Jokes Against Humanity

I admit, this was a few weeks ago. I blame the perimenopause energy levels. 

Only had time, energy (and credit limit, mostly) to check out ONE PJ Comedy Festival event - Jokes Against Humanity. 

Step into Jokes Against Humanity — Malaysia’s wild, unfiltered comedy night inspired by Cards Against Humanity. Stand-up, improv, and audience chaos collide in a sell-out show since 2023. Dark, daring, and definitely not for the easily offended.

I've known about this show for some years now, but never had the time, energy, money, and inclination (any, and/or all of the above) to go as it was held in various places and venues that I've not heard of. Figured I'd go check it out this time. 

It would be the first time I've been to this part of what is now known as DeStage @ Jaya One - the studio space that is across the way from the main stage. 

Was kinda tickled that there was a mobile O'Briens outside, selling sandwiches, potato chips, hot drinks, etc. But I only ended up getting a can of 0.0 Somersby (which is just sparkling apple juice la, really) and one of the sandwiches for tomorrow. 

Got myself situated, did not sweat my tits off (yay) cos it had been raining and I wasn't right under where the AC was blowing. 

First half of the show was just everyone in the line up doing their 5, 10 minute sets, no crowd work (which was host Nat Kang's way of trying to get people to sit in the front row). They closed the first half with Jenhan doing a bit about his dad, to promote (like the third staging at this point)  "Like This, Like Dad"

After the 10 minute intermission, it was finally time to play Cards Against Humanity. The only perk of being in the front row was that you get to actually play the cards. Then the lineup has 2 - 4 minutes each to riff on the best generated statement that the crowd voted on. Most of the regular players got 2 minutes. Jenhan and Ming Yue got to team up for theirs cos they had never done it before. Joanne Kam even jumped in at one point. 

I dunno if the cards were kinda meh this time, or people dunno how to play. I thought it was okay. Maybe it's just my perimenopause energy levels and the day I've had. 

An Evening with Masood Boomgaard & Self-Help Singh

It's been awhile since I went to a comedy show almost cold. I've come across the occasional Self-Help Singh reels in my algorithm, but otherwise don't know much else about the dude. Didn't have much going on anyway and kinda needed a laugh, so got a ticket few days before. Haven't been to DeStage since the management change, but I haven't forgotten where the ok seats (for me) are. Managed to get an almost unobstructed aisle seat. 

Internationally acclaimed comedian Masood Boomgaard brings his signature blend of stand-up comedy, storytelling, satire, and motivational parody to Malaysia. Best known for his globally beloved alter ego, Self-Help Singh, Masood has built an audience of more than 4 million followers worldwide, captivating millions with his hilarious takes on workplace culture, leadership, self-improvement, and the realities of modern life.

The Self-Help Singh live experience is a hilarious yet thought-provoking fusion of stand-up comedy, parody, and motivational speaking. Through sharp observations, unconventional life lessons, and laugh-out-loud audience interactions, Masood delivers a show that is both entertaining and surprisingly insightful.

Whether you're a professional navigating corporate life, an entrepreneur chasing success, or simply someone who appreciates smart, relatable comedy, An Evening with Masood Boomgaard & Self-Help Singh promises an unforgettable night of laughter, wit, and unconventional wisdom.

Anyway, was kinda early cos wanted to get a couple of things at AEON BIG, meander... and yes, I brought said groceries with me to the show. The guys checking my bag chuckled when I showed them and said "groceries". 

If you've been to Nigel Ng's show back in the day, it's kinda like that here where Masood is himself in the first half of the show, and then he would be Self-Help Singh in the second half.

Kinda surprised that people could make an 8 p.m. Friday night show. 

First half was ok - he's being himself, talking about his life, family, the age related ailments...no idea he was South African Indian, but ok. He was like he had to be show people who he really was cos people were confusing him with the alter ego.

FWIW, I'm glad there wasn't a drawn out intermission and he went into his alter ego pretty quickly... as fast as a person can put on a kurta and aviators, it seems like. 

The guy everyone paid money to see... LOL

Anyway, I wouldn't know how much is from the reels online, but this particular (de)motivational speaker really got people going. I know I laughed at some of it. 

Cos the show started around 8.15 p.m., it ended around 9.45 p.m.? Oklah, before 10 p.m. la. 

Went straight home. Tired liao.

Rizal van Geyzel - Single Fatherhood

Got an early bird ticket when it was announced. Had no idea Hextar World Empire City even had a performing arts space (D Theatre Malaysia) until this show. NGL, it was the main reason to go for me. 

Lost his business. Lost his wife. Now he's losing his mind!

