Lebanese comedian Shawn Chidiac: Dubai's stand-up scene is ready for the global spotlight

For years, Canadian-Lebanese comedian Shawn Chidiac, who lives in Dubai, worked a day job at a software company, slowly building a following on social media and in UAE comedy clubs. Now, his hard work has finally paid off.

After quitting his job and dedicating himself to comedy full-time last year, he's set to make his UK debut on Thursday, along with some of his regular collaborators from Dubai.

In his mind, this isn't just a sign that he's hit the next stage in his career, it's validation for the entire UAE scene, which he and his peers have spent years building to a global standard.

“It's all of our first time on stage together in London, it’s going to be exciting,” Chidiac tells The National. “Cadogan Hall is on Knightsbridge, and you have two Indian and two Arab comedians. So, we're pretty much the Knightsbridge demographics. It's going to be home away from home."

Chidiac is set to perform in London’s Cadogan Hall for a new show titled Dubai's Most Wanted, where he will be joined by Emirati stand-up Abz Ali, who has opened for Bassem Youssef and Mo Amer, as well as Sundeep and Anand, Indian stand-up comedians whose joint podcast spoof has gained them both a dedicated following on TikTok and Instagram.

While some of the content will be tweaked for a London audience, Chidiac says he’s never been a comedian who has a specific set or routine that he repeats to audiences anyway.

“I personally don't have a set, because I try to keep every show different. The bulk of my shows are always crowd work which is a more organic way of doing comedy," he says. "As good as a performance can be, at least for me, it’s also important that a set can be us experiencing something new all together.”

Chidiac currently has more than 400,000 followers on Instagram and more than 8.5 million likes on TikTok under his account MyParents_Are_Divorced. He has gained widespread popularity for his impressions and improvised situational humour.

And although his popularity is ever increasing on social media, it really only hit home for Chidiac that his comedy career was taking off when his first solo show in Zabeel Theatre in March sold out.

“It was the one of the best experiences ever,” he says. “I’m happy that my friend was filming the whole thing and we’re turning it into long format content and will go live with it sometime this summer.”

In London, each comedian will perform their own set and then end with an improvised set with all four of them on stage.

But perhaps what's most important is how the show marks a small, but crucial moment for comedians in the UAE. The comedians come from diverse backgrounds and are a reflection of the multicultural fabric of the country. “The good thing is that Dubai is primed and ready,” Chidiac says.

“There are private establishments that have been encouraging comedy nights, and there's been talks of comedy clubs opening left, right and centre. But we're not really there just yet.”

Chidiac has made it part of his mission to continue collaborating with other performers and grow the comedy scene in Dubai.

Once a month, he hosts Comedy Kitchen, an open mic night at 25hours Hotel, where he invites any local comedians to the stage to perform in front of a live audience. Chidiac says that while the style and number of participants are growing in the region, audiences are still not used to interacting with comedy in a live setting.

He says the crowd in Dubai tends to be better well-behaved.

“People aren't too rambunctious in the crowd, they sit and watch, there's not too much interaction. They're a little bit shy. So we haven't really stepped into catering to that field just yet.”

Chidiac has also launched Same Same, But Different, a live show and collaboration with Vox Cinemas at their Mercato Mall theatre where he hosts live discussions with comedians and engages with audiences.

He’s had four shows so far, three of which have been sold out with guests including local comedians and content creators such as Dubai Filipina stand-up Imah Dumagay and Arab-American comedian Nasser Al-Rayess.

“It's a slow climb, but the only thing we need is just to keep comedy rotating through the city as something to do,” he says.

“Can comedy nights be an alternative to going to a bar or going to dinner or going to something else? Comedy is still not as prevalent as it should be. And there are more comedians trying out things.”

In September last year, Chidiac resigned from his job as a marketing director for a software company and officially became a full-time comedian. In his mind, this marked not only a step on his own journey, but a sign that the local scene was capable of supporting his rise.

When asked why he was so passionate about growing the local scene, Chidiac found it difficult to answer at first.

“I wish I had an answer but I don't know, it just feels somewhat wrong,” he says.

He adds that seven years ago when he started out, there was little to no support and in fact he faced more obstacles and than expected.

“I just feel like I would have loved if someone could have given me an opportunity because I felt like I deserved it at the time,” he adds. “And, if you do something good for someone else, they'll do something good for someone else and the cycle will just continue and grow.”

Dubai’s Most Wanted stand-up comedy show will take place on Thursday at Cadogan Hall in London. More information is at www.cadoganhall.com