Totally Random Observation: Why Do Stand-Up Comedians Stand?

Totally random observation: Why must a comedian stand up in order to be funny and/or hold the attention of an audience? How did the term “stand-up comedy” come to be?

 

Other entertainment professions don’t have a physical description: There’s no “sit-down acting” or “lay-down singing." (Or would it be “lie-down singing”? I always forget the grammatically correct form of "lie" vs. "lay.")

Maybe the term “stand-up comedy” originated from logistical issues presented by the nightclubs where comedians perform. Maybe these small venues are laid out in such a way that people sitting in the back can’t see a performer if he or she is sitting down, so comedians tend to stand so that everyone can see them.

But this can’t be the case. There are plenty of singers and musicians who perform in nightclubs and sit on stools while they strum guitars, tinkle piano keys, bang on drums, etc. So why are comedians forced to stand?

Maybe it has to do with some kind of show-business tradition that began ages ago – standing up to greet an audience while addressing them is a sign of respect? Or, maybe a comedian feels more in control if he or she is standing up and, therefore, has less chance of bombing?

Maybe “stand-up comedy” is related to some kind of subliminal sales pitch. Many professions that involve in-person sales require workers to stand – retail stores, restaurants, car lots (before the car sales rep gets to the end, when they make customers sit down and sign their lives away on endless reams of paper). A comedian is, after all, selling jokes.

Would a gifted comedian be any less funny if he or she chose to sit? Surely a comedian who happened to have a disability and had to use a wheelchair, or simply couldn’t stand for long periods of time, wouldn’t have trouble winning over a crowd if his or her jokes were truly hilarious?