Rizal is now a single father looking after three kids on his own! This comedian, once jailed for telling jokes about being Muslim in Malaysia, faces his toughest gig yet: Single Fatherhood.

Is he keeping it together? Barely. But the alternative is putting them out on the street. More freedom for him, sure, but then there won’t be a story to tell. A hilarious stand-up show about survival, single parenthood, and trying to do it all, alone!

Went there a little earlier to see if I could find anything for dinner. Ended up at Luna Luna, cos I had never heard of it (they're open in the other malls I don't go to). I guess it was okay, but I don't know if I'd go back.  

Managed to make it back to the theatre after dinner. Decided to try the wing seat for the lols. Was sat near a bunch of dudes who smelt like they only shower at night, and had yet to shower that day. Next time I should try the opposite side wing seats - those seats are looked more #foreveralone 

Speaking of seats... the sky box seats there looked really high up.

View from the wing seats LOL

There were two cainis bois opening for him - Chin Chong (yes, it's his actual name) and Ming Yue. I've seen both perform before. Had no idea Chin Chong was also a magician; him producing a glass of wine (?) out of nowhere was kinda cool LOL (or maybe I was just that tired by that point).

I've heard some version of this set during a WIP show at Soulcity Hub back in March, so a lot of the beats were familiar. Still laughed at some of it, though. It's mostly about his post divorce life as a single father to 3 kids (2 not his own), finding love and religion again despite all that. 

In case anyone feels bad for the guy, he has since remarried to someone who's waaayy out of his league who happens to be ok with his baggage and trauma. 

Douglas Lim - Vital Stats

First big (as in, nice-ish venue) comedy show this year. 

When this show was announced, it took me awhile to decide when to go. I was really pushing it; I didn't pull the trigger until there were literal single seats left. I think I only went with Thursday night because I think the weekend shows were gone first? And the seat I ended up with was not too bad. The last time I was at The Platform was also for another Douglas Lim show, so it had been almost 3 years lah. 

Took me way too long to realise that everyone in this is all
Douglas; had to see it in gigantic form to notice LOL

Left a little early for parking. Parked so far (but still walkable) that I might as well have parked at 1U across the busy LDP. But still got street parking, so cannot complain about expensive parking. 

Speaking of expensive parking, this was the outdoor parking next to Menara KEN. 

wtfbbq

At least this time I looked up the F&B options at Menara KEN, and the easiest was Jan's Gelato & Bakes. Had a scoop of Earl Grey, and bungkus a slice of cake and a bun.

Walked in to find the photo taking with Douglas already started - I'm guessing he went out to meet the crowd before the show, and things just happened? Even though I had the aisle seat and got in pretty late, there were still freaking stragglers. Ish. But if nothing else, the uncle in front of me had a better night lah, the way he was laughing so hard, he slunked down his seat and all. 

He had two opening acts: Russell Curtis and Riezman Radzlan. Of all the comics, I definitely wasn't expecting Russell Curtis to have perimenopause jokes in his set, which needed more tweaking (as in, not just pakai AI for research), but that's just me. Riezman's set was kind of his go-to at this point, which is fine. Other people might not have heard it before mah.

Douglas started his set by intently staring at the audience for this bit that you can also find on YouTube that he did at the Melbourne Comedy Festival (iykyk). He talked about using the Australian immigration app. His wife (who was also there) and how they met. Current events (his bread and butter) took up the bulk of it, which I won't go into. The Netflix phenom that was KPop Demon Hunters. Health issues. He threw in some random (not vital) stats in his set. 

His song this year was a song from, you guessed it, KPop Demon Hunters. And no, it's not Golden, because even I would recognise that one. So don't ask me which one it was, unless you don't mind me just randomly guessing. 

At least he took a few minutes to also plug Jason's and Jenhan's upcoming shows at the end. 

It was 10-ish when it ended, but it took me so long to get back to the car it was almost 11 by the time I got home LOL.

Everyone taking their bows

Kuah Jenhan - Like This, Like Dad (2025 edition?)

When this show was announced, NGL, I was like, "again"? I remember the last iteration of this when it was in PJLA, and he had to be  in that cupboard for quite some time as the audience piled in. But got a ticket anyway, cos I'm a curious cat. It's also been awhile since I've been to a show in DPAC's Black Box.

Got there around 8 something on Saturday night (I refuse to pay the weekday parking there). There was already a crowd outside. Lucky they opened the doors around 8.10 p.m., cos it was a little muggy outside.  

Merch table was interesting - there was t-shirts, badges, hoodies, and the dish sponge, a reference from his last show. But didn't get anything la. 

