What Lebanese Stand-up Comedy Could Be
In January of 2023, I watched Mike Birbiglia live on Broadway in “The Old Man & the Pool”. It was the first show I watch of the genre of “stand-up comedy” on Broadway. Regardless of my opinion of the show from the stand-up comedy perspective and from a sense of humor perspective, I kept wondering about why this stand-up comedy show made it to Broadway. Of course, there are so many factors that come into play when it comes to why some shows make it to Broadway and others don’t. The artistic value is one factor in a sea of others (and this is an important topic, for hopefully some other time). However, if the artistic value is not of a certain style or standard, it will probably not sell enough or not get the reviews it got. It would also not become a Netflix special, probably. Either way, the jokes aside (see what I did there? :-)), it is, whether we like it or not, a good show for many people. And my questions and reflections were In the realm of ”Why this one?” or ”What about it makes it what it is?”
Again, there are many answers. The show touches upon many themes that relate to many people. It is well-written and well-performed. It crosses multiple “genres” even if it is known as a stand-up comedy show. It is well-designed and well-directed. And all of these attributes are attributes I respect and put in high regard. I aspire to them. And from my perspective, one of the answers to those questions that stood out for me is “storytelling”. It is a very well-told story. And ever since then, my standards for stand-up comedy shows have got substantially upgraded.
I’ve always viewed stand-up comedy like any other performance. And like any other performance it has to have the “basics” of any performance. To start with, at least. Everything I look for in any performance, I look for in stand-up comedy; direction, design, attention to details, audience experience, etc… Even if the style of the stand-up comedian is not story-based, those basics should be there for me. This upgrade has added to those criteria. It augmented the way I would do a stand-up show. Even though I have never done a stand-up comedy show myself, I do coach multiple stand-up comedians, do the dramaturgy, and direct many of their shows. And with this upgrade to how I see stand-up comedy, the way I work with them and my contribution to their work has also received a substantial upgrade.
One recent show I worked on developing, dramaturging (Is this a word? Anyway, you know what I mean :-)), and directing is John Achkar’s new show Aam Jarrib. Regardless of what you think of John’s comedy, Aam Jarrib is a show that takes Lebanese stand-up comedy to new heights. Of course, I’m not comparing it to “The Old Man & the Pool”. I am also NOT not comparing it. But Aam Jarrib is a show that has a very good story. It was very well designed by a team of professionals. And it was directed. I don’t know how well that was done, but if you see it, I’d like to hear from you about that. Either way, and opinions and tastes aside, Aam Jarrib pushes the envelope of what Lebanese stand-up comedy can be.
Aam Jarrib, Casino du Liban, Lebanon - March 14, 2025
The process of creating Aam Jarrib was also very unique. John and I have been working together for about 7 years now. This, of course, contributes to how well a collaboration and partnership can be - very similar to the process of ensemble building among theater groups. We understand each other at a very deep level. We know each other very well. And even (or especially?) when we disagree, we know how to do it, how to deal with it, and how to capitalize on it for the benefit of the show. John loves to tell stories. He brings stories. We play with them. He jokes about them. I try to make sense out of them. And then… voila. That’s how it all starts. For this show, it was a bit different. We started from a theme. We started from “What do you want to tell people about, and why do you want to tell them that?” From that, we started digging for stories and the last step, YES THE LAST STEP, was making them funny. Then the performance, design (sound, set, lights, etc..), and overall experience of the show were created according to what the story needs to be told in the best way possible. Now, this may be a process that people already use. It may even be an archaic process. I don’t know. And that’s the best thing about it. We could be re-inventing the wheel here. Just like we did with improv in Lebanon back in 2009. There wasn’t a very active stand-up comedy scene in Lebanon before the last 5-7 years. So to create such a show, with such production value, and that sells out 5 shows of 1000+ seats at Casino du Liban is definitely a feat for stand-up comedy, regardless of whether we like it or not (liking a show is a matter of taste. I’m trying to highlight the technical aspects that are independent of that). It’s also important to mention that stand-up comedy in Arabic (Lebanese in this case) can also be quite different from that in English considering the rhythm of the language, how it sounds, culturally-specific sense of humor, community-specific nuances and other factors. So it’s a very exciting time to be part of the stand-up comedy scene in Lebanon.
Nevertheless, whether we are re-inventing the wheel, following “standard procedure”, or inventing something totally new (which is not something that’s possible, I think, as I am a strong proponent of the saying “there’s nothing new under the sun”), for where stand-up comedy is in Lebanon and the world now, Aam Jarrib is one of those very few that are among great company.