DUBAI If you’ve ever wondered whether the UAE’s workhorses have any sense of humour, here is your answer. Seventy per cent of those who turn up at The Laughter Factory, the longest-running comedy night in the UAE, are regulars.
As the popular show marks its 20th anniversary next month, its founder Gail Clough says, “People come to Dubai to make something of themselves and there is a lot of competition and pressure to achieve. There’s a sense of separation too. But comedy is self-deprecating and appeals to the collective consciousness. When people see the comics up close, their brain works in a different way and everyone in the room is like a happy family laughing together.”
Two for one
Keeping residents in splits since 1997, The Laughter Factory is celebrating the start of its 20th year with eight shows in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, headlined by Canadian comic Pete Johansson. The occasion is also being marked by a two-for-one ticket offer at every gig during the month.
Over the past two decades, The Laughter Factory has hosted hundreds of visiting A-list comics at over 1,000 gigs in the GCC – entertaining more than 100,000 guests in the process.
As Clough reminisces, it was boredom that inspired her and Duncan Jones to put on one of the UAE’s first comedy gigs when they booked the Premiere in Deira’s Hyatt Regency – one of the city’s hottest nightclubs then. “The bill included a hypnotist and a man with no arms, and only a few more jokes. We were amazed when 500 people showed up. We were sold out because people had nothing else to do other than watch The Bold and The Beautiful six times a week on TV.”
The second show was nothing like the first. “It was a disaster. We had someone called Derek Acorah, who was a mind reader, and went around telling people they were going to get cancer. I can’t believe The Laughter Factory survived that,” says Clough.
In 2000, The Laughter Factory signed a deal with the UK’s top venue, The Comedy Store, guaranteeing a solid rafter of comics every month – many of which have gone on to be household names. Over the years, comedians who have played The Laughter Factory include Michael McIntyre, Ross Noble, Russell Peters, Frankie Boyle, Kevin Bridges, Ed Byrne and Jason Manford.
Clough says, “Many comics tend to be quite fragile and easily upset in person, the opposite of how they are on stage. They are intelligent and have a unique way of looking at the world.”
Some good laughs with the comics that followed are etched in Clough’s memory: Indian hotel staff abandoning their posts to watch Russell Peters from the back of the room; Dara O’Brian speaking so fast no one could understand a word; someone telling Jason Manford off for not being able to deal with ticket sales; and so on.
With Dubai wired up for comedy like never before, The Laughter Factory has also introduced pre-show brunches and comedy supper clubs that have established that comedies can be classy and not rowdy pub affairs. It also organises shows for birthday bashes, staff parties and other dos.
As for the May tour, expect a laugh riot with Pete Johansson, the A list comic TV star, dollops of Irish wit from Chris Kent and a fascinating performance by Marlon Davis.
The Laughter Factory – May tour dates
Dubai:
May 12, 9pm: Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach, JBR
May 13, 9pm: Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach, JBR
May 18, 8pm: McGettigan’s JLT @ The Baggot
May 19, 9pm: Grand Millennium Hotel, TECOM
May 20, 9pm: The Gramercy, DIFC
Abu Dhabi:
May 11, 8pm: Park Rotana, Abu Dhabi
Tickets, priced at Dh140, are on sale on platinumlist.ae. For details go to: www.thelaughterfactory.com