So I was all the back at the back, on the regular Black Box seating, while people who paid more were sat on regular chairs. But it was also kinda stuffy where I was at the back, so I kept my personal fan on as long as I could, but it was so quiet otherwise, I felt like everyone can hear it?

Drawer actually worked...

It's mostly the same beats as the last show: his late dad's life story, how his parents Ding Dong and Kenny G (I'll let you figure that one out) met, etc etc. Patrick Teoh was also a part of the narrative. Luckily it's more funny, less emo. Kinda glad he rewrote this. 

If nothing else, I am still tickled with the phrase he used to describe his dad's naughty mag stash they found in the locked drawer posthumously: the "gardening magazines" - the "little bush, no bush, BIG bush..." descriptors slayed me.  

Not the worst way to spend a Saturday night. 

Gajen Nad: Global Malaysian Chindian

Bit of a late post, since this was earlier in the month, so... oh wells. 

Got my ticket kinda late; kinda kicking myself on missing the early bird pricing. But at least I know I not seow enough to drive to Brickfields on a Friday night with the Friday traffic. So I settled for a Saturday night ticket instead. It's been a while since I was last at Shantanand Auditorium, not since one of Jason Leong's shows LOL 

Girl dinner-ed early at home and left around 7 something? Luckily for me, I scored sweet street parking not too far from the Temple of Fine Arts after going the pre-Deepavali congestion in Brickfields (which I kinda accounted for, so I dunno why the organisers didn't? Idk). Until today, I still haven't dined at Annalakshmi, but mostly because on weekends, they only have buffet... 

Was there a little stupid early, but at least I wasn't the only one. Just to kill time, I wasted money on the vending machine Milo (the kind that makes the drinks), which sucked, but at least it was less than RM2, so.. good to know. Never again. 

Doors opened around 8 something, which was a relief cos there was no seating besides the staircase steps. 

It was kinda chilly for where I was sitting. Kinda regretted not bringing something warm to wear. The only other people in my section closest to me were other comics I've seen before, but not recently. 

The show only started, I think, closer to 9 p.m., cos apparently people were getting caught in the Deepavali shopping jam outside? 

Anyway, was nice to see Prakash Daniel as the opening act. I've heard the material before, so I admit I kinda zoned out at times. 

Gajen finally came on stage and his set was pretty amusing. He addressed the elephant in the room that was the weird looking logo he had made that was projected behind him, which seemed dodgy from certain angles, to put it mildly. 

It was fine, the dude works clean. It's a very Gajen set. 

Took me awhile to leave Brickfields after the show cos of the Saturday night jam, so... swung by Family Mart on the way home and the beef mee tarik was not worth it, let's put it that way. 

Hindra Bose: Smell like Curry

This time I remembered getting a ticket at early bird price (mostly because I'm cheap la). 

I left early enough that I managed to snag street parking outside AEON, but might've messed up the drive shaft more cos of the low ass kerb trying to reverse in. And I still had time to look around AEON for a bit before heading upstairs. 

At least they were smart enough to not just sell beer, but also non-alcoholic options like soft drinks, bottled water and erm, popcorn. At least I got to sample a few kernels before buying. But I finished the small bucket before the show started, as the ads were playing. (Ads for future shows, btw, now regretting that I didn't note down the promo code, ish - dunno if it's single use or not LOL) 

To fill the bumi quota, Ayim Razak was the opening act. He did his set in Malay, which is fine, I guess until we found out later that there were non-Malaysians in the audience LOL.

Hindra came on an did probably more than an hour? I lost track of time, cos at some point I had to use the facilities due to the gastrointestinal distress I've been having the last couple of days.

The bit where he talks about getting his Chinese name (for Chinese school) was so ridiculous, I cannot tahan LOL 

Jo Koy: Just Being Koy Tour

Joined a random contest on IG and won a couple tickets to see the show, which is great for the wallet cos the tickets this round really not that cheap in spite of the venue (Mega Star Arena - they gutted half the mall that Parkson used to be at and turned it into an event space).

Thought it was a great idea to go pick up the altered Levi's pants (not jeans) from the Pav store before the show, which left me huffing and puffing by the time I made my way over to Sungei Wang. Was also kinda hangry by then cos I skipped dinner at home so I had time to do my errand. 

But did try the Vietnamese restaurant that was in some hidden corner of the mall. The pho was okay, the broth might be kinda light for some people. But you know it's legit when you see Vietnamese people dining there. But probably wouldn't go there for pre-show dining cos the service was kinda slow... 

