Stand-up comedy booms at a Venezuelan pizzeria
But politics is not on the menu
Caracas – Samuel Rodriguez’s pizzeria in Caracas does not just serve up hot cheesy pies – it also dishes out jokes, offering a stage to young comedians filling the void left by veteran comics who have fled Venezuela’s economic crisis.
Rodriguez, 36, performs himself several days a week in what he describes as a kind of catharsis for dealing with dayto-day problems, at the unlikely spot that is one of a growing number of venues in Venezuela’s capital attracting stand-up fans.
But politics is not necessarily on the menu.
The public and comedians alike are worn out by issues like constant power or water cuts and growing income inequality, Rodriguez noted. “The subject of (what’s happening in) the country is not touched on in the routines or in the jokes... people are generally tired of it,” he said.
The influx of entertainment venues, including cafes, bars and restaurants, comes after the government relaxed economic regulations three years ago, allowing more transactions in dollars.
Those new opportunities to get onstage, alongside an uptick in videobased social media such as Tik Tok, have been a boon for young comedians, locals say.
Yet for all the gags about daily life, Venezuela’s new generations of comedians tend to steer clear of political jokes.
“(Venezualans’ humour follows) the style of North American comedy ... which talks about everyday life, not political issues,” said Laureano Marquez, 59, a renowned humourist and political analyst. Marquez said a “climate of political repression” has also prompted comedians to avoid touchy topics. Authorities have closed more than 50 radio stations this year, in an effort to control information and give state media hegemony over journalist guilds. Jeneil Tovar, a publicist who moved to full-time comedy recently, said she is motivated by seeing the impact on her audience. “It’s too damn good when you find a purpose in your day-to-day work, getting the laughs,” she said. –