It's rare for a comedy show to leave you tearing up with emotion, but that’s exactly what happened when I saw Andrew Schulz at Etihad Arena on Tuesday. He’s no stranger to Abu Dhabi, having performed to a packed audience in the same venue in October as part of UFC Showdown Week.
Back then was also the first time I had heard of Schulz. Curious to know who this American comedian was that had sold out Etihad Arena, I came across a short clip he uploaded on to his YouTube channel from his UAE show. I instantly became a fan. After all, who wouldn’t be impressed by someone from the US learning and joking about chammakis, an Arabic slang used to describe teenagers who hang around malls in groups?
When I went home to Boston for the holidays in late December, he happened to also be performing a show in the same city, so I immediately got tickets. Unsurprisingly, it also sold out. I was impressed seeing him live on stage as he brought his The Life Tour to the MGM Music Hall. I was captivated by his compelling way of telling stories and interspersing them with impressive, localised jokes made for a night of hilarity.
So, when it was announced he would be performing at the inaugural Abu Dhabi Comedy Week only a few months after I saw him in Boston, I knew I had to go. I was also curious to see if he would hold back on anything.
I was surprised to see the same opening acts I had watched in the US, comedians Deric Poston and Mark Gagnon, who took to the stage and warmed up the crowd. While they were both entertaining, I had already seen them perform the same jokes a few months previously, making me worry that Schulz might do the same.
However, I was relieved to learn that would not be the case as he stepped out on to the stage with a thin bamboo stick or as he joked, his "chammaki stick" – something to defend himself from them and keep them at bay.
Schulz began his set with jokes that were obviously geared and catered to the region. In the two times I have now seen him live, I am continually impressed at just how good he is at what he does. As he personalises his sets based on what city he’s in, he has a seamless way of knocking out jokes in such a natural way that you'd already think he was quite familiar with the region.
During his show, it was obvious he took the time to do his research, making references that were not only incredibly funny but relatable enough for a diverse crowd to understand. He made quips about neighbouring countries but also threw out some Arabic words and phrases including using the Lebanese dialect for "shou baddak?" (What do you want?) and the Khaleeji dialect "ghanati" (my dear/my beloved).
While most of his jokes were hits, I did have to turn to my partner at one point to see if he understood a quip about the “UAE beating Saudi Arabia in football” as there seemed to be some confusion – even with Schulz asking the crowd if that was true. My partner clarified he thought it was a reference to Al Ain beating Al Nassr in the AFC Champions League a couple of months ago. Even if some jokes flew over our heads, it was nice to know he cared enough to begin with.
The most impressive part of the entire night was how Schulz seemed not to filter or hold himself back at any point. There was no sense that he wasn’t completely himself on stage. Comparing his show to the one I saw in the US, it was equally compelling and amusing on many levels despite the performances being in quite different places.
In the Boston show, the focus for Schulz was explaining the infertility struggle he and his wife were going through before ending with the announcement that she had finally gotten pregnant. While there were jokes, it was also a very real and tough subject he chose to tackle, making it all the more impressive he was able to do so in a light-hearted manner.
In Abu Dhabi, he continued with the same theme but moved it forward, ending his set with an emotional and touching montage that showed their struggles in trying to conceive to the recent birth of their daughter, which received lots of cheers and applause from the audience as well as caused me to tear up.
Listening to Schulz speak is like catching up with an old friend – albeit with more raunchy humour. His ability to personalise his shows based on the location adds to that sense of familiarity and connection. You feel compelled by his storytelling and root for him and his wife as he shares their struggles. As Schulz finishes his set, you realise the payoff of a happy ending makes everything worth it.
Abu Dhabi Comedy Week continues at Etihad Arena until Sunday
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
BANGLADESH SQUAD
Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim (wicketkeeper), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan (vice captain), Mohammad Mithun, Sabbir Rahaman, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Jayed (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
Read more about the coronavirus
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
THREE
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 390bhp
Torque: 400Nm
Price: Dh340,000 ($92,579
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 720hp
Torque: 770Nm
Price: Dh1,100,000
On sale: now
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
Price, base: Dh429,090
Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
Five hymns the crowds can join in
Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday
Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir
Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song
‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’
There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia
The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ
They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