Things ran so long that by the time I got there, the opening act was already on. The bag check was kinda annoying in that for the first time, I had to leave my soft sided water bottle outside but I could bring the shopping in... The seats were kinda the second most expensive tier iirc. My guess is that the rest of the row were also fellow contest winners? Idk la. 

There were huge screens on either side for the people at the back to see what's going on stage. Even from where I was sitting, everyone looked small AF, so I was also staring at a screen. Ish. The audio was also kinda shit in that I think I kept missing every third word or whatever. Maybe it's just me. 

The opening act was funny. Jo Koy was not bad, even if he spent the majority of the time talking about his near death experience on a plane that was in flames. He went a little long after the official show, riffing with the crowd over 90s R&B and what not. He kept telling people to leave if they have to, so after a while, I took him up on it cos I was trying to catch the MRT back, and it was a school night. 

It was pretty late by the time I reached the TTDI station to pick up the car to go home... 

DFP Punchline: Douglas Lim 'One Mic Only'

I dunno what took TPTB at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) so long to finally add comedy in its hallowed halls. I admit, I'm not the target demo for DFP's regular programming, and have had no reason to go the whole time it's been around. But I guess having Douglas Lim kick things off (in case anyone is wondering, Harith is performing there next year) 

Been watching Douglas plug the show on his soc med for months leading up to this, but of course I only just luan luan buy a ticket mere days before. If you buy online and sign up for an account, you can get 10% off by uploading pictures of your IC to get the MyKad discount. So I did. (If there's a cheaper option, let me know)

Anyway, dressed up a little (smart casual, but there's a whole lot of things you can't wear which I won't go into), but in retrospect, I probably could've gotten away with jeans and sneakers cos it was a matinee show, because the dress shoes I had only worn a couple times before crumbled at the heels and bought a ridiculous pair or slides at Vincci... but still got the blisters on the pinky toes to show for it.

I was 3 8 enough to buy a ticket in one of the nosebleed suites (well okay, I was intrigued by the "incl. refreshment" part) just because it's my first time there and I dunno if I'll ever go back again, so why not. 

Anyway, got there around 3 something (which was reasonable enough), checked out the suite in question, and..

Interesting tea time treat?

Me and the 2 other ladies (who were also early, fellow first-timers) were basically excited to be up there, taking pics and videos, etc. I think we all just tarpau-ed the refreshment cos we weren't too hungry at the time, lol. But I did eat the spring roll, and the rest later at home.

Mentang-mentang Gendang Suite...?

Douglas came out pre show to talk to everyone

Opening act 1: Prakash Daniel

Opening act 2: Mad Sabah

I've seen Prakash and Mad Sabah perform enough to know what their sets could be, so I'm not gonna spoil it for anyone else. They both did about 10 minutes each? 

Anyway, Douglas finally came out, talked about how he can't believe that he's performing at DFP all. He also asked the crowd to make some noise to find out who's there for the first time (quite raucous); good to know I wasn't the only one? The set was also more personal and not so political as his sets tend to be..

As it is with Douglas Lim shows, he closes the show with a song, sung to the tune of Coldplay's Viva La Vida. 

Left as they were still applauding, but not before checking out (and using) the ladies restrooms, and.. 

The stalls were self contained? Hot damn..

Finished the rest of the food in the box when I got home cos I burned a lot of calories in between after the show and actually getting home.. 

Jason Leong - Why Are You Like This?

Got an early bird ticket. Didn't know the venue (EX8 in Subang) existed until this show. Decided that I wasn't nuts enough to drive there on Friday evening traffic to Subang and got a ticket for Saturday instead. Took me less than half an hour to get there, probably faster if I had taken the suggested routes. Because it's in the industrial area, parking wasn't hard to get at night, you just have to time it right so that you're not too far from the venue and for easier egress. I even had time to reverse park. 

Turns out EX8 is not just an event space, but there's also a Japanese restaurant, cafe, gym and a place for lap swimming on site. Ok, good to know. The ladies bathrooms were pretty clean and functional for the most part. 

The crowd was pretty even split between young and older people. 

I wasn't sure what the seating capacity was inside, but it took awhile to seat everyone (it wasn't that full). At least I wasn't getting a headache from the thumping music, but it was a lot of music that millennials would've been familiar with back in the day. I don't think I was the only one who thought it was chilly inside; some of the ladies brought their jackets and scarves with them. I dunno if it's a feature of the place, or if he took Colbert's advice of a chilly studio to heart. There's also a lot of smoke for some reason. 

You know you at the right show when...

Interesting choice of set design?

