Adelaide Fringe

Interview: Seeing Through Akmal Saleh

Award-winning comedian Akmal Saleh is bringing his new show Transparent to the Adelaide Fringe.

Award-winning comedian Akmal Saleh is bringing his new show Transparent to the Adelaide Fringe. The title reflects his belief that the funniest comedians are those that allow their vulnerabilities to show, and who share openly with audiences. And this has certainly been Saleh’s signature in his many years on our stages and screens.

Born in Egypt, Saleh migrated to Australia with his parents when he was in his early teens, and initially spoke no English. After the tragic, early loss of his father, he turned to the very insular Coptic Church for comfort, and he credits his plunge into religion and subsequent disillusionment as being one of the triggers for his comedy.

“The church was really like a cult”, a surprisingly relaxed looking Saleh tells us, over a drink at his Adelaide hotel.  “When I was about eighteen or nineteen I realised this wasn’t for me, so I left. And then I found comedy! I’ve always loved comedy and comedic films. It was comforting, in the same way the church was. That’s why people go to cults: it’s like a family. But I think as a comedian I had a lot more perspective, and I met people who weren’t Coptic Egyptian, for the first time. It was a whole new world out there, and I just loved performing.”

He returned to the Church some years later in order to celebrate his wedding. “We wanted to get married in the church, mainly for my mum because it meant a lot to her. The priest found out that my future wife was Anglo-Australian, so he sat me down and asked me why I couldn’t find an Egyptian girl. I felt like saying “So I’ll just go and replace this one, shall I? I’ve still got the receipt. I’ll upgrade to an Egyptian.” “

Many comedians remember that first moment when they felt the power of making people laugh. For Saleh it wasn’t on stage: it was at school. “Making the whole class laugh…that was the first hit…the first buzz! So you think “I want more of this”. There’s a certain power when you make the whole class laugh, and even if you got in trouble, it was worth it. But from there to stage is a big transition. You have to learn your craft. The first time I was on stage [the Harold Park Hotel in Glebe] I did really well, and then after that, it was really hard. I think the first time I just fluked it by going on adrenalin, so I thought “this is easy!” But then the second time, it’s a totally different ten minutes”. 

His early influences are shared by many people of his generation: Monty Python being one of them. Saleh remembers the seminal moment of seeing Life of Brian at the cinema. “I was going to church then. It was almost as if it were written for me. It was so insightful and brilliant. I was a big Python fan already. While everyone else was studying for the HSC I was listening to the Cheese Shop sketch and learning it off by heart. So when Brian came out the church told us not to see it because it was blasphemous. So, of course, I went to see it! I also loved Spike Milligan. I’m not a great reader-I don’t have the concentration-but I found his books so easy to read. There’s a punchline every second line. I actually met him about twenty years ago at Gleebooks. He was on old man then but he was still sharp: so funny and spontaneous”.

Saleh has appeared on countless television shows, written and starred in a feature film and even written a book. So what makes him return to that most difficult of gigs, stand-up comedy? “Bills! Bills and a mortgage!” He chuckles. “If you’ve bought a house in Sydney you’d better be funny at 80! But I still love it. Still really get a buzz out of it. Especially when you’ve got a surge of creativity and you find new material. And it is hard, but it does get easier as you get older-you’ve got more authority on stage”.

Saleh’s father’s early death was a formative moment in his life, and his comedy. He is quoted in The Age in 2006 as saying that every really funny person lost their father, to death or estrangement, at a young age. “Every single person I’ve met who I’ve found really funny either lost their dad at a young age, or didn’t know him, or he just wasn’t around. I don’t know if this is just males, because 90% of comedians are still male. I’d be interested to know if it’s the same for females”.

When we point out that that life experience is also one of the consistent experiences for serial killer,s he laughs
“Yeah, well, it was always going to be one or the other. If comedy fails, it’s good to have something to fall back on!”

So what can Adelaide expect from Transparent? They always ask me for a name so it can be promoted and I can never think of one because my shows aren’t about anything in particular! I’ve never really had a show that had a theme to it and I came up with this one because the comedians I really admire tend to be transparent: they’re very real. And that’s the persona I like to project. On a good night, you open up and you’re really vulnerable. And the audience really decides that. When the audience is warm and receptive, you tend to do your best.”

We have no doubt that his adoring, Adelaide fans will be warm and receptive to this new show. And that the inestimable Akmal Saleh will have us all in stitches, laughing at life’s ridiculousness and our own vulnerabilities.

Interviewed by Tracey Korsten
Twitter: @TraceyKorsten

Transparent plays at The Royalty Theatre, March 10th, 11th, 17th and 18th,

http://www.akmal.com.au/

https://www.adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/akmal-transparent

 

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