Pinoy comedy going global

Veteran comedian and stand-up performer Bill Crosby once said, “Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.” His quote holds true for us Filipinos who remain positive and resilient despite the cataclysmic challenges.

And this is what stand-up comedian and doctor Nathaniel “Nace” Cruz explained when he guested in The Bottomline. “It’s all about comedy pa rin. I believe na kahit hindi ganoon ka-glamorous iyong nire-represent ko — because we always excel in beauty pageants, in sports, in boxing — it is high time we represent comedy because why else would we be dubbed the happiest people in the midst of all the tragedies that come our way?”

Doc Nace won in America Meet World comedy video competition with his award-winning entry titled Junjun: The Social Media Savvy Beggar (Episode 1 Hunger). The video deals with the theme of technology and falls under the satire category.

The award-winning video shows Junjun, a beggar (played by Doc Nace) who is more immersed in taking photos of the food he received from a kid and his mother and posting it on Facebook to earn “likes” than eating first to satiate his hunger. His video bested other countries like South Africa, Canada, Malawi, India, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and Uganda. Part of his prize was a trip to New York to meet the executives of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Doc Nace described his video, “If you think beggars don’t use social media, think again. FYI: This does not mean to diminish the tragedy of Typhoon Haiyan as it was shot early 2013. In fact, it shows the kindness of my fellow Filipinos and the entire world. Filipino spirit is waterproof!”

I remember Doc Nace’s appearance in The Bottomline. That time, he was appealing for his kababayan’s support to vote for him in the global comedy video contest. He was second in ranking and was trailing behind with 2,000 votes against the top competitor. The moment he stepped onstage, he whacked the studio with his own brand of humor. He jokingly introduced himself to the audience, “I’m also Tito Boy’s personal gynecologist… Totoo talaga akong doktor. Mukha lang akong pasyente.”

“Sa medicine kasi pinakamalakas na practice is dermatology. Sa sobrang lakas ng practice ng dermatology, nakakagawa ng sariling terms gaya ng Dra. Belo, ‘Be Belofied.’ Dr. Calayan, ‘Calayanized.’ Kaya buti na lang Tito Boy, hindi ako nag-derma. Delikado ka sa akin kasi ako pala si Dr. Cruz… ‘To achieve heavenly beauty, you have to be crucified.’” People in the studio including the cameramen were in stitches.

According to stand-up comedian and Comedy Manila co-founder Eri Neeman, Doc Nace’s triumph in the video competition is one of the great developments in Comedy Manila which is now going global.

There are other awesome milestones for Comedy Manila and Pinoy Stand-up Revolution including the all-Pinoy stand-up comedy show titled Manila Madness which Alex Calleja, Victor Anastacio and GB Labrador are producing. Manila Madness will be staged in Malaysia on May 17 at Ril’s Bangsar and on May 18 at PJ Live Arts, Jaya One.

Alex has performed in various venues and events here and abroad. He is also a television, movie and radio talent. Victor is the champion of Jack TV’s Laffapalooza in 2007 and has performed at the 2012 Hong Kong Comedy Festival. GB is one of the country’s international stand-up comedians. He was the first runner-up at the fourth annual Hong Kong Comedy Festival. He is also a television writer.

Meanwhile, Eri recently performed at Gotham Comedy Club in New York City. This is a prestigious club in New York where A-list comedians Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, Larry David, Lewis Black and Dane Cook have performed.

On the homefront, Comedy Manila will have its next leg of its college tour at UP Bahay ng Alumni on May 9 at 8 p.m.