Everyday occurrences such as interactions in the men’s room and a visit to the dentist aren’t generally a source of amusement. But the same experiences when narrated by British stand-up comedian Michael McIntyre – hands waving about in the air and head bobbing nineteen to the dozen – have catapulted him to fame and made him one of the highest-paid comedians in the world.
After McIntyre’s first sold-out tour in Dubai in 2013, the comic is back at the Dubai World Trade Centre this weekend with his new routine – Happy & Glorious – a two-day exclusive preview before the show goes on a 34-date arena tour around the United Kingdom in August. Here are four reasons why the comedian is one of the best in the business.
Truth in numbers
Mcintyre’s last tour Showtime (2013) was seen by 640,000 people in South Africa, Norway, Australia, Singapore and Dubai, making it the biggest-selling comedy tour in the world. It made £21 million (Dh118.38m) in ticket sales and allegedly pulled the comedian out of a financial black hole.
McIntyre has come a long way from early days of struggle, trying to push his brand of homey, middle-class comedy in the London’s comedy circuits and the Edinburgh Festival.
In one interview he mentioned the uninspiring vibe on the circuit: “I don’t know why. Maybe people just can’t cope with how jovial I am.”
But soon the audience began to take notice. He burst into the spotlight in 2006 at his first Royal Variety Performance. From there, he continued to rise in fame. He quickly put out two DVDs – Live and Laughing and Hello Wembley – the latter selling 1.4 million copies worldwide. He hosted the Bafta-nominated Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow on BBC1 from 2009 to 2011, and won Best Live Stand-up in 2009 and Best Male TV Comic in 2010 at The British Comedy Awards.
All-original show
In an interview with The Telegraph, McIntyre said he doesn't pay much attention to his contemporaries.
“I don’t watch any other comedy. I don’t study stand-up as an art. I almost worry it would confuse me and overcomplicate things.”
It’s probably why his routines are incomparable to other stand-up acts and a refreshing change from the usual cacophony of crude humour. And while his observational comedy, which largely stems from incidents in his household and daily interactions, may come across as a safe bet for some, his eccentricities on stage have a following among those seeking clean content.
Dubai in the mix
McIntyre has travelled with his wife, Kitty, and his young children, Lucas and Oscar, to Dubai so many times that the city now features in material he performs all over the world (Dubai residents who watched him live in 2013 will remember his one-liner about tailgating in the UAE).
More recently, in his Michael McIntyre's Easter Night at the Coliseum performance in April, Dubai featured again, with the comedian comparing Dubai in summer to an oven, but followed up by recommending it as a holiday destination in winter.
“I loved performing in Dubai a couple of years ago and can’t wait to return with my new shows … at the hopefully heavily air-conditioned Dubai World Trade Centre,” says McIntyre.
Future projects
To his fans' distress, McIntyre has pulled the plug on The Michael McIntyre Chat Show that was broadcast on the BBC last year. But the comedian has big plans – he has teamed up with Hungry Bear Media and the reality TV Dragons' Den star Peter Jones to develop the production arm Hungry McBear for his future TV work.
• Michael McIntyre’s Happy & Glorious show is from 6pm on Friday, June 12, and Saturday, June 13, at World Trade Centre, Dubai. Friday’s show is sold out. Tickets, from Dh350, are available at dubai.platinumlist.net
aahmed@thenational.ae
