Digital Era Changes Stand-up Comedy Landscape

By Zaphne Philip

KUCHING, May 11 (Bernama) -- Big names on the global comedy scene such as Dave Chappelle, Trevor Noah and Ricky Gervais have proven that stand-up comedy is not merely a form of entertainment, but also a platform to openly and satirically express social and cultural views.

In Malaysia, a similar approach is championed by comedian Rizal Van Geyzel, who believes industry players must remain cautious, especially in the age of social media where statements can easily be distorted.

Rizal, whose real name is Mohamad Rizal Johan Van Geyzel, said comedians today face major  challenges as jokes delivered on stage can be misinterpreted and turned into ammunition for attacks on online platforms.  

“In a comedy performance space, audiences come to enjoy uncensored entertainment and  understand the context of the jokes being delivered. But on social media, excerpts can be twisted,” he told Bernama.

He said certain parties deliberately create “manufactured anger” on social media by manipulating specific issues for their own interests.

“When I’m on stage, I use cultural and racial references in a friendly manner, but there are people who twist them to make it seem as though I’m trying to insult others, which is never the actual intention,” he said.

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Rizal said the controversy surrounding him in 2022 opened his eyes to the risks of the digital world, but stressed that it did not change his approach to performing.

Instead, he said the incident made him more cautious about content shared online.

“A stand-up comedy career is not an easy field because opportunities are still limited, besides language and cultural challenges in attracting wider public interest.

“On top of that, the culture of buying tickets to watch live entertainment performances has yet to fully develop in Malaysia, including in Kuala Lumpur. It’s not only stand-up comedy, theatre and musicals face similar challenges too,” he said.

Sharing his journey in comedy, Rizal said his interest was inspired by Western comedians as well as late local arts figure Jit Murad, who was renowned for boldly addressing social and political issues through humour.

“Comedians actually talk about things many people think about but are afraid to say aloud. That’s what I admire about stand-up comedy.

“Personally, I see comedy as a medium to turn bitter experiences and life’s challenges into something positive and entertaining for audiences,” he said.

For the record, on July 7, 2023, Rizal was fined RM8,000 by the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court for making and initiating video posts deemed sensitive to racial issues via Facebook, Instagram and TikTok in July 2022.

-- BERNAMA