Remember that awesome international comedian who came to Phnom Penh about three years ago and had the entire room in stitches? If so, I guess you were fortunate enough to catch him in the boarding queue at Phnom Penh airport, probably en route to a gig in Bangkok or KL. Lucky you. The rest of us, meanwhile, were sat patiently cringing in a poorly lit, noisy room wondering how the shit a few haughty drunks with a microphone managed to pass themselves off as a comedy act.
This scene may be unfamiliar to those only now venturing out to comedy nights – an understandable choice, frankly, because until a couple of years ago, there wasn’t any real impetus to do so. In December 2011, recognising a demand for quality live stand up comedy within the country, promoter Dan Riley – with the help of Australian comedy guru Jonathan Atherton and Singaporean comedy promoter Andre Chalson – conceived the Comedy Club Cambodia. Since then, the CCC has grown to create opportunities for rising talents to hone their skills through courses and structured open mic nights. More recently, Comedy Bookers Cambodia (founded in 2014 by Riley, Siem Reap-based comedian Steven Halcrow and Phnom Penh-based Scotty Muldoon) has successfully sourced and secured internationally acclaimed comedy acts for countrywide gigs.
Early Days
Like many nascent art forms, the comedy circuit has undergone a tumultuous journey in order to sustain a viable and esteemed position within the city’s contemporary culture. Now, with several primary host venues having recently closed, coinciding with the impending departure of much-loved CBC Co-Founder and Verbal High open mic founder Muldoon, the comedy circuit faces a whole new set of hurdles. Having worked from the bottom up, however, the lads are no strangers to a challenge. Halcrow explains exactly how one begins building a legitimate comedy scene almost entirely from scratch:
“I met Dan two and a half years ago when the scene only consisted of a couple of guys (Dan, Scotty and [forthcoming Verbal High organiser] Sam Thomas),” he says. “I then returned from the UK to Cambodia a year and a half ago and there were a bunch more guys and girls giving it a go and nicely packed rooms (Equinox will be sorely missed!). I learned a lot in the time I spent gigging in the UK from observing audiences, professionals and fellow open spots alike, and when I arrived in Cambodia I was suddenly in a position where I could apply what I had learned to the fledgling scene here, which, at the time, needed a bit of structure: it was basically a lot of long shows, very raw acts, loud audiences, zero etiquette, and a general lack of awareness of any of the above.”
Realising that international comedy acts were integral to the steady growth of the CCC, Halcrow, Riley and Muldoon joined forces to develop the CBC last year. Shortly after, Muldoon introduced Verbal High open mic nights at Meta House under the CBC umbrella group.
Nu-wave Comedy
Over time, the team has been duly rewarded for the dedication, faith and touch of insanity necessary to guide their vision to fruition, with continuous expansion and new waves of quality homegrown and international acts.
“The comedy scene has definitely grown – we’ve all gotten a little fatter,” Muldoon says. “And since [CCC] began, the city has seen a lot of [international] comics pass through and inspire the local scene to flourish: local expats are able to improve their game by learning from the pros who we are so lucky to have come here, and who are kind enough to share any tips and advice.”
Riley adds, “The expat community has grown to a sufficient level to not only produce enough people able to perform live comedy regularly, but also enough people to demand regular gigs and fill out venues. Sure, I’d like more to turn up for the Comedy Club shows, as we have a lot of costs, but I like the fact that our two monthly open mic nights are usually nicely packed. Outside of Phnom Penh, The Comedy Club Kampot was set up in December last year, and we’ve done three shows already. Sihanoukville is making its debut this month with Martin Mor, and now Full Metal Comics is an established monthly open micer at Sundance.”
Proud Crowds & Methods to Madness
Beyond physical expansion, however, perhaps one of the most important developments within local comedy has been the influx of new informed and devoted audiences. This attribute – though frequently overlooked by the sporadic gig-goer – is one that can be critical to the success of a single event, as well as the continued growth of the art form (and yes, comedy is an art form. Get used to it).
“The audiences are a lot more comedy savvy now and arrive expecting a comedy show as opposed to a drunken ramble,” says Halcrow. “This is testament to the acts that make up the scene who are more committed to writing and not just getting inebriated, standing onstage and winging it in the hope of a cheap laugh. It is developing at a very organic pace and acts are getting better all the time. Acts and audiences are becoming more educated in what stand up is about.”
In this sense, a long-term, almost symbiotic relationship between show value and audience quality has evolved within structured comedy shows. Subsequently, when developing his first Verbal High open mic nights, Muldoon was faced with an all new dilemma: to attract and sustain a previously unfamiliar audience to shows that couldn’t provide drawcard headliners nor consistency in performance quality, but still needed to make a buck or two. His solution? Elephants.
Muldoon explains, “[Many] people just didn’t wanna pay $10 to see an international comedian – that’s crazy cheap. So then it was just about getting bums in seats. A smaller venue was chosen and some free open mic nights were put on. That solved that problem,” he says. “But in doing so it created another: chatty audiences. We couldn’t understand it – you’re at a show, listen/watch the show. Eventually, over time, people started to ‘get’ it and what we were trying to do. When I started Verbal High I decided to charge a dollar entry because then people feel invested in the show and any profits made go to the EARS [Elephant Asia Rescue and Survival] foundation. The crowds have matured alongside us and have grown into full, attentive audiences.”
No Cheap Laughs
The country’s comedy circuit evidently treads the familiar financial tightrope of its creative kin, continuously aiming to achieve a balance between providing quality (and accordingly costly) performers, while creating enough revenue to sustain a long-term scene.