Show started around 9.10 p.m. (ish?) and Ming Yue was the opening act and audience fluffer for about 10, 15 minutes? It was the same crowd work as last week and the same bit about ordering chicken rice as a banana, among other things.

Jason finally showed his face and because they were recording the shows (can't miss the cameras around), it's not just his new hour of material but also some older, crowd favourite (?) bits thrown in for good measure. Not the c*** ring extraction story, but I think it's probably online someplace..

One of the new bits was about the discipline teacher in his alma mater, Bukit Bintang Boys School. (Apparently said teacher showed up the night before, but had fooled us into looking for him, cis). Some of the setups, I can guess the punchline coming from a mile away (which is probably annoying to the uncle seated next to me, but I was trying not to freeze my non-existent nuts off because it was so cold inside)..Of course, there was also some racist material...It was okay, good effort.

He did probably over an hour, just cos of the extra bits thrown in. It was almost 11 p.m. by the time we finished. Swung by a local McD for nuggets and wanted to try the new Creamy Lobster sauce (it was fine, still prefer the cheese one), but it took so long for them to fill my one sad order, it was almost midnight by the time I made it home. 

Kuah Jenhan - Noted with Thanks

Got myself to PJPAC kinda early (like, endure the stupid line at Mixue early; which I had no idea was downstairs from PJPAC, where the MRT foot traffic go by), but not early enough to have a meal there beforehand. 

Saw some familiar faces in the foyer before the doors opened. The merch booth was interesting: there were sweatshirts (with "Fatty Fatty Boom Boom" and "Your Soul is Beautiful" printed on them), button badges, and a sponge (of all things), which didn't make sense until afterwards as it was a reference to a bit. 

Of course show started 8.45 p.m. (ish) with Ming Yue as the opening act. I haven't seen him perform much, but as audience fluffer, I no complaints. 

I wanna say Jenhan finally came on around 9-ish (?). He started with how he got his first proper job at the ripe old age of 34. There was also a bit about his 11 year old co-star and a highly inappropriate adult-themed joke (who was also in attendance with her parents), which was where the sponge merch came in LOL 

All in all, quite funny la. Laughed too hard when they were talking smack/plugging Jason Leong's show the following weekend. 

Don't Bring Your Kids by Hindra Bose

Bought a ticket after I had missed the early bird promo. Oh wells. Shut up and paid anyway. 

Won't lie, it's always kinda exciting (as the occasional audience member/attendee) to attend a comic's first mounted hour. 

Got there, saw a few local comics around... one was on a date night cos they brought their spouse with them. 

Show started closer to 9.30 p.m. with Riezman as the opening act doing 10 - 15 minutes (?!) Some classic bits and some new stuff I hadn't already heard. No complaints. 

Hindra came on and did at least his hour of material, old and new (to me). I always gotta give the guy props cos he was in cainis school longer (both primary AND secondary) than me and some of the people I knew, which is not an easy feat. But he used the extra language skills to great effect in his set, never mind that he would have spend more time translating it for everyone... but not the Tamil (boo). Him overhearing 2 dudes discussing the sex they just had in Mandarin and how he ended the bit was damn hilarious - I was one of the few people already laughing their head off just hearing the Chinese parts before the translation.

Ok, my only complaint was how sibeh hot it was inside. I had the portable fan on for most of the show cos it was stuffy inside with so many people. And the place was all set up with cameras and mics. So if the whirring sound got picked up by the mics.... #sorrynotsorry  

It was a fun show, otherwise. I just flew off afters cos it was already past 11 p.m. and I also needed to go home to pee and take one last shower before bed. 

Jerry Seinfeld (Singapore Indoor Stadium)

As a kid growing up in the 1990s, the Seinfeld cold opens (when he's on stage doing standup) and the before the end of the episodes were my first taste of any form of standup comedy. 

So thanks to Ronny Chieng (I guess?), it was announced last December that Jerry Seinfeld would make his only Asian stop in Singapore, before he goes on his Australia and NZ tour. The chance to see him perform in person was hard to pass up. So I got a nosebleed ticket, yada yada yada.. made my way to Singapore Indoor Stadium on a Friday night of a long weekend on both sides of the Causeway. 

Because I was staying downtown, it didn't take me too long to get to the stadium. But I was still sat in my seat for quite some time, sweating it out before the show started properly at around 9.10 p.m. with the opening act Mario Joyner, who did 15 minutes. I enjoyed his set. 

Jerry tagged himself in right afterwards without the fanfare, and did at least an hour long set about almost everything: AI, streaming services, the smartphone obssession, even the Titan submersible... he closed the set with what he's learnt about marriage.. if you don't mind the whinging, it's kinda on brand for him. 

