Get to know the Saudi king of comedy Bader Saleh

Have you heard the one about the vibrant Saudi Arabian comedy scene?

Bader Saleh is well aware that some people find the notion that the conservative kingdom does, in fact, have one is, well … laughable.

“People sometimes are shocked when they find out that there is a lot of comedy in the main cities in Saudi Arabia,” he says. “You can find a lot of shows there and more people are getting into it now. I think that’s a very good thing.”

Saleh, who will perform in Arabic at du Forum on Friday as part of Abu Dhabi Summer Season, can take part of the credit for helping establish the modern Saudi stand-up comedy scene — he was one of the first to regularly perform, back in its early days in 2009.

He recalls those shows as somewhat challenging affairs, both for himself and the audience.

“This was especially the case when you are not playing in the main cities such as Jeddah, Riyadh or Damam. The crowds just didn’t know what to expect in a stand-up show,” he says.

“People were used to stage plays and they think you will do some [Egyptian actor] Adel Imam thing. Then the show starts and they see me alone on the stage talking about myself and it was a bit of shock for them. They were thinking: ‘Why are you not acting?’ Or even worse: ‘Why are you looking at me?’”.

Original article by Saeed Saeed

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Get to know the Saudi king of comedy Bader Saleh