It's highly dependent on the relationship between the audience and the comedian. Comedy sounds like fun work. It is work. Much of it is developing and practicing the skills. A good portion of what a comedian does is planned, but a comedian is also good at improvising by having material prepared to use if it is needed.
Comedy is a tough business and it's a tough job.
I can work at a pace that I feel is comfortable and do it enough to keep my skills honed. I don't work a lot because it doesn't seem appropriate for the director of DCR to be in bars doing comedy. I've been very fortunate in that I've worked with Stevie Wonder, Sinbad and Aretha Franklin. I was the opening act for Ray Charles at Assembly Hall. It's another experience.