Adam had a very slow delivery. He would read his cue card to himself, think about how he wanted to deliver the line, then say it aloud. You could see that process occur in his head before he would speak. It didn't kill the sketches, but it did noticeably throw the timing off.
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle