After Netflix debut, Alex Calleja gears up for shows abroad

Pinoys here and abroad can experience Alex Calleja’s brand of stand-up comedy via "Tamang Panahon," which, as of this writing, is the most-watched show on Netflix Philippines.

On the multi-hyphenate artist’s Facebook page, he recently shared the good news that his special is “STILL #1” on the streaming platform that also allows other nationalities to watch his work. “Tamang Panahon” has English subtitles.

In the same social media post, Alex acknowledged the support of everyone who made this feat possible.

Days before the premiere of “Tamang Panahon,” The STAR had a brief virtual chat with Alex, who generously answered the questions.

He said of his comedy style and influences, “Sa Pinoy, mas Babalu ako, mas Porkchop Duo, mas mga sidekick. Sa Amerika, may Dave Chappelle ako, Jerry Seinfeld. (In the Philippine scene, my comedy is more of comedian-actor Babalu, the Porkchop Duo and the sidekick kind of comedy. In the American scene, I consider Dave Chappelle and Jerry Seinfeld as my influences.)”

According to Alex, the delivery of the late TV and movie comic is fitting and can also be done in the stand-up comedy.

“That kind of delivery gets Pinoy audiences to laugh,” he said.

Alex uses and takes inspiration from Babalu’s approach as one of the many tricks to entertain and engage his audience that watches his shows in different venues.

The comedian also shared his thoughts on stand-up comedy and comedy on TV and film.

“In stand-up comedy, the result is immediate. You make people laugh, and you get their response right away. I immediately hear their reaction,” Alex said.

“When I write for a comedy show or act on TV or film, I have to wait for its broadcast and release. You won’t hear the audience reaction, so you just assume that when you deliver it, there will be viewers who laugh at it. There’s no immediate feedback mechanism in that setup.”

What one could gather from the answers of Alex is that the style to present comedy changes, depending on the platform.

Since Alex is also a writer of gag and comedy shows, one might also think that TV writing has helped him foray into becoming a stand-up comedian and propelled a successful career in the field.

“No, it’s the other way around,” he said.

“Because I was writing my own jokes for stand-up comedy, I learned to become a writer for TV. I learned to become a writer because of my stand-up comedy.”

Based on the description of Netflix to “Tamang Panahon,” Alex presents “hilarious takes on gossip, gender and the differences between the rich and the poor.”

Part of his material was the carwash joke, which was alleged to be not originally his.

Alex has since released a statement via his Facebook page, strongly denying he copied it. The stand-up comedian said that he made the joke when he was a writer of “Usapang Lalake” and “Goin’ Bulilit,” sharing old Facebook posts as proof.

In the interview with this paper, Alex shared that he has a radio-podcast show on Magic 89.9, a podcast and a sitcom, “GoodWill,” as a head writer.

He also looks forward to another season of “TikTalks.” The first part of last year saw him as part of “Face 2 Face.”

He traveled abroad for shows and topbilled his birthday show in the succeeding months. He also graced corporate shows in the last quarter.

This year, he has his first Netflix special “Tamang Panahon” and will have a show in Singapore on Feb. 16. He also has a US tour from April 2 to 16. Then, it will be followed by a Canada tour from May 22 to June 8. Then, in the last quarter of the year, he will be in Dubai, Australia and New Zealand.

When asked to give pieces of advice to aspiring stand-up comedians, Alex said, “The technique is to write, to write jokes and then perform them on stage, that’s it.

“Wala ng patumpik-tumpik pa, kung kailangan n’yo ngayon, ngayon na. Hindi pwedeng, ‘Ay, saka na.’ (No more hesitating — if you need to do it now, do it now. You can’t say, ‘Oh, maybe later.’) If you want to know you have the talent for it, write your three-minute comedy material and go to an open mic.

“Give it a try. You will know where you stand in achieving your dream. That will be the beginning. You have to do open mic or at least try it at an open mic event,” concluded Alex.

(Alex Calleja’s stand-up comedy special, “Tamang Panahon,” is now streaming on Netflix.)