Comedy Masala: When a British, a Canadian and an Australian walk into Karachi…

Comedians Ron Josol, Rory Lowe, Markus Birdman and Umar Rana dished out jokes and hysterical laughter ensued

KARACHI ': Pakistan American Cultural Centre (PACC) is the go-to venue for all Comedy Masala International events. The place, though perhaps congested, emits a vibe that’s probably very exclusive to it. Doors open. You walk into the auditorium, just at the entrance of which is the toilet. Of course, the toilet door is closed. You want to use it. You don’t want to use it. You can’t decide but go nonetheless because the water you have been drinking, waiting in the line, will eventually trouble you. And it will trouble you even more when you laugh hysterically at all the jokes and the burns the comedians Ron Josol, Rory Lowe, Markus Birdman and Umar Rana will dish out.



My advice: don’t drink too much water. Or if you do, don’t walk out during the show. That would totally give a few more minutes of material to the performer. On September 15, the late show began with Rana welcoming everyone and bantering with the audience. His go-to gag about people using phones during the show never fails to get a laugh. His big round face, the Mick Foley-esque pop and making the front row sitters regret their decision perfectly sets up the audience for the hilarity to ensue. (Also, I would like to publicly call out Rana. Why would you ever pick on a journalist, mate? Who are you, Sahir Lodhi?)

Josol began the first act of the night, talking about his Filipino background, and the skin colour and linguistics playing into confusion and amusement around the world. It’s tough performing on stage when your yesteryear school bully is dying, or when you’re literally sick to your stomach. It was the latter in Josol’s case, yet he managed to deliver an effortless performance.

It’s funny because this happens to many foreigners after they taste Pakistani food. Even in the previous Comedy Masala show, headliner Alonzo Bodden upset his intestines (yet he didn’t let it hinder his performance). In turn, the food, along with other observations, also becomes part of their improvisation.

Next came Lower. From the moment he appeared on stage, mumbling, smiling and wobbling, the audience was already in splits. No, not because of his incredible dreadlocks but the mere out-of-your-mind demeanor. His set was the kind where a bunch of friends sit at ‘High Life’ near Do Talwar and just narrate ridiculous anecdotes. He spoke of his Australian normalcies and how some of the things there could probably cause a panic in other places. But not Australia, mate!

The closing act, Birdman had an entirely different, Al Pacino-meets-Craig Ferguson aura about him. His set may have been controversial but then, this was a Pakistani audience and nothing is controversial unless it’s about local norms. Birdman’s cultural comparisons, bits on colonialism and the UK’s drinking culture were perhaps the most memorable.



Lastly, Birdman was perhaps the most polished act of the night, but then it was Lowe who stole the show with his interesting mannerisms. An interesting, diverse mix of performers always make the Comedy Masala shows successful. However, it would be interesting to see a new local comedian open (although Rana does a tremendous job) for the main international acts, to give the audience a little combo flavour.

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