Brazilian stand-up comic
Whindersson Nunes Batista bridges the gap to American culture.
Brazil might seem a world away to some, but comedian Whindersson Nunes Batista thinks the gap may not be as wide as people are thinking.
“It’s the topics,” he said in a phone interview with the help of a translator. “I talk a lot about mothers and dogs. Everyone has a mother and probably has a dog.”
Nunes is on his Proparoxitona Tour, a Portuguese word he uses to mean “something spectacular.” His first live appearance in America will be Friday at downtown Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. (Show starts at 9 p.m. Available tickets are $25-$45. Details at drphillipscenter.org.)
The 22-year-old comedian has built up quite a following, both in and outside of his home country. With more than 21 million subscribers, his YouTube channel is the most popular in Brazil and 13th in the world. “I was already impressed by how many fans I had in Brazil, and I’m even more impressed seeing how many fans I have out of the country,” he said.
In addition to traditional stand-up rants and jokes, Nunes sings parodies of pop hits. His video parody of Adele’s “Hello,” entitled “Qual é a Senha Do Wifi (What is the WiFi password),” has more than 55 million views to date.
Performing in Latin America, Nunes has played to crowds in soccer stadiums and arenas. He noted the first time he saw such an audience was an emotional moment. “I felt like crying,” he said. “Too many people believing in my work.”
A lot of Nunes’ humor is based on his community. “I came from a very difficult background in the northeast of Brazil … in an area that’s very hard to live in,” he said. “I chose to turn that into comedy by talking about my experiences in life.”
Some of it might take a second for American audiences to understand. (For example, realizing his references to the northeast mean the hot part of his country.) But Nunes thinks that won’t be a problem. “I am not worried because I talk a lot about the United States in my show,” he said.
As Nunes performs in Portuguese, Englishspeaking audience members will be given a headset at his show which will broadcast a live translation. He doesn’t expect any of the silliness to be lost, however.
“It’s the way I say the joke that’s funny, not the actual beginning, middle and end,” he said.
Nunes recently finished filming on a movie titled “Os Parças,” which roughly translates to “The Parties” and refers to the other Brazilian comedians who make up much of the cast. “I am very excited to work with these people because these are talented actors from the media that I used to watch,” he said. The movie is currently only slated for release in Brazil.
With a career that spans the globe, Nunes looks forward to becoming even more worldly. “My next step is to travel around the world,” he said, “and do my next show based on what I see.”