I am a storyteller. It’s kinda my thing. I perform in a lot of storytelling shows. And I go to a lot of storytelling shows. And I love storytelling.
But I also love stand-up comedy. I go to a lot of comedy shows. I watch a lot of comedy specials. But when I perform in a one-hour special, it’s called a storytelling special, not a comedy special, even if it’s funny. I am not a comedian. I am a storyteller.
I have to say, though, lately, that line between comedian and storyteller is getting a wee bit blurry. I saw something on Netflix (yes, lines between things I watch on Netflix are blurry too) recently with Jerry Seinfeld – he may have been getting coffee – where he was lamenting the fact that you can’t just stand up and tell jokes anymore. People want you to share stories – personal stories. And I thought well, if it’s even getting to Mr. Seinfeld, this must be a serious trend.
Storytelling in comedy certainly isn’t new. I’d date the trend back to Julia Sweeney’s 1998 one woman show “God Said Ha!” If you have not watched it, please do. It is a wonderful storytelling show, starring a fabulous comedian (best known for her many years on SNL). It IS a storytelling show, even though you won’t find that word used in it’s promotional blurbs. Storytelling was still a bit too underground at the time.
Mike Birbiglia changed that for the comedy world, and the rest of us, with the success of his 2008 one man show “Sleepwalk with Me,” published as a comedy special in 2011, and later turned into a movie of the same name. I loved all of the versions but do check out the comedy album if you get a chance. Mike Birbiglia is a very funny storyteller who happens to get booked for his comedy. I would say the continued blurring of the lines between comedy and storytelling sits firmly on his shoulders.
Recently we’ve seen storytelling all over comedy specials. Take a comedian like John Mulaney. His shows might not have one single storyline, but they contain a lot of short stories, each with its own arc, and its own punchline. Hasan Minhaj’s comedy special – “Homecoming King” – is a terrific example of this blended art. His special had smaller stories building up and supporting a larger, overarching storyline. It was a great comedy special but, more specifically, it was a great storytelling show. And finally,
there’s Hannah Gadsby’s “Nanette,” which disintegrates from a comedy special into a storytelling show right before the audience’s eyes.
But what might be a sad new reality for old school comedians like Jerry Seinfeld, looks like a great new way forward for funny storytellers. Here’s the thing, comedians get paid better, have larger audiences, and end up with a lot of specials on Netflix and other channels. Maybe the popularity of storytelling in comedy ain’t such a terrible thing for us storytellers, at least the ones who use a lot of humor.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but next time I am touring with a new storytelling show, I’ll be inviting you to my comedy special. It might be a funny storytelling show, but then, aren’t most comedy specials these days?
Jessica Robinson, Storyteller, Comedian
Watch some of my funny, and not-so-funny, stories here.
