AsiaLIFE

Cambodia’s first international stand-up comedy night is set to tickle the ribs of Phnom Penh residents this month. Ellie Dyer meets the men behind it. Photography by Dylan Walker.

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Funny man Jonathan Atherton breaks into a broad smile as he bounces around the manicured gardens of his Phnom Penh hotel.

It’s surprising that the Australian comedian, now based in Singapore, has any energy left—especially after a bizarre night out on the riverside, involving a fortune teller and a “spiritual sister” from a former life that he recounts with trademark zeal. But the prospect of taking part in Cambodia’s first international stand-up comedy night is fueling the 50-year-old’s exuberance.

Along with the United Kingdom’s award-winning Shazia Mirza and Ward Anderson from the United States, Atherton is set to take over the capital’s Pontoon Club and Lounge on Dec. 6 to give expats a dose of home-grown humour.

“I feel like I’m 18 and back in Bangkok again,” he says, contemplating the upcoming show during his whistle-stop visit to the capital last month.

With a long career of performing throughout the world, Atherton’s style of comedy is to “take it a step further” as “subtle doesn’t work here [in Asia] in general”. Fedora-wearing, chain-smoking Atherton should know. He is no stranger to the region, having spent four years in Thailand before founding Comedy Club Asia, which holds shows in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

The Phnom Penh audience, which he expects to include “returnees who have had a good taste of acid tongue”, can expect close-to-the-bone humour pitted with Atherton’s trademark impressions, which he breaks into at any opportunity.

The upcoming gig, explains organiser and Cambodia-based journalist Dan Riley, was the brainchild of Singapore bar owner Andre Chalson whose regular visits to the Kingdom sparked the idea. Following a meeting with Riley in June and later with Pontoon manager Eddie Newman, the show was born.

Organisers hope that the event will help enliven Phnom Penh’s expat comedy scene, which—given the limited translations of Cambodian shows—has so far consisted of ad-hoc performances from individual performers and the perennial favourite greeting of fun-loving Khmers “say sabok”.

“The reason for the absence of Western comedy is simple. The Cambodian expatriate community needed to be large and established enough to attract worthwhile comedians,” says Riley, a Brit who has lived in Cambodia for seven years.

“Similar to the explosion in live international music acts in recent years, live international comedy is also set to take off. It should be all plain sailing from now on.”

Riley is also optimistic that the establishment of a thriving comedy scene will enable Cambodian talent to reach new audiences and set up a greater recognition of Khmer wit.

“Eventually, with the increase in young people speaking near fluent English, local acts will start to emerge just as they have already in Singapore and Malaysia,” says Riley.

Riley believes the current translations of Cambodian comedy “don’t do it justice” though some slapstick skits are universal. “I always liked the pushing joke, when a couple coyly pushes each other back and forth before the woman turns away and the man pushes into space, and falls over Delboy style,” he says.

Atherton also has a strong appreciation for Asian humour. His favourite comedian is Burmese activist and former dental student Zarganar or “Tweezers”. The satirist was freed from a Myanmar prison in October this year after being jailed in 2008 for public order offences after criticising the government's response to Cyclone Nargis.

Although no dissident, Atherton still aims to connect with his audience and push the boundaries of humour.

“I’m not that guy, I’m not going to change the world,” he says. “I just want to create a moment and maybe a bit of thought.”

Like Riley, the seasoned performer also believes the comedy scene in Cambodia is set to take off. “It will happen here, but you have to create the seed,” he says.

Comedy Club Asia sponsored by Tiger will hold its stand-up night at Pontoon Club and Lounge on Street 172 on Dec. 6. Tickets cost US$10 and include a free beer or soft drink. Doors open at 7pm, performances start at 8pm.

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