No joke: Matt Davis, Steve McGrew to take centre stage in Karachi

American entertainers set to perform stand-up comedy in Karachi come February

KARACHI: A group of American funnymen, namely the force of dark humour Matt Davis, Paul Ogata of Pacific Rim fame and Comedy Central’s Steve McGrew is all set to tickle our funny bones here in Pakistan. The trio has been part of popular, Singapore-based comedy franchise Comedy Masala founded by Pakistani comedian Umar Rana, who is bringing Davis, Ogata and McGrew to Karachi this February.

As a highly-acclaimed improvisational comedian himself, Rana has been making people laugh since 2001. He made his television debut on Comedy Central Asia’s Stand-up Asia in 2016 and has performed in different parts of the world. Talking to The Express Tribune, Rana shared his vision behind bringing the international troupe to Pakistan. “I wanted to bring the show here because I think Pakistan is ready for some more entertainment. There are thousands of people waiting to have a good laugh,” he said. “Being a Pakistani myself, I wanted to introduce western style stand-up comedy in my country because making people laugh is always a good thing.”

Rana decided to work with the American trio because each of them has headlined shows in Singapore. “I’ve worked with Matt, Paul and Steve in the past and they have rolled out some amazing shows for Masala. They are simply hilarious and I think the Karachi audience is going to love them.”

Interestingly, the artists are equally excited about performing here. “All the comedians have no reservations about performing in Pakistan and they are looking forward to the experience. I’m honoured that I will get to introduce them to our audience. Karachiites are in for a massive treat,” he said.

The shows will initially feature comedians from the US, Australia, Europe and Southeast Asia. “There are plans in place to start an initiative at the grass-roots level via weekly open mics, which I will be monitoring myself. I aim to get local comedians opening spots for future shows.”

Rana revealed that his work has changed how Pakistanis are perceived abroad. “There’s a lot of negative press about our country across the world and Singapore’s a very diverse place, with a multitude of expats who come to watch Masala every week,” he said. “I’ve managed to change perceptions regarding Pakistan through my work. That’s the great thing about comedy; it transcends cultures and boundaries,” he added.

On the same note, Rana hopes to extend the concept of stand-up comedy to Pakistan. “I want to make Pakistan the hub for stand-up comedy in Asia. Using my experience of running Masala, I want to leverage my network and build a deep connection between Pakistan and Southeast Asia, where the comedy scene has been growing consistently over the past few years.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2016.

Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.