Kings & Queen of Comedy Asia 2010

It was billed as the first ever night of kings.. and queen… of comedy where you get 5 stand-up comedians at the top of their game bringing you the BIGGEST laugh in a live comedy event! For some reason, the organizer is doing this show for a single night only (in KL) which obviously did help to ensure the show was a sell-out.

With the irrespressible “Queen” Kumar hosting a mix of the best comedians in Asia, and with two of the four kings coming from Malaysia, Douglas Lim and Harith Iskandar and the other two from India (Vir Das) and Vietnam/Australia (Hung Le), this was a show I ain’t wanna miss (even tho’ it’s ticket price is quite pricey).

I’d a boardgame meetup event at Subang earlier on the afternoon of the show – bad scheduling I’ve to say – and by the time I got back from Subang, we were very pressed for time heading towards KLCC where the Kings & Queen of Comedy Asia (KQCA) show was being held.

The show was to start at 8 pm and by the time our car’s parked inside KLCC, it was 5 minutes to 8 pm. We almost wanted to sprint all the way to the Plenary Hall… but noticing other “latecomers” who were walking at the same brisk pace heading towards the Plenary Hall, we were assuaged by their company. 😛

Most of the musicals or events which we attended, be they held at Plenary Hall or Istana Budaya, did start on time so we do not suppose this would be an exception. But then again, this is a Malaysian event. A-ha…

When we got on the escalator leading up to the main lobby of the Plenary Hall, a huge sigh of relief as we could see everyone’s still hanging around the lobby; most of them chit-chatting… some appeared “lost” and a few were busy taking pictures with the poster boards.

So the show is LATER than us! Hah!

After catching our breath, we proceeded to check into the theatre. Seating was good.. we were in the center about 10 rows from the stage. We even managed to snap a few pics and still the show was not starting! Apa ini… show on Msian time ka?

It was not until 8:30 pm before the show opened with their catchy theme song, performed by JayOne and Tee Q Lee.

Still that’s a full 30 minutes late… wonder if it’s becoz some VIP guests were late??!!

However all’s forgiven when the Queen came on stage, for she (or is it he) certainly knew how to instantly build a rapport with the audience.

The show started – and ended – with a Malaysian, and Douglas Lim was the first to take the stage. It appeared they like to crack jokes at their own ethnicity – eg Kumar did not shy from making Indians the expense of his jokes and neither were Douglas short on Chinaman jokes.

While the event was labeld 18PL, I think you need to be even more liberal in your thinking especially on racial and religious issues in order to enjoy this show. This was particularly true when Douglas ended his session with a cover version of Justin Bieber’s hit song “Baby” (rhyming to “Babi”) J

I think if my niece Reimena was here for the show – being a staunch Groban fan and hardcore Bieber basher (and that’s putting it mildly) – her face may turned smurfy blue listening to Douglas Lim’s cover version! 😛

The 2nd act was by Vir Das from India, another comedian who’s shorter (in height) than Queen Kumar who did not stop emphasizing this point. 😛

While Douglas cracked cina-man jokes, Vir Das also wasted no time in laughing at his own Indian origins, all done in the name of humour and nothing serious (well nothing serious unless you’ve a very sensitive mind). He’s also very fond of adult/sexist jokes which the audience lapped up voraciously! LOL

We have a short 20-min break after Vir Das’ act, time for toilet break and in our case grab some (accordingly to waiyan) “tasteless” sandwich and drinks since we didn’t have our dinner yet due to the rush to get here on time. 😦

KING HUNG LEE (VIETNAME/AUSTRALIA)

After the break, it was Hung Lee’s turn to entertain us and Queen Kumar cheekily introduced him as “not so well Hung Lee”. Not sure if she has personally attested to this. hehe.

Hung Lee was good not just with the jokes but he also seems to carry around a perpetually funny-n-cute look who probably endeared him with the crowd.

I didn’t have a good picture of him but perhaps this picture of him (from the Herald Sun Australia) will give you an idea of what I meant by “cute/funny” look.
 

Now everytime we take oatmeal, I’ll think of his “oatmeal sandwich”! Haha

They saved the best for last… our very own Mr KFC!

He certainly drew the most laughter all around… with his various innuendos of recent political and current events in Malaysia and Singapore. Seems like nothing is “sacred” to these comedians.  What I liked best about him is his ability to actually take a piss at BOTH Malaysia and Singapore in the same sentence!!

His last act of comparing the differences between CSI Miami and CSI M’sia has to be – in my opinion – the highlight of the show!! Unbelievably funny, LOL.
 

I’ve to say before the show – and this being the first stand-up comedy on a theatre stage – I was not sure what to expect. If it’s a concert or a musical, you do have an idea what you’ll be getting but a stand-up comedy and probably solo act?

At the end, we were not disappointed at all! It was jovial fun and not at all a bad way to spend an evening! It’s certainly a new experience for us. But I do hope if they are repeating this show in future, they are able to organize it for a few more days instead of just a single show.

And start the show on time la! 😛

I’ve read an article saying stand-up comedy is one of the hardest job in the world. Most people talked about stage fright or butterlies in the stomach when they were asked to just give a speech or talk… imagine how it would feel to get on stage, crack some jokes and have the audience laughing at your jokes!

Your entire performance depends on how the audience warms-up, connects to you and responds to your punchlines. As Jeff Green (a master stand-up) once said, “You can’t solve stand-up comedy, you can’t solve the audience. Tomorrow’s different, and they’ll laugh differently.”

 

“At its best, stand-up comedy is the purest and most immediate medium for comedy and possibly even self-expression.” The Guardian.

I leave you with the catchy soundtrack from the Opening Act of this show! Enjoy!
 

Check out the rest of the pics from Jack208’s Photo Album (click here)

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The show’s Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&viewas=0&gid=35329974791