PUBLISHED January 26th, 2015 04:00 am | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 03:16 pm
Learning to laugh at ourselves and with others is a great way of NOT letting the stressful lifestyle in our island nation get to us…so we’re mighty pleased that the stand-up comedy scene here is thriving. Over the last four years, at least three weekly comedy nights – like Comedy Masala and shows by the Comedy Club Asia – have sprung up.
Apart from local comedy vets like Hossan Leong and Kumar, a new generation of funnymen (and women) in their 20’s and 30’s have taken up the open mike challenge. Some popular local names you might have seen include Fakkah Fuzz and Jinx Yeo, as well as rising stars Samuel See, Issac Tay, Collin Christopher, and Hiew Wei Jie.
One such up-and-coming talent is Rishi Budhrani, a regular on the Comedy Masala circuit since 2011. Married to comedy contemporary Sharul Channa, the multi-talented couple co-own Complete Communicators, where they run one of a kind laughter and humor based motivational workshops (among other programs). Their latest venture, however, is their own sketch and stand up comedy show entitled the ‘The Rishi and Sharul Show’ – the only show by a married stand-up comedy couple in Singapore, and indeed, Asia.
Their 80-minute performance at Goodman Arts Centre promises to be a roller coaster ride exploring love, sex, marriage, family and what all of these mean in Singapore. Expect the sketches to be a combination of works from internationally acclaimed playwrights, such as Earl T. Roske, David Ives and Bruce Kane from the US, as well as new local comedians/writers including Wayne Cheong, Luke Vijay, and Remesh Panicker. Rishi and Sharul are the producers of the show along with theatre-veteran Engie Ho, who also directs.
We caught up with Rishi and Sharul and asked them to tell us more about their upcoming show:
What made you decide to do “The Rishi and Sharul Show”?
We’re both trained actors and stand-up comedians. There are times we would do our comedy sets on stage, one after the other, and the audience would comment that they really liked our responses to each others’ bits, or our chemistry off/on stage. So we thought we’d marry the worlds of stand-up and theatre to put on a show that involved element of stand-up and sketch comedy.
How did you get into comedy in the first place?
Rishi: I’d just gotten out of an acting program with the Singapore Repertory Theatre’s Young Company on scholarship and had just completed a Minor in Drama from NIE. I was doing a lot of training in public speaking and would tell my students that the most difficult form of public speaking was stand-up comedy. At the time, I hadn’t walked the talk, though. So I thought I had to. I watched an open mike show at Comedy Masala (when it was still at Home Club) and after watching two shows; I went on stage and popped my cherry, so to speak. It was like bungee jumping – naked. I loved every second of it and got addicted to laughter.
Sharul: I watched Comedy Masala open mike every Tuesday for 6 weeks. Rishi had just started a few months before that. Watching him made me interested in the craft of writing and performing stand-up comedy. Rishi and the founder of Comedy Masala, Umar Rana, gave me a nudge to jump up and do a spot. I did my first spot on 28th June 2011 and since then, and from the moment I got my first laugh, I was hooked.
Who are your comedy heroes and which comedians do you turn to for inspiration?
Rishi: I grew up watching comics like Eddie Murphy, Russell Peters and Jerry Seinfeld. In 2013, it was a bit of a dream come true as I got the chance to perform at clubs like Gotham Comedy Club and The Comic Strip Live in New York City. These were clubs where the greats got their start. It was a big moment, as I became the first Singaporean comedian to do this. More recently, I’ve taken to the works of Louis C.K., Danny Bhoy, and Asian comics like GB Labrador.
Sharul: My comedy heroes are my parents, because they have a wicked sense of humor, albeit unknowingly. I grew up watching Pakistani comedies on VCR and soon after, got addicted to watching Ellen Degeneres and Louis C.K. online. I must include, that Rishi was a huge reason I was motivated to do stand-up. Watching him make people laugh made me feel like I wanted to be a part of this experience too.
Is this going to be the first of several episodes of “The Rishi and Sharul Show”? What’s in the pipeline for the future?
That’s definitely on the cards for the long run. This installment covers some aspects of relationships. In 2016, hopefully, we get a chance to cover some other aspects. There’s only so much you can deal with in an 80-minute show, so there will definitely be more of us.
The show will deal with “issues of relationships, love, sex, marriage, family and what all of these mean in Singapore”. Will you be using your own experiences as well as material from Singapore society?
All good comedy has at least a little bit of truth in it. So, yes, the audience can expect elements of real life, real emotions, and real issues to be discussed. Do we have your attention?
There are two shows on Valentine’s Day. Would you encourage the public to bring their Valentine’s Day dates to your gig?!
Love is a funny thing. So yes, I would encourage couples in love/dating/married to come and share a funny night with us on Valentine’s. It will teach you how a sense of humour can get you guys through (almost) any challenge in your relationships.
So, whether you’re single, married, or in a complicated relationship, forget what you think you know, and join Rishi and Sharul for a night out with a difference!
The Rishi and Sharul Show will run 5-7 Feb and 12-14 Feb 2015 at the Black Box, Goodman Arts Centre, at 8pm, with an additional matinee at 4pm on Saturdays. Tickets are priced at $35 and can be purchased at Peatix. For more information, please contact 9106 5315.