Fil-Am comic to hold Manila, Cebu shows

FILIPINO-AMERICAN stand-up comic, Jo Koy (real name: Joseph Glenn Herbert) will be performing three shows in the Philippines — two shows in Manila on Nov. 30 and Dec. 3, and one in Cebu on Dec. 1.

Known for telling comedic stories about having a Filipino mother — “my mother cures everything with Vicks Vaporub” — Mr. Herbert has been doing stand-up comedy since 1994 at a comedy club in Las Vegas.

In 2005, he performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and was one of the few comedians who received a standing ovation. He calls this his “opportunity of a lifetime,” according to his Web site — he went on to create two comedy specials for the Comedy Central channel: Don’t Make Him Angry and Lights Out.

He is also a regular guest on E!’s Chelsea Lately and has gained further prominence after several of his skits went viral on Facebook and YouTube this year.

One of his most watched skits on his YouTube channel, “Follow Your Dreams,” has over 900,000 views as of press time and shows him talking about his Filipino mother initially wanting him to become a nurse. “Filipino moms predetermine what their kids are supposed to be when they grow up,” he says on the clip before adding that when he told his mother he wanted to be a comedian she cried and pointed out that most of their Filipino relatives are nurses.

Another YouTube video showing him with his mother at a buffet also has almost a million views. He has said he credits his mother for his comedic and acting talents as “she encouraged him to participate in school talent shows and to hold impromptu performances for his family and friends,” according to his Web site.

In late March, he released his third comedy special, Jo Koy: Live From Seattle (most of his viral clips come from this show) as a Netflix Original.

“Everybody’s been asking me, ‘when are you going to come to the Philippines?’ Well guess what... I’m coming back to the Motherland, you guys” he said on a Facebook video he posted on Oct. 15.

Jo Koy in Manila will be held on Nov. 30 and Dec. 3, 9 p.m., at The Theatre in Solaire, Parañaque City, while the Cebu show is on Dec. 1, 9 p.m., at the Atlantic Hall in Waterfront Hotel and Casino. Tickets will go on sale starting 10 a.m. on Oct. 24.

“Yup. He’s coming and the demand for tickets which will open for sale on Oct 24 is frenzied na!” Audie L. Gemora, Solaire’s entertainment director, posted on his Facebook page on Oct. 16.

Tickets for the Solaire shows range in price from P2,625 to P6,825 while the Waterfront shows are P3,500 and P4,500. Tickets are available at jokoy.com and at Ticketworld ( www.ticketworld.com.ph, 891-9999). —