It had been a long, hard lull for capital-dwelling comedy fans, with The Laughter Factory MIA since May 2014.
And then, like magic, it was back – with the New Year’s gift of a fresh residency at Park Rotana/Park Arjaan, which kicked off on Wednesday January 7. And based on feedback from the night, hopes are high the comedy veterans will be back with another bill of laughs in February. It was, as one source close to group eloquently put it, “mad”.
Lucky Dubai-dwellers still have a chance to catch this month’s bill, on Wednesday and Thursday (January 14-15), so for their benefit we’ll offer a match report.
I was at the Thursday (January 8) show at the Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach, where it was the busiest I’ve seen in yonks – standing room only. Each of the comics rose to the occasion, having fine-tuned their stage patter in Abu Dhabi the night before.
Kicking off was Gordon Southern, who thrilled with a wilfully fresh approach mixing silly electronic samples, stacks of refreshing regional references, and the odd history lesson. Taking to the stage in a denim shirt and jeans, he opened by sticking on a beat and offering an explanatory rap which went something along the lines of “I’m wearing double denim, that’s denim twice / I like to wear denim because denim is nice”.
Southern’s best moments were blazing moments of audience exchange, but among the prepared highs was a routine comparing British colonialism with a reality TV property show (America and Australia, he notes, both begin and end with “a”, are of a “similar size”, and play a form of football “no one else understands”).
Next up was Joe Lycett. Making his first visit to the region, he easily ranks among the most boundary pushing comics I’ve encountered in these parts.
A consummate storyteller, as unafraid as he is funny, his best routine was a extended tale about a “lads’s getaway” alongside a tattooed military type called Johnny.
Experienced stand-up Ben Norris closed up the evening with a confident and assured set largely about fatherhood, which viciously struck the funny-bone with much of the maturer portion of the crowd.
The Laughter Factory is at Al Badia Golf Club on Wednesday January 14 and Grand Millennium Tecom on Thursday January 15. Tickets Dh140 from www.timeouttickets.com.
