With its launch night hailed as a huge success on social media, it’s safe to say that the future of Ahmad Ahmad’s new Dubai comedy club looks very promising. Launched last weekend with American comedian Vincent Oshana, Comedy Oasis will run biweekly at the Habtoor Grand Beach Resort, with plans to turn it into a weekly event in the near future.
At the helm of its production is Egyptian-American comedian Ahmad — he of Axis of Evil fame, the first Middle Eastern stand-up special to be televised on Comedy Central. He has also appeared as an actor in a number of major film productions, including 2008’s Iron Man, and the UAE’s first major feature film, City of Life, directed by Ali F. Mustafa.
tabloid! met the star to find out more about Comedy Oasis, his Dubai plans, as well as why Bassem Yousuf won’t return to Egypt.
The first edition of Comedy Oasis has just taken place… tell us more about it.
My aim was not to be a performer; it was more about being a producer. I’ve always had a vision to open a comedy club, especially in Dubai. It’s something I feel that has been missing here. I got very lucky and I’m grateful to Rashid and Mohammed Al Habtoor. I called up Rashid directly one day and I asked him if we could open a comedy club at the hotel. He asked me to talk to his brother, so I did. He told me about this venue, Andreea’s and to check it out. I came down here and I said — this will work! It’s an intimate venue. Seated, this place holds about 200 people. At the end of September, I’m bringing Dean Edwards of Saturday Night Live fame.
So why now?
It has been something that I have always wanted to do but I was busy with other projects. Then everything just came to a standstill for me in Hollywood, with my agent and acting career in terms of not being able to get the parts that I wanted to play in TV and film. It’s a very secular industry; it’s a very racist industry; and unfortunately, if you are Arab or Muslim or have an Arab or Muslim name in Hollywood, you’re only going to play stereotypical roles. So I thought, let’s switch it up a bit, time for a change. It’s either going to be a big hit or it’s going to fail miserably.
Are you moving permanently to Dubai?
No, I’m living out of a suitcase at the moment. I have moved out of my house in Los Angeles and put all my stuff in storage. And so at the moment, I am just trying to figure out where my next home is going to be. It’s either going to be New York and/or Dubai. So we’ll see. I love Dubai and I love coming here... I just can’t stand the humidity — the heat is like a sauna. And I’m from Egypt so you’d think I’d be used to this!
Your first events are being headlined by big names from the US; do you plan on introducing local talent to Comedy Oasis?
Absolutely. We were going to have a local act for the launch event, but the management decided to stick with one performer for the first one. I know there’s a handful of local acts here, a couple of whom I know personally. I want to help grow and nurture the local comedy scene — I have a long list of comedians that I want to bring here… I’ll also be looking at scouting local talent to take the stage.
We can just imagine you going to an event, wearing a large cap and sitting at the back so no one spots you.
That’s what I plan on doing — literally sit in the back of the room, nobody knows I’m there, and then I’ll approach whoever I think is funny, and I offer them my card and [ask] whether they’d be interested in me booking them for an event. I need to be on the ground a little bit more to go out and find the talent here, and go watch them, nurture them and cultivate them. Not necessarily mentor or teach them — because I don’t think you can ‘teach’ comedy; funny is funny, you either have it or you don’t — but you need a platform or stage in order to cultivate that, and so we want to provide that.
Do you have plans to expand the brand regionally?
The name Comedy Oasis is something I own, and therefore I would love to launch it in other cities in the region. I would love to open one in Cairo, for instance. One in Lebanon, one in Jordan, one in Kuwait, in Qatar... so we’ll see. If it takes off here, let’s see.
In terms of the genre, the region witnessed a rise in ‘localised’ comedy — jokes that Middle Easterners can relate to, for example. But it seems to have gone a little quietly lately, presumably due to what’s happening in the region right now. So what’s funny right now?
Donald Trump, he’s hot right now. Regionally, we’re kind of pushing the reset button. Comedy is an art form that is extremely diverse, and so when we did Axis of Evil, it was at the right time.
But it’s a touchy subject. Let’s take Bassem Yousuf — he’s the perfect example of a guy who was trying to take on the [Egyptian] government with his humour, and he kind of did for a minute. But then he got kicked out of Egypt because of it, and he lives here now. He’s a friend of mine and he was telling me that the Egyptian military called him personally and said they would let him back into Egypt, give him his show back, give him money and a house on the condition that he didn’t touch them on his show. And he said no. He refused to be a puppet. He was in a very tricky situation, because he had 30 to 40 million tuning into his show every week. He could probably run for president if he wanted to. I’d like to see him back in the spotlight and doing political satire. But there are channels that are scared to touch him, as he is controversial. But he is extremely talented.
You mentioned you are working with Yousuf on a new production, A Comedy of Arabs.
We’re looking for funding at the moment. Half of the script takes place in New York City and then the other half takes place in a fictional Middle Eastern city. There’s a lot of expressed interest in the project. But when you make a movie, you don’t want [an investor] looking over your shoulder and telling you what to do, how to act and what to change. Let the artist be the artist, and let the investor be the investor. Otherwise, I’d rather wait for funding.
And you’ve also got a book coming out?
It’s called Ahmedica and it’s about my journey, from day one. My father’s immigration to the US, how we were raised Arab-Americans etc. The meat and potatoes of the book details what I’ve helped pioneer in the Middle East as far as comedy is concerned, and the trials and tribulations and successes, and the highs and lows of that.
What have been your highlights of the year so far?
I’ve done my fourth comedy festival, Just for Laughs. When we got to Montreal we were doing 10 minutes every night. And that was great because they were really, really cool shows. I also received a couple of great write-ups in the States, including a piece saying I was one of top ten comics to watch this summer on tour. GQ did a spread on myself, Maz Jobrani and a couple of other actors. We had to dress up as superheroes.
And of course this — the launch of a comedy club in Dubai. I think it will help garner some attention that I have been asking for back in Hollywood. And hopefully, it will give me some sort of leverage to try and get some stuff back there. I just want to do more in my own terms.
You had a role in Ali F Mustafa’s City of Life, as well as in a few films in the US. Is acting something you still want to do?
I recently read this article about Morgan Freeman where he said “I didn’t get my first break until I was 34, I didn’t get my first starring role until I was 52” and it made me take a deep breath and think “Wow, there’s still time”. Success happens when you are ready to get it.
Most male actors don’t come into their prime anyway until they’re about 40. There are very few that launch when they’re younger and that’s because they are super good looking — like the Brad Pitts and Keanu Reeves of the world — guys like myself, well we’ve got a lot of diversity. Do I think I am talented? Yes. Am I an Academy Award-winning actor? Maybe one day - who knows? If I get the right part. But I am just putting it on the backburner right now.
Don’t miss it!
The next edition of Comedy Oasis is on September 24. Tickets cost Dh175, which includes food and beverages. Call 050-5028666.