It was also nice to see that I wasn't the only sweaty one in there; he was also visibly sweaty on stage.  

Once the show ended, I shed my dignity and ran as fast I could to the train station (for no real reason, other than because it was almost 11 p.m. by then?)...

My only complaint was the late start time. But all in all, not bad. 

Kavin Jay - Family, Man! (presented by just jokes:)

Attended my second show presented by just jokes: ever on a Friday night at, of all places, SoulCity Hub (owned by a church) in SS4, which is not far from me as the crow flies, but it seems further on a rainy Friday night when everyone else around you is driving like molasses. 

Get ready for a side of Kavin Jay you haven't seen before – the raw, the vulnerable, the hilariously honest one. FAMILY, MAN! isn't just a stand-up tour; it's an intimate odyssey through his life, weaving together family ties, cultural expectations, and yes, even the topics that usually stay hushed. He'll take you back to his Malaysian roots, sharing the struggles and triumphs of growing up in a vibrant, complex society. Prepare to laugh at the relatable moments, go BIG-OOF at the awkward moments he's experienced, and maybe even shed a tear (of empathy, or laughter, you decide) as Kavin tackles head-on the unspoken things that families and societies sometimes leave unsaid.

This isn't a sanitized comedy show. This is Kavin confronting personal challenges, confronting societal norms, and doing it all with his signature wit and infectious storytelling. He'll make you laugh, think and even re-evaluate a few things along the way!

I was still pretty early I suppose (got there before 8 p.m.), checked in, got a shawarma (still pretty peckish after the girl dinner at home), sat down. Ended up seated next to a Chindian family of 5. Looking around at other audience members, I'm not sure if they knew what they signed up for when they got tickets to this, but okay, no judgment. 

Some of the set dressing was #iykyk

First half of the show consisted of 4 acts: Zul, Harvinth Skin (ehh), Fattah Azeem, and closing out the first half was (of course), Papi Zak. 

Showrunner Mahyar was trying to work the crowd and was doing just okay, if I gotta be honest. He was also trying to bribe people to occupy the empty first row (with RM50, but I dunno if he actually paid) before the show started, but I wasn't gonna take the bait. 

I dunno if I got made when he heard someone go "okla" in response to "how's the show so far?", but it's true what - it was only my second time... at this point, I dunno who in the local comedy scene I haven't already pissed off in some way, shape or form, so I just stfu. 

Second half after the near 10 minute (not the promised 5) break, was Kavin's new hour, Family, Man!

Dude always spins a pretty good yarn (which is why I usually go to the shows). Even though I've heard some version of this set before, but the journey is kinda fun. It's about the unsolicited advice he's gotten from family members in and throughout his lifetime. If nothing else, he looks pretty spiffy and has visibly lost some weight. 

Not the worst way to spend a Friday night. 

Jimmy Carr - Terribly Funny

This was a couple weekends ago, but life got in the way.

First big name comedy show of the year.

If nothing else, Plenary Hall in KLCC is a bit of a step up from Sentul. In the days leading up to this, they've "released more seats" so am not entirely sure if it sold out, but it's also on a Sunday night. But it seemed pretty full from where I was seated. 

No opening act. The title of the show refers to a block of the set where he makes jokes out of terrible topics (school shootings, etc), like all the things you are thinking of right now, he's got jokes of it. 

Of course there's crowd work. He addressed a young dude in the front who was there with his family and of course Jimmy gave that guy the sex talk from the stage. Dunno how the guy's mother felt about the whole encounter or how that post-show convo went down. As usual, I'm always glad that I'm not in their shoes. 

If you didn't know until the show that the man is now a father of two kids (I recall hearing of it on another comedian's podcast not too long ago), now you know. I mean, if this guy is a father of two with his storied past, I think the rest of us will be okay.  

Kinda glad that there's a huge screen for those of us at the back

I imagine this is one of those show-only numbers

Rounded out the show with the audience portion where he read the texts he got from people in the audience who texted the number above before the show. 

Didn't hate the show, but wished I brought opera glasses. 

Douglas Lim - Back to Work

When ticket sales for this show was announced, I quickly got a ticket because I figured it would sell out pretty quickly (as any Douglas Lim show these days would, even the comedy club dates), and because I got a promo code. You know me and promo codes; if I don't have to pay full price, no problems. I was also right in that the first few shows sold out pretty quickly and added matinee shows to meet the demand. 

Fast forward to day of the show. It took me so long to find parking, by the time I was ushered into my seat (luckily for the rest of the row I had the aisle seat), one of the opening acts Asu was just winding up his set, something about scam/robocallers. But I did manage to catch Ayim do his full 5, 10 minutes before he brought Douglas on the stage. 

