Patrick Page's Book of Visual Comedy - Review

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Patrick Page's Book of Visual Comedy - Review

Postby JustCraig » Jun 22nd, '13, 12:17



Name

Patrick Page's Book of Visual Comedy


Author:

Patrick Page – Illustrated by Max Morpurgo

Price:

£15 from the Patrick Page Website

Date:

Published in 2005

Pages:

123 Pages

Contents

The Advertisement Blurb


The Book of Visual Comedy is an invaluable resource for entertainers of every description: Comedians, magicians, clowns, speakers, variety entertainers, M.C.’s; performers of all kinds will find fantastic, time-tested material between the covers of this book.

Not only does the book provide a wealth of laugh-making material, it details the essential reasons as to why and how expressive gags are funny and “play” so well. You’ll learn dozens of funny situations, stunts and expressions that will have them rolling in the aisles. No special props or devices are required. For the most part, these gut-busters can be performed at the drop of a hat, on a moment’s notice.

Patrick Page was an entertainer with over 50 years of experience, having worked as a magician, comedian, writer and producer. Over the course of his career, Patrick Page created and collected material of every description for countless performances, on television, for private performances and stages the world over.

Even if you’re an aspiring entertainer, or just want to have fun at an after-dinner or social event, the Book of Visual Comedy was written for you. The material inside is of a professional calibre, yet suitable for anyone. And best of all, it’s easy to learn. Dozens of charming illustrations by Max Morpurgo make every nuance easy to understand.

This book can serve as a source of inspiration for developing your own hilarious act, or as a jumping-off point for creating an amusing, thrilling moment or two of light-hearted fun.

Out of 10:

8/10

Comments

The book contains 4 visual comedy bits every two pages – the cartoon illustration on the left – the text (which is no more than a few lines) is on the right. This format is broken up every few pages with an essay that covers most aspects of visual comedy from a performers perspective.

There are probably about 150 plus gags in the book (if not more, I tried to count them but kept getting distracted) and 10 essays so plenty to get your teeth into.

I purchased this book as part of a large job lot and this, along with another comedy book, was the reason I bought it. When I first received the book, I had a quick flick through and at first I was a little disappointed, mainly because a lot of the material is as old as the hills and are things that I have already seen or in many cases, things that my father used to do when I was a kid to amuse us.

Despite this I decided to give it a chance and had a thorough read through and by the time I had reached the end I had been converted.

I have found myself using some of the “bits” while I have been out and about on a night out, at work and to amuse the kids. Most of them are just silly bits of nonsense, but in the right situation, if you pull them from nowhere, they just seem to work and manage to raise a giggle.

Whether it would be of value to a professional performer or not I guess would depend on your performing style. I imagine that Children’s entertainers will benefit from a lot of the material in here and anyone who can slapstick into their act, but I have no doubt that if the humble hobbyist can put it to use in his day to day life, then there is bound to be something in there for the comedy pro.

JustCraig
Full Member
 
Posts: 64
Joined: Jan 21st, '13, 23:47

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