Stand-up comedy returned to The Standard Hotel Hua Hin on Thursday evening, 16th May, when comedian Eman El-Husseini took the stage for her first stop on The Comedy Club Bangkok Southeast Asian Circuit. The room wasn’t exactly set up like a “comedy club,” but it was packed with a great mix of movers and shakers from Hua Hin’s expat community.
Opening the show was the very funny and gregarious Wes Dalton from Ireland. His act was spontaneous, interactive with the audience, and off the cuff. He had the crowd in stitches from the get-go. Wes then introduced the promoter, Chris Wegoda, who, playing off Wes’s rapport with the audience, initiated a whole Improv Comedy segment with comedian Jennie Pines and audience participants.
After a brief intermission, Wes Dalton returned to introduce the headlining act. Eman immediately launched into her gender-bending, smart, and clever weaving of politics, ethnicity, religion, and social reflections.
Eman El-Husseini is an openly gay, Palestinian-Canadian comedy veteran who has made numerous TV and radio appearances, including a comedy special on Comedy Now for CTV, CBC, Kevin Hart’s LOL Network, Amazon Prime, BBC Radio, as well as prestigious comedy festivals such as Just for Laughs and Winnipeg. Eman is a regular performer at the top comedy clubs in New York, where she is currently based.
Eman opened her show with many hilarious anecdotes and references to her marriage to a Jewish-Canadian woman, her Muslim family’s reactions to her sexuality and choice of partner, and even her decision to pursue a career in comedy. Eman humorously recalled her time being locked down in her tiny apartment during the pandemic, leading to subsequent weight gain — something many in the audience could totally relate to, including myself. I found it easy to relate to the comedic way in which she dismantled conventional stereotypes and perspectives on marriage, politics, and heritage, being self-effacing without being offensive.
Eman’s performance lasted about an hour and ended on a slightly uncomfortable note. Sometimes, hearing how members of other cultures, religions, and LGBTQ individuals project their opinions through comedy can make people slightly uncomfortable. However, I personally didn’t feel uncomfortable at all, and I thoroughly enjoyed Eman’s performance from beginning to end, as did many other attendees who expressed the same sentiment to me.
Once again, thanks to Chris Wegoda, Wes Dalton, Jennie Pines, Eman El-Husseini, The Comedy Club Bangkok, and the staff at The Standard Hotel Hua Hin for a wonderful evening of laughter.