Dude started off talking about the recent Coldplay gig. As is his wont, his set also mostly touched on local politics, headlines of the last few years, that sort of thing, which I can't really repeat. If you're familiar with his comedy, you know what I'm getting at. As for the wrap up song, of course it had to be to the tune of Coldplay's Fix You. He didn't attempt to match Chris Martin's falsetto on that song, which is fair, but I would be amazed if he pulled it off.

All said and done, I think he did a 45 minute set. I'm fairly certain it took me longer looking for parking that won't net me a police summons at the end of the night. There were policemen issuing tickets at the precariously parked cars as I was leaving. I also manifested my parking as I ended up right outside the only standalone Costa Coffee I've ever encountered, and I had played with the idea of checking it out at some point. Show ended so early I stopped for a drink at Costa before leaving. 

NB. Had no real idea why the traffic and parking situation in that part of Taman Tun was such a bitch. My guess is because of everyone attending the show that couldn't/didn't want to pay the RM5 flat rate parking at Menara Ken (which I'm sure was also full at some point), plus the Friday night + all the open til late eateries in the area, etc. Maybe I left too late. Maybe it's all of the above. 

The Stand Up Squad Comedy Special

Kavin Jay, Rizal van Geyzel, Kuah Jenhan, Phoon Chi Ho, Andrew Netto and Papi Zak go on a mission once again to undertake high laughter-rate live comedy in exchange for the entertainment pleasure of comedy fans around the region.

 

Got a ticket to this for the most part cos there was a early bird promo code, but also it's not like I had anything else planned for the day... 

There was a mild snafu when the doors opened cos one of the ushers kept sending people who's seats were downstairs upstairs to the nosebleeds. I know I used the promo code, but I spent too much not to be in the nosebleeds. Show wasn't exactly sold out, but there were a lot of people in attendance for a Friday night show. I did wonder how long everyone's set was gonna be cos it was about 2 hours long including the 10 minute intermission; my guess is that most of them got about 15 minutes each on average, unless you're Jenhan and Rizal, who were the last two up, who went on longer...? Correct me if I'm wrong. 

Kavin kicked things off with a set about the Merdeka/Malaysia Day ads, his childhood, which always seem to have corporal punishment involved somehow. 

Chi Ho's set was about embracing his aging dad bod, but he closed with a bit about losing control of his sphincters. Ok la, he used the word "asshole" just to get a cringe laugh from the audience, but still. 

Somehow when Papi Zak's set went from his weight loss journey into the devolvement of adult films and blaming it on millennials (but not Gen Z?), I can't say I was surprised. 

Andrew Netto closed the first half of the show with his set about someone taking the term banana leaf lunch literally, thick-accented former boss, aging... 

Speaking of intermission, I swear the toilets at PJLA went from bad to worse - now there's no toilet seat and cover AT ALL to speak of in one cubicle in the ladies that I used. 

Jenhan's set was about his time hosting a Halloween show with the MPO; yup, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, and being a VVIP at a private school's mental health event after Amber Chia turned it down LOL 

Rizal closed the show and touched a little about the Crackhouse's closure, his time in Edinburgh (for the Fringe)...

NB. This was best I can recall a few days after the fact; and also don't want to spoil too much for myself and anyone else watching these guys in the future. 

Jason Leong - Brain Drain

Got a ticket to this like, months ago, because there was a promo and I didn't feel like paying full price. It's also the first time since the before times that I've been back to HGH in Sentul.

Thanks to the new flyover that finally opened this week, I shaved off at least 15 minutes instead of just being stuck in the Jalan Beringin congestion for at least half an hour. I thought I was gonna reach at least after 8.15 p.m., but I was there a little after 8 p.m., which is kinda early, if I was to be perfectly honest. The people rolling in 8.29 p.m. when doors open at 8.30 p.m. had the right idea, but with the parking situation around there, I think being half an hour early still better la. The weather also helped in that it didn't rain as people are leaving after work. 

I'm glad there's plenty of drink options on site (alcohol, non-alcohol, even coffee, tea and bottled water; the latter I'm presuming are sold by the HGH staff or what), I didn't really partake. There was also merch for sale - couple of t-shirts and a passport cover which references his past material. #iykyk 

When I bought the cheap seat months ago, I thought it would be balcony seating, but it really was just right at the back of the hall, which I'm okay with cos I can second screen with abandon. At least I wasn't the only cheapskate with that idea because local Chinese DJ KK Wong and his posse was behind me. And I had empty seats on both sides, the show didn't sell out, so yay for me. The choice of thumping rock music was so damn loud for the space I had to step out or trigger another headache. The seating layout was like being on an AirAsia plane. 

