No Show Tonight

There are so many reasons why a show gets canceled… 

- Low reservations
- Poor ticket sales
- No audience 
- Weather
- Act of Thor 

And although many comics have badge-of-honor stories about performing for two people on a comedy club late night show, or for five people in a back room bar, that’s not the ideal for anyone, comics, the venue, or the audience.

Generally, comedians all want the same thing: a packed house, a hot audience, and to be paid upon arrival. (Hanging around after the show waiting to get paid is not horrible, but it can be stressful. But that’s a story for another time.)

But like comedy, canceling a show is all about the timing. The worst time: on-site, after you’ve been traveling since o-dark-30, on connecting flights, driving a rental car through a snow storm on unfamiliar, dimly lit roads. The best time: getting the cancel call before you even leave your house. And that’s what happened tonight. A show I was looking forward to for the comedy and the camaraderie got cancelled. It’s the holidays. It happens.

So there is a small (okay not so small) part of me that is relieved. I didn’t have to leave my house, slog through traffic, or search and possibly pay for parking. I love doing standup. I love working with cool comics. But I also love taking a step back from the hustle and bustle. Sometimes, a night off is what I need to recalibrate my tenuous equanimity. 

If I anybody needs me, I’ll be home starting a load of laundry and watching my favorite holiday movie, Office Christmas Party.