Stand up tour brings global acts to Seoul

Hot on the heels of U.S. comic Danny Cho’s stand up shows in Seoul and Busan, a group of overseas comics is due to play Korea next week.

Dutch comedian Dider Chabi will host a show on July 8 and 9 as part of East Side Comedy’s Expat Stand Up World Tour.

The show will be headlined by Jamaican Ian Edwards, supported by British comic Dharmander Singh and Nitin Mirani, who is based in the United Arab Emirates. They will be joined by some of Stand-up Seoul’s own comics.

After success in individual shows, Chabi teamed up with InterNations, an organization that aims to connect expats with similar interests to each other, to set up shows in more than 30 countries.

There have been some hiccups ― InterNations’ Korea representative Sven Schelwach admits that some of the details, including the lineup, have changed since they were first publicized. But Schelwach is optimistic that the event will be a success.

“This is the first time this tour is being organized, but hopefully not the last time,” he said.

Among the Korea-based comedians performing will be Albert Escobedo, who says he is looking forward to the show.

“The other comedians and myself are always striving to get professional comedians to come to Seoul so we can share a stage with them,” he said. “It’s an incredible opportunity for all of us to meet and work with comedians who are doing what we are trying to do.”

Escobedo described performing with Danny Cho as a huge ego boost.

“Having the big names come here also gives us a chance to work with professionals and learn from them,” he added.

“These guys are seasoned veterans and know how to work a crowd.”

Escobedo will be joined by Jeff Sinclair and Rudy Tyburczy for the performances.

The tour is partly in support of the World Food Program, and Chabi says that part of the fees from the event will go to the WFP. The tour also has a page on the WFP’s website, wefeedback.org, where you can give money and keep track of the impact of donations.

The tour will perform at Roofer’s bar in Itaewon. Doors open 5:30 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are 25,000 won or 30,000 won on the door and include a rooftop barbecue.

Reservations can be made via http://www.eastsidecomedy.net/south-korea.php or through direct payment, with details available on the event’s Facebook page.

By Paul Kerry (paulkerry@heraldcorp.com)