WHO would have thought that for only RM10, one could attend a limited capacity stand-up comedy show in the Klang Valley.
In the past six months, many urban dwellers in the area have been in relative isolation and practising social distancing, owing to the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic.
But now as restrictions have somewhat loosened up, some entertainment outlets like cinemas, live houses, and even comedy event venues have reopened their doors.
This, under strict guidelines and SOPs, of course, allows us to crawl out of the woodwork for some good-natured fun.
Admittedly, the pandemic which forced us to limit our movements to within the confines of our homes for months on end, has made 2020 far from ideal.
And with infections showing no end in sight and many feeling the pinch of unemployment, a lowly-priced standup show provides some comedic relief, even for a brief while.
On a rainy evening on September 10, The Line Up- A Stand-Up Comedy Exhibit took place at Sceni, a co-working space nestled in a shophouse area in Kelana Jaya, where four local stand-up comedians took to the stage.
Since this writer attended the show with his companion, the second ticket was discounted at half price, making it a wallet-friendly date at only RM15 for the both of us.
On the bill were Luwita Hana Randhawa, Arul Moli, Rina S., and Harresh A.U., all of whom are familiar faces in the local standup comedy scene, which numbers at roughly around 150 people.
Since this was a limited capacity event, only 30 seats (separated by a metre in distance) were available for the audience of the one-hour show.
No-holds barred
As the venue filled up at about 9pm, Luwita was first up, sharing jokes about her tendencies of being an introvert who saw the lockdown this year as a blessing.
For Luwita, the ‘new normal’ is not seen as something that was “so bad” and things “have always been bad”.
Minutes into her set, Luwita also covered a host of touchy subjects such as religion and sex – topics that were expressed in a no-holds-barred manner, and are unfit for print if described specifically.
Next up was Arul Moli, a towering figure of ethnic Indian descent and who orates in a nonchalant, poker face style. Arul shared bits and pieces of his life growing up in Klang, throwing various “Indian from Klang” stereotypes into the mix.
“Has anyone here tried Japanese matcha ice cream?” he asked the crowd, seeking a show of hands on who has sampled the dessert made of green tea.
“But has anyone here ever tried an Indian ‘macha’ ice cream?” he followed up in a suggestive tone, drawing laughter from the crowd.
When his 15 minutes were up, Arul was replaced by Rina S, who was clad in a red cardigan.
Of her barrage of jokes, one of them recounted a health scare involving a family member awaiting the results of a Covid-19 test.
“Alhamdulillah, it’s dengue,” one of her relatives said, in a very unlikely expression of relief.
“When else would we hear anyone else say that?” said Rina, who has been doing stand-up comedy for some three years.
Closing off the night was Harresh A.U., who, after the show, shared that it took him some eight months to draw his first laugh from a crowd.
Like Arul, Harresh also had an upbringing in Klang and shared his quirky experiences growing up as an Indian person in the port city, including having to explain to his grandfather about his “Indonesian” girlfriend, who apparently does not have a working permit.
Affordable, mature entertainment
The brand of humour dished out by all four comedians that night was clearly not meant for everyone, depending on one’s own sensibilities or sensitivities.
If you’re someone who jumps at every opportunity to be offended, then such shows are not catered for you.
For a mainstream Malaysian audience, the jokes would most likely be off-kilter, and likely unfit for free-to-air broadcast on major stations.
“It’s not slapstick humour,” Rina said when met on the sidelines of the show.
“I try not to self-censor.”
Asked about the super-affordable ticket prices, Luwita said the show allowed the team of comedians to barely break even for the rental of venue.
“But it’s important to keep us (comedians) active,” she said after the show.
The Line Up was also part of a series of events at Sceni, which mainly caters to arts and culture creatives who need a co-working space. – The Vibes, September 21, 2020
