Just for laughs

Show
Laugh it Off
Nov. 27, 8 p.m.
Eclipse Entertainment Lounge, Solaire Hotel and Casino

By Zsarlene B. Chua,
Reporter

FANS of stand-up comedy please, well, stand up as Prime i Events presents Laugh it Off, a one-night show featuring several comics: American Paul Ogata, Malaysian Rizal Van Geyzel, and the country’s own Alex Calleja on Nov. 27 at the Eclipse Entertainment Lounge in Solaire Hotel and Casino.

“International shows such as Laugh it Off brings out the best of my talents to show the world that we are likewise funny. It helps promote stand-up comedy which is a growing form of entertainment worldwide,” Mr. Calleja said in a press release.

Known for “blending comedic neurosis and hilarity taken mostly from personal experiences,” Mr. Calleja recently placed second in Laugh Factory’s (a chain of comedy clubs in the United States) “Funniest Person in the World” contest held in Finland last year.

Mr. Calleja will be joined onstage by Paul Ogata, an American comic from Hawaii whose brand of humor is mostly about the “stupid people of the world while also poking fun of himself with self-incriminating innuendos.”

He has headlined shows all over the world including Tokyo and Sydney, and won in the 32nd Annual San Francisco International Comedy Competition which puts him in the company of Dana Carvey, among other comedy greats.

Mr. Ogata visited Cebu two years ago for a performance but this will be his first time performing in Manila and, if his Cebu experience is anything to go by, he expects the Manila audience to be just as warm and loud.

“When I was in Cebu two years ago, the crowd was amazing, but they made me eat balut (fertilized duck egg) after the show. I’m expecting the Manila crowd to be just as warm and I know how hospitable Filipinos are and I know they will be louder, but hoping for no balut pranks from the producers just pancit, lechon, inasal, and adobo (noodles, roast pig, barbecue, and vinegar stewed pork and chicken),” he said in the press release.

Malaysian comedian Rizal Van Geyzel also joins Mssrs. Ogata and Calleja in the one-night show. Mr. Van Geyzel is known for his comedic presence “that lands between the profound and the absurd with a dose of an honest form of humor.” He debuted at the 2017 Melbourne International Comedy Festival where he was handpicked to host 22 shows together with Douglas Lim.

Aside from the comics, Laugh it Off will also feature the mentalist Justin Pinon who is said to accurately read people’s minds.

“We all have problems in our lives and stress is a never-ending issue of people. We think that this form of entertainment is the best value money can get,” said Dilip Budhrani, founder of Prime i Events, in the release.

Tickets for Laugh it Off cost P2,500 (reserved seating) and P1,800 (free seating). For ticket inquiries, call 0920-971-7055 or 0917-570-3057.