FOR the longest time, the stand up comedy scene has been a male-dominated industry all over the world. But over the years, we have seen the rise of female stand up comedians who are successfully making the world laugh.
The Queens Of Asia Comedy special which took place at HGH Convention Centre in Sentul on March 13 can certainly attest to the statement.
The show featured four female comedians from four different countries: Aditi Mittal from India, Yumi Nagashima from Japan, Sharul Channa from Singapore, and our very own Joanne Kam.
Nagashima, who is currently based in Canada, kicked off the show. Besides her work in comedy, she also has numerous acting credits to her name, most notably on HBO’s The Man in the High Castle.
One of the highlighs of her set was when she told the story of how creepy old white men tried to pick her up in the streets of Canada, in the most cliché manner, and her unforgettable reply to their indecent proposals.
The second comedian to make an appearance was Aditi. She was rated by The Times of India as one of its top 10 stand-up comedians. She even has her own Netflix show, Things They Wouldn’t Let Me Say.
She had the audience in stitches when she imitated the crude wolf whistling sounds Indian men would make when they see any woman they fancied.
Malaysia’s very own comedy queen, Kam, was the third comedian to take the stage. For her set, she invited four random men from the audience to join her.
She then proceeded to give them an embarrassing introduction, made them wear bras stuffed with balloons over their clothes, and shake their butts to a sexy song.
Amazingly, the guys were sporting enough to play along with her.
Her routine is nothing new. Embarrassing grown men has been her trademark from the moment she started her comedy career way back in the city’s hippest nightclub, the Boom Boom Room.
Her routine brought the house down. One could even say she stole the show that night.
Her interaction with the audience was so natural. And no wonder, she knows the tricks of building a great rapport with her audience, and that is the secret behind her longevity in the entertainment industry.
The final act for the night was Singapore’s very own Sharul, armed with a diploma in acting and a Bachelor’s degree in communications.
She became the first Singaporean woman to be chosen for the prestigious Melbourne International Comedy Festival, which led to a sold-out tour across Australia and Asia.
She talked about the time when she almost committed adultery, and what stopped her from going through with the adultery was downright hilarious.
Personally, I love jokes laced with sexual innuendos as long as they are tastefully-done, but unfortunately, the show went overboard with sexual innuendos.
After a while, the routines got a little predictable and stale. The worst part was that some of the jokes were downright silly, juvenile and childish.
But most of the audience loved what was presented onstage. They had a good time.
Making a crowd laugh is not an easy thing to do and for that, the four women comedians deserved a standing ovation.
