AsiaNews Magazine Jan10-16,2014 ( Jan 1-7,2014) | Page 44

LIFE

January 10-16, 2014

LAUGHING THEIR
WAY TO THE BANK
Making people laugh is fast becoming a lucrative business in Singapore
HOE PEI SHAN
The Straits Times
Singapore

I

t’s a Wednesday night, yet the club
is packed. Drinkers fix their eyes
on the animated, clean-shaven
man talking a mile a minute on
the raised platform in the corner.
It is open-mic, stand-up comedy night at the Blu Jaz Cafe in Singapore, where comedians—or just
anyone with the chutzpah—are invited to take the stage for five to 10
minutes to try and raise laughs.
On stage is local comedian Muhammad Fadzri Abdul Rashid, 27,

better known by his stage name
Fakkah Fuzz. He pulls no punches
and gets the crowd roaring with a
gag about the Little India riot.
The weekly Talk Cock Comedy
night has come a long way since it
was set up three years ago by Comedy Club Asia.
Though still in its infancy, the
local stand-up scene has hit a
growth spurt.
Singapore may have just two
main comedy venues, but each is

seeing more aspiring comedians
stepping forward and weekly show
nights are often packed.
Comedy Club Asia charges S$10
(US$7.90) a ticket for Talk Cock
Comedy and S$50 for bigger shows
that include international acts. It
reported a S$100,000 profit in 2013,
almost five times what it took just
three years ago, says co-founder
Heazry Salim.
Two years ago, Heazry, 39, spotted the ''really profitable'' niche in