Why is improv funny?” you should just get back to work. I once googled, “Do strawberries and peanut butter taste good together?” and it was the low point of my life.
The folks who try to make improv into a science and dissect every scene for nuance are missing the point of improv. It’s supposed to be loose. It’s supposed to be fun. I was once in a class with another student who was trying to “solve” improv by trying to boil it down to an equation, and it was the most annoying improv moment I’ve ever experienced. If improv isn’t your thing, that’s completely okay. But please don’t ruin it for the rest of it, Biff.
See? Honesty is funny!