Riley says, “Recently, I’ve had to turn down quite a few guys that are around, purely because we can’t pay their expenses. The model I’ve been forced to work with for Phnom Penh now is having no more than one international headliner per month. If others are willing to come on their own budget, then we’ll gladly host them if they are properly vetted.”
Riley nevertheless empathises with comedians who choose to skip Cambodia while touring the region, having worked closely with several comedy promoters based throughout Southeast Asia.
“There’s a lot more money going around Singapore and Malaysia, so the ticket prices are accordingly higher and they can afford multiple professional comics on the same bill,” he explains. “We have reduced our costs significantly to maintain a really low ticket price – nearly 10 times less than a show in Singapore, for example. The comics who come here are taking considerable pay cuts compared to their usual rates in the region. Thankfully, they still agree to come. A few even return, such as the sensational Glenn Wool, slated for a return this October.”
Cultural Clashes
Regional economic discrepancies clearly influence the prospect of attracting international comedians to the country, which in turn directly affects the growth of the local comedy scene.
However, capital is not the definitive explanation for the comparative success of comedy in surrounding countries. Having already stated the importance of creating a dedicated crowd following, Riley points out that attendance of locals may be an integral factor in doing so – something which is perceptibly higher in neighbouring Southeast Asian comedy clubs.
“Singapore and Malaysia particularly thrive because their audiences are comprised of both expats and English-speaking locals,” Riley says. “I’m not saying that expats are worse than locals as audience members, but I’ve always heard good things about the shows there – high energy and appreciative – and I think that the locals are a contributing factor to their success.“
That’s not to say that regular locals are non-existent within the crowd. It’s just that if you don’t include the bartenders, the comedians’ girlfriends, or the randoms who just happened to be in the venue that night, you could probably count them on one hand. Though undoubtedly multi-faceted, the most obvious reasons may involve the prevalent language barrier (heightened in the presence of a touring Scotsman with a thick accent and colloquial tongue), and contrasting humour. Anyone who’s watched popular Khmer comedy TV will be familiar with its classic slapstick clowning and OTT caricatures (noobs, YouTube Bayon TV Comedy). In the West, on the other hand, the most successful comedians tend toward their own extremities: either subtle, self-effacing wit, or explosive socio-political commentary (offset by the occasional strategically timed dick joke, of course). It’s not difficult to see where lies a divide.
So, to paraphrase almost anyone who’s ever worked within the local contemporary arts scene, how can that gap be bridged? Perhaps the most practical answer is through the encouragement and support of Khmer comics on the circuit. Riley’s finger is on the pulse, pronouncing Vatthina Tola, Phnom Penh’s only practicing Khmer comedian, as one of the city’s most promising rising talents. “I’d really like to see our only Cambodian comic take his unique act further afield.” Riley says. “I’m working on that…”
Halcrow agrees, adding, “[Thina] is a comic who gigs regularly and is an enthusiastic proponent of comedy in Cambodia.”
Learning From the Pros
Halcrow, who continues to MC for headlining acts across Southeast Asia, believes that on a long-term basis the growing popularity of comedy throughout the continent will ultimately work to the advantage of the localised comedy scene.
“Southeast Asian comedy in general is growing very rapidly: there’s comedy pretty much seven nights a week in KL, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai as well as the Comedy Club Bangkok and shows in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Yangon,” says Halcrow. “Our aim is to work together with scenes all over the region to bring the best comedians from all over the world to our audiences. Tours of Cambodia, like the one we have set up for Martin Mor this month, will hopefully become a regular thing and will give the local guys the opportunity to gig with some great comics and learn from watching them. The better the local acts are, the stronger the local scene will be and this will lead to a better standard of show.”
Phnom Penh-based performers are already demonstrably reaping the benefits from first-hand performances and training with internationally acclaimed professionals in the field. Upcoming organiser of Verbal High nights, Sam Thomas, perhaps best reflects this in his comedic trajectory. Since taking Irish comedian Aidan Killian’s Comedy Crash Course alongside Muldoon in 2013, the 25-year-old stand-up comic has steadily crafted his own unique performance style and now regularly performs at Verbal High nights, supports various international comedians at CCC shows, and workshops material with anyone keen to join.
“Most people would suggest Sam Thomas as someone who could go pro,” Riley attests. “He’s certainly impressed a lot of guys with his performances, and his dedication to improving both himself and other comics based here is laudable.”
Misbehaving & Farewell Waving
After having spent six years in the country, half of which has been dedicated to comedy, Muldoon confidently passes the open mic reigns to Thomas next month. Though admittedly woeful at his exodus, Muldoon prefers to focus on the accomplishments made and whimsical memories he’s collected along the way.
“There are too many moments to pick from (most being inappropriate to print or even share!),” Scotty says. “One incident involved [comedian] Glenn Wool and I inventing a cocktail shooter, the C-52. Basically a B-52 with the added ingredient of codeine. Was an interesting night after knocking back a few of those!”
On a more sobering note, Scotty adds, “[I’ll miss] all of it, but mostly the supportive community we’ve built up around the scene. I shall look back upon this period with pride and fondness. Thank you, arkun, and muchas gracias. Without an audience there can be no show.”
Give Scotty a hug goodbye at the Comedy Club Cambodia’s upcoming show presenting internationally acclaimed headlining comedian Martin Mor at 8:30pm, Friday May 22 at Show Box, #11 St. 330. Supported by Vatthina Tola, Scotty Muldoon and Steven Halcrow as MC. Read more on Mor on page 15.
