As a woman of many talents, Madonna’s decided she needs to have a go at stand-up comedy as well. Is there anything that this woman can’t do?
On The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, she delivered an impromptu (yeah, right) performance that’s had people wondering if she’s a secret funny woman after all.
On one hand, it’s easy to look at Madonna’s performance as nervous and unrehearsed. She’s come under some criticism since the show aired for uhm-ing and ahh-ing her way through many of the jokes.
On the other, there’s no way this was a spur-of-the-moment act. No way in hell. It’s impossible that a woman with such a long and successful career is ever going to be that nervous on stage. It’s a very self-aware routine – “please don’t pull me off, I have more jokes” – that’s almost deliberately awkward in places.
So what’s the real comedy in Madonna’s act? Is it the jokes themselves, or is it the fake hesitation and Evita-level acting?
I for one think this was a masterpiece in misdirecting an audience with uncomfortable silences and awkward moments. We saw Aine Gallagher do pretty much the same thing to riotous applause during the 2014 Funny Women Awards and she finished in second place. If we see any more comedy from Madonna, maybe we should invite her to give the Funny Women Awards a go…
