Dua tiga kucing berlari..

Bal. Comedian, Poet!

Crackhouse Comedy Club, Kuala Lumpur

Dua tiga kucing berlari
Hilang seekor dibawa helang
Dalam lokap India mati
Mayat dicampak di Sungai Kelang.
— Bal

That’s Bal on stage last week, cracking us up in an otherwise and unusually empty lot that is the Crackhouse Comedy Club in Kuala Lumpur.
He was one of five acts that Thursday night for komedi standap Bahahasa as it is called, where the comedy comes fast and thick, and some slow and thin, in the national language.
I was struck by this particular poem that he read out, a riff on a childhood poem but sharp and caustic with a twist from him, reflecting the number of Indians who perish in police custody in Malaysian lock-ups.
You are about to laugh, and you do, and then you check yourself wondering if you should have laughed at all.
Away from the stage, Bal was taking orders and serving us drinks in a reflection of what the comedy club is, a place for aspiring stand-up comedians to try out and also make all of us comfortable and have a good time.
And away from the club, Bal has served 10 years as a cabin crew in two local airlines and is now working in marketing. And cracking smooth lines.
Kenny Loh and I were fortunate to be the only ones to watch the performance that night. I’d like to go for more whenever possible. Do go!
#malaysia #standup #comedy #leica #leicat