A laughathon like no other
Meet some of the comedians who will be entertaining at the LOL Fest 2017.
GET ready for three w hole w eeks of belly laughs and gut-busting chuckles! Kuala Lumpur’s craziest comedy fest, the LOL Fest, returns for its second year in 2017, bringing 50 madcap comedians from all over the w orld!
Organised by LOL Events and supported by Malaysia Major Events, LOL Fest 2017 w ill feature an eclectic mix of performers and comedy styles, w ith headlining acts being Singaporean sensation Kumar, the hilarious Japanese comedy duo Gamarjobat and Malaysian mistress of stand-up Joanne Kam.
“We are excited w ith the line-up. For the past eight years, LOL Events has w orked at establishing a platform to support emerging and renow ned talents in the region, w ho have also involved the local community and the entertainment industry,” said LOL Events CEO Rizal Kamal.
Whatever your preferred comedy style, there’s sure to be something for you at LOL Fest 2017: the festival w ill feature bilingual comedy, non-verbal comedy and improvisational comedy, as w ell as a variety of stand-up performances.
Highlights include Superkam Ultra, the fourth instalment of the popular allall-female comedy series (March 24-27), the finale of the Magners International Comedy Festival (March 25-26) and the Laugh-a-thon (April 15), a unique six-hour, back-to-back comedy special.
And here are the performers w ho w ill be keeping you in stitches during the LOL Fest 2017.
KUMAR
The legendary Kumar probably needs no introduction: if you haven’t heard of him before, w ell, w hat took you so long? Kumar is one of South-East Asia’s most iconic performing artistes, having entertained countless audiences w ith his w itty drag queen act.
He’s an actor, TV host, comedian, dancer, director, and author: there seems to be little he doesn’t do!
For LOL Fest 2017, you can w itness Kumar’s raunchy humour during KumarSutra, w here he pokes fun at all things controversial. The show w ill take place at the HGH Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur at 8.30pm830pm on March 30 and 31.
While KumarSutra w ill contain his trademark jokes, the comedian said the show w ould be a bit different, and include a “major surprise”. It w ould also feature an inspiring message.
“A lot of peo- ple are still dw elling on the problems and issues they have. Some people are very depressed, but I think no one can put you dow n w ithout your permission. If you put in the hard w ork, you can get somew here. You don’t need anyone’s approval but yourself,” Kumar, 48, said.
The comedian, w ho has been performing for the past tw o decades, said it is important that people perform for the right reasons.
“It should be out of passion. Not just about the money, although that is also very important,” Kumar said.
“Once, a w oman w ith her daughter in a w heelchair, came up to me after a show . She said, ‘God has not put a smile on my daughter’s face, butbut you did.did ’ And w hen you geget this kind of feedback from thee public, it’s very touching, it ke eps you going.”
Queried on w hat he likes beest about Malaysia, Kumar repliedd that it is our food, w hich he feels iss distinct from Singaporean cuisine e, even though they are similar.
What does he not like so muuch about this country?
“Your traffic! Especially w heen it rains,” Kumar exclaimed.
AIIA (Artificial Intelligennce: Improvholics Anonymo us)
Doing comedy is already quuite challenging. But imagine goingg on stage w ith nothing prepared, anda being expected to make an au dience laugh by just “making everything up as you go along g”? It sounds like a difficult taskk. And yet, the comedy improv ggroup Artificial Intelligence: Improvhholics Anonymous, has been doing thhis for years!
For LOL Fest 2017, AIIA w illl be engaged in an improv battle w ith Japanese improv group The Pirates of Tokyo Bay. The shoow (w hich w ill take place at LOLL@ Live House, Kuala Lumpur aat 8.30pm on March 31 and Appril 1) w ill see a 25-minute set by tthe Pirates, follow ed by a 25-miinute set by AIIA, and conclude w ith a session combining the tw o . “We’re very excited, andd w e can’t w ait to share a stage w ith them. We’ve seen some of their stuff online, and they’re veery funny,” said AIIA member Tung Jit Yang.
This comment w as suppported by his fellow AIIA membeers: “We’re going to w in!” Faraah Rani added excitedly, w hhile Ashraf Zain said: “But w e hope improv comedy w iill be the real w inner of the niight.” Established in Septemmber 2007, AIIA is the only improv group in Kualaa Lumpur. Its current rooster includes Ashraf, Farahh, Tung, Shamaine Othmman and Iedil Putra.
In conjunction w ith their upcoming 10th anniversary, the group said they w ere going to experiment w ith a new format for their monthly show s: long-form improvisation.
“Usually, you have to sustain something for three minutes, or five minutes. Now , w e have to do 30 or 40 minutes. How do you do that? We’re quite nervous. But I feel w e’re going to be fine. We’ll figure it out!” Ashraf laughed.
How did the group manage to come up w ith such entertaining improv comedy for night after night?
“There’s a method behind the madness. There’s a form, w e try to tell a story, w e make sure there is conflict, that something is happening,” Farah said.
“Rule No 1 for improv is, alw ays agree. To agree, and to add to it. There’s a lot of talk about how comedy combats depression, and sadness, and I think improv can help w ith that. Because w ith improv, you never reject anything,” Tung added.
PAPI ZAK
Anyone w ho’s seen a show by local comedian Papi Zak probably know s how comfortable he is on stage. Little do most people know , how ever, the funnyman got his start in the business at the back of the stage, before moving to the front!
“I started working backstage on a lot of Harith Iskander’s standup shows. And after three shows, I w as like, maybe I should try this, I should scratch comedy off my bucket list. I had watched some standup in the US, w here I studied, but I didn’t know it existed here until I saw Harith’s show s,” Papi, 38, recalled.
“So, I approached Harith, and he show ed me to this open mic comedy night in Bangsar.”
The rest, as they say, is history. Papi, affectionately know n as “Malaysia’s biggest comedian”, has since been performing for 10 years.
The man certainly has his hands full during LOLFest: he w ill be hosting SuperKam: Ultra, and participating in The Roast of Superheroes (April 5 and 6) and Bite Me! (April 7), probably the only comedy show w ith an eating competition at the end!
Asked how he got his material, Papi said it w as through peoplew atching.
“My comedy is very observational. I sit myself at a crow ded area of a shopping mall, and see how people act tow ards a situation, how they w alk, or how they deal w ith themselves.
“And I ask myself, w hy do they act like this? Is this a typical Malaysian thing?” he said.
A good stand-up comedian, he said, is sharp-w itted and able to reply w ith comebacks quickly.
“Some people w ill talk back to you at your show s. A quick comedian like Kumar, he know s how to respond, and make it funny, but not offensive. He makes it fun. And timing is everything,” Papi said.
He added that w hen he first started out as a stand-up comedian, he w as unsure w hat to do w ith hecklers.
“But now , thanks to my big size, no one talks back!” Papi said, breaking into laughter.
LOLFest 2017 takes place at three main venues around Kuala Lumpur from March 24 - April 15. Tickets are available from Ticketpro Malaysia (www.ticketpro.com.my), with prices ranging from RM60 to RM300. For more details, including the full festival schedule, visit www.lolfest.my or www.facebook.com/LOLEventsMY.