“I asked, ‘Are you waiting for someone?’ She said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Is he a big person? Like, with big muscles?’ She said, ‘No.’ So I said, ‘Do you mind if I sit with you?’” Comedy Manila co-founder, GB Labrador, or the guy with the moustache (as he refers to himself during his set) is all smiles as he delivers one of his so-called “best pick up lines”—one he swears hasn’t failed him yet. Comedy Manila, a group aiming to revolutionize local stand-up comedy, takes the same approach in courting local audiences—cocky, confident and unabashed.
Standing up
Filipinos today have come to love the kind of comedy that pokes fun at others—where a poor, unsuspecting audience member is called up on stage to be teased and taunted. Comedy Manila, founded by Labrador and Eri Neeman, is out to change all that. The troupe of different local comedians came together in 2013 to revolutionize the Philippine comedy scene.
Today, the group continues to expand its network of comedians as they perform across—and even out of—the country, in the hopes that their vision of a new world of comedy in the Philippines will inspire budding performers to step up to the mic. After a full house performance at DLSU just a few months ago, the group made their Atenean debut last August 15 at United Colors of Comedy, an event organized by the Ateneo Collegiate Society of Advertising.
With a cast of performers including Victor Anastacio (BS LM ‘09), James Caraan, GB Labrador, Red Ollero, Ryan Puno (BS COMTECH ‘09) and headliner Alex Calleja, it’s no surprise that they were able to fill up the entire Henry Lee Irwin Theatre, making the event an overall success.
Laughs, and more laughs
As the comedians took the stage, one couldn’t help but see comedy as more than just a shallow venture for laughs and gags, but as a true and valid art form. The majority of their jokes volley between playful teasing to professional sleazing, but it’s evident that deeper social, political and even environmental issues get folded into the mix.
Labrador shares that he likes to “put a message or two out there,” especially when dealing with a young audience. “I ask myself, ‘Why are we doing this?’ and I try to relay this to the audience,” says Labrador. Whether it’s fighting for their own advocacies or simply for the love of making others laugh, the personal passions of each of these comedians simply radiate.
The pains of performing
The art of stand-up comedy is no laughing matter, as Labrador explains. “I’ve been doing stand-up for six years, and when you’re doing stand-up, it’s always a surprise. You think a crowd will appreciate some jokes, but when you’re doing it, they end up not finding them funny. You just have to keep going… If a joke doesn’t work, then on to the next joke. No big deal.”
As easy as it seems to pick up a mic and start casually dishing out one-liners, comedians are anything but at ease when faced with crowds of hundreds of people. “I always love the feeling of being nervous when I go up on stage,” Labrador expounds. “The pressure makes me look natural. And it’s nice that you’re a little bit nervous, like with your first joke, then you go from there—just go with the audience’s energy.”
“Sometimes you tend to overthink it. Just treat it like [sharing stories] with friends,” says Anastacio, another performer under Comedy Manila and one of two Atenean alums in the group. And when the crowd isn’t laughing? “Sometimes you just end your set, go backstage, and cry,” Victor adds jokingly. “Just kidding! But that’s all you can do. There are ups and downs to it.”
Setting the stage
For Calleja, Comedy Manila’s veteran who has been going at it since the 90s (and has even been invited to open for the likes of Hollywood funny man Rob Schneider), the Pinoy stand-up scene still has a lot of shaping up to do. “We’re rebranding. We’re trying to educate,” he says. “Someone once asked me, ‘Stand-up comedian ka? So, bakla ka?’ (You’re a standup comedian? So, you’re gay?) We have to educate the people first. Ironically, I write for Showtime and Vice Ganda. What they call our type of comedy is ‘intellectual stand-up,’ which I disagree with. Because, it’s like they’re saying that whoever doesn’t watch this sort of thing is ‘stupid,’” he says in a mix of English and Filipino.
It’s indeed a shame that local, mainstream comedy has become characterized by spiteful slapstick. Comedy Manila hopes to change all that with a new brand of humor that everyone can get in on. And believe us, this is one joke you wouldn’t want to miss.
Catch Comedy Manila during their open-mic performances at Craft, Katipunan every Wednesday at 8:00 PM.