Hindra opened and did 15 minutes (?). He started his set about his education (which I won't repeat). His bit about the cranky couple at his favourite curry laksa place in Klang still holds up, even though I've heard it before on other occasions. Kinda hilarious that a Chinese-educated Indian comic is opening for a banana Chinese comic. 

Jason finally got on stage around 9.30 p.m.(?), with all the pyro they could find in Sentul and did his hour. Touched on...

• How having furbabies not same as raising human babies
• Him deciding to leave Malaysia (which I wasn't aware of cos I unfollowed him on most platforms) for his kid's sake? But Singapore not exactly that far leh. 
• Him griping about how messed up the kid fairy tales are, and also a long ass bit about Disney princesses. Every comic has some version of this in their repertoire, I feel like I've seen or heard them over the years. 

There's probably more, but I don't quite remember now. 

Rizal van Geyzel - Arrested!

Bought a ticket to the Friday show pretty much a couple days before.

A comedy club shut down. A lifetime business license ban. An ongoing court case. A night in custody. If tragedy truly breeds comedy, Rizal van Geyzel is ready to tell all in his latest and freshest 1-hour special - ARRESTED

Also first time back at PJ Live Arts since before the pandemic when the place shut down. (I also deleted the Google Keep note I had about where's the best seating option for me, which came flashing back when I went in). Dunno if the rental is cheaper or it's less sad to not fill up PJLA than PJPAC.

Against my better judgment, I didn't print out the ticket. Because of the shit mobile coverage, it took way too long to open the ticket on the app for them to verify. Wasn't really a full house, but it's also Friday night. 

Despite the 9 p.m. start time, of course the show only started around 9.15 p.m. 

Hindra did his 15 minutes and some crowd work. Kinda wish he tapped into his cainis school experience, but cos it's PJLA, probably for the best lah. Kept a mask on mostly so I don't (out of habit) try to clear my sinuses out in public. 

If you want to hear the story of RvG's (also the Crackhouse and the local comedy industry, really) downfall, court case, time in lockup, etc, this show that he's touring (the only upside to not being tethered to a comedy club, tbh; being able to travel whenever) is the last time you'll hear about it... for now. He also mentioned Jocelyn Chia stealing his thunder as most hated comedian in Malaysia, whom he's had at the Crackhouse in the past. I know cos I saw her there back in the day.

Of course when he brought up the joke that he can no longer perform himself (under legal advisement), Hindra came on stage one more time to recite it. 

You can also kinda tell that Rizal's a little triggered whenever he sees a phone go up in the audience (I like to think that they were earnestly trying to take action shots or whatever), telling them to put it away, even though one of the culprits was the spouse of another local comic. (Apparently the next night he told the audience he's gonna pose for them so that they can get it out of their system for him to do his set in peace). 

3 Sekawan - The OMS boys are back!

Got the last ticket for the Friday night show because I wasn't entirely sure when I want to go to begin with. I only went because it was gonna be at KL's latest comedy space, KL Comedy Club, in Bangsar (which had opened for a few weeks now, and had heard about from some of the local comic's soc med feeds). The name is succinct, I give them that.

It was above The X in Telawi, across the road(s) from Bangsar Village I and II. My dumb ass went and parked at Lorong Maarof when I could probably park at Lucky Garden or along Jalan Ara instead. 

By the time I got myself there, it was past 8 p.m. and because of the seating layout, I ended up sharing a table with 3 strangers, 2 of them mainland Chinese ladies. Food and drink menu was kinda basic - there's wine and other spirits, but ended up with a soft drink instead cos I was there alone and ordering a plate of bar food for my own consumption is just sad... not to mention expensive AF. 

Night kicked off with two opening acts - Farid and Emma, who each did about 5, 10 minutes? Turns out the ladies I was sharing a table with are Emma's friends. I dunno how much of the local references they got, I hope they were okay. 

Prakash did his set, followed by 10 - 15 minute intermission/break. After that both Brian and Keren did their sets. I have to admit that I wasn't exactly staring at the stage the whole time cos there was a big guy in front blocking my view but also blocking me from any crowd work on stage, so I can't complain. Also, I have heard like 70% of the stuff before, so I was mostly on my phone while still listening to what's going on, treating the show like a podcast LOL (sorry, guys).

Show ended around 11 p.m., by then which I had some McNuggets at the local McD (peckish la) on the way to the car before heading home. By the time I got home it was about midnight? So yah.