Ahead of the United Nations of Comedy II showcase at Emirates Palace this weekend, Khaled Khalaffah tells us about life as a stand-up.
Is this the first time you have performed in the region?
This is my first time playing in the Middle East. It is special for me as I have been wanting to come here for a really long time and didn’t know how. This gig really just came and fell on my lap and it came at the right time and place for me.
You have established yourself as one of the young stars of the Australian comedy scene. Do you feel it’s time now to see how you fare internationally?
I think it is. I did tour Australia a lot and I recently played some shows in New York. I do feel that coming to Abu Dhabi, and the Middle East generally, is a great opportunity. It is a growing market and I think I have a lot of things to offer the audiences there. When it came to New York, that was really just about travelling over there to see and learn from people who are better than me. The show in Abu Dhabi is like a dream come true as I am performing with people who are like childhood heros to me. To share a stage with someone such as Aaron Kader, for example, is amazing.
Your material blends a lot of autobiography with social observations. How do you describe it?
I prefer to describe it as an autobiographical look into deep issues. I never quite spell out the issues I am covering, but present them in very simple analogies. The best way, perhaps, to say it is that I present simple material but allow the audience to think about it as deeply as they like.
That sounds more complicated than it looks.
It is. I come up with complicated things and simplify them over a long period of time until they become more commercialised. So, when I am talking about an existential crisis or the generational gap between me and my parents, it can be whittled down by some audience members to: “You are really good with accents,” while others may say: “I see what you are doing there. You are talking about a deeper issue.”
Who is your biggest comic inspiration?
It was and remains Eddie Murphy, 100 per cent. It is more than just his jokes or his craft. It is about Eddie being convinced that his ego is the product and how his stage persona is nothing to do with him in real life. I love and am inspired by the way he divorces the two and how he can just turn up on stage and turn it on. That is also what I am aiming for.
sasaeed@thenational.ae
• United Nations of Comedy II is at Emirates Palace on Thursday and Friday. Tickets cost from Dh195 from www.ticketmaster.ae
