Last week, I was one of the lucky people who attended the fun packed, enjoyable and witty show of Laffat Al-Bisht stand-up comedy tour. When I first heard about the seven city tour in the US, I was disappointed, but later I was happy to learn that the tour will deliver two shows in the UK, one in Manchester and one in London.
Although I currently live in Sheffield, I didn’t mind that it meant we had to travel from one city to another to watch them because we were sure that they would not let us down.
Manchester was a smart choice for them as the city is a hub for other neighboring cities and towns where Saudi students usually live.
Being an aspiring YouTube comedian myself in my spare time, I was so proud of such a tour by young Saudis, which seemed so unlikely only two years ago.
I am thrilled that the era of imposing certain TV comedians, (who are not necessarily all that funny) on us viewers is finally over. On the other hand, this group of aspiring young men traveling to the US and the UK to entertain people — mainly Saudi scholarship students, residents and tourists — are approve of and the crowds were eager to see their shows.
They were a fresh of breath air, and reminders of home for those like us, who are currently away from home.
In my view, the show ticked all the right boxes; it was hilarious and we had a great time with our friends, in addition to providing us with great value for money — the ticket cost £25 per person, which is considered reasonable for a two-hour show. The comedians, Bader Saleh, Hisham Fageeh, Yasir Bakur, Fahad Al-Bitiari, Thamer Al-Hazmi, Jotaro, and Mazroa Al-Mazroa, are already famous in Saudi Arabia, mostly via YouTube, Jeddah Comedy Club and other venues.
What I like the most about such comedy tours is the new concept of entertainment introduced in Saudi Arabia and taking off internationally.
In my last week’s article I talked about the lack of entertainment choices in Saudi Arabia, but such shows introduced by young ambitious entrepreneurs are adding to our usual outings to the same malls and restaurants. Now we have with choice of seeing a “Show” and then going to a restaurant.
Wow, it would be amazing to be able to say, “today we are going to see a show and then we’ll have dinner at that Italian place.” It sounds so sophisticated, but to be honest, the word “show” is always synonymous with London’s and New York’s great theaters and Broadway shows, while this is just stand-up comedy.
But with such ambition and drive, I believe the Saudis will come up with more concepts for family entertainment that can be introduced gradually.
However, when it comes to cinemas that many people are demanding, I am pessimistic and I believe that the cinema industry will die a horrible death before we have cinemas in Saudi Arabia! Yet we all know that live entertainment has always been part of any civilization, and I have high hopes that comedy clubs and tours are just the beginning of more to come.
Email: saudipulse@arabnews.com