As a stand-up came up on the stage

[Bassim]

I am wondering if my sentence sounds natural. I used just "a stand-up" instead of adding "comedian".

As a stand-up came up on the stage, illuminated by a single spotlight, the audience held its breath.

 

[GoesStation]

I'd write "stand-up comedian".

 

[andrewg927]

Your sentence doesn't sound natural. Robert was right though.

 

[probus]

In the right circles it's fine, Bassim, e.g, late night TV comedy shows and the entertainment world in general. Every attendee at the 'Academy Awards' would know what this means. A guy by the name of 'George Carlin' was one of the best stand-ups of all time.

The world in which RobertJ said it is fine is a pretty wide world: i.e. all those people who understand the culture of American late night television. For many of us, including me, that is a huge majority.

Therefore I would say that the OP's "a stand-up" sounds natural. I knew instantly what he meant, and I think that many many millions did too.

 

[andrewg927]

Even though the word stand-up is pretty universally understood as a stand-up comedian, it can still cause confusion among some people. For example, if someone said to me "he is one of the best stand-ups in the country", I would know exactly what he was referring to. But if someone pointed me to someone on the corner of the street and asked "do you see that stand-up?", my mind would not immediately go to a stand-up comedian. Part of it could be because our town rarely sees a celebrity if ever. The OP is okay but I still prefer "a stand-up comedian".