With Comedy for Koby heading on its Israel tour yet again, this time featuring the hilarious American comedian, Brian Regan, we thought we'd head to the local stand-up community and ask a veteran Israeli comic his reactions to the rising international influx. Here's what comedian Yossi Tarablus had to say:
Who are your favorite international comedians?
Chris Rock, Louis CK , Dave Attel, Jim Gaffigan, and Regan of course.
Tell me a joke...
I recently got a very high electricity bill, so I'm teaching my kids to read Braille.
How would you describe the local comedy scene in Israel?
We have four comedy clubs in Israel that function during the weekends and most of the week – three in Tel Aviv and one in Jerusalem. We have many comedy nights scattered all over the country and recently in the last four years, we have introduced English comedy nights as well. The scene is evolving rapidly and today, you are able to perform in English almost every day.
My home club is the Z0A comedy bar. I think it's the best place to perform in the country and I have been performing there for the last 10 years. We have very good comedians in this country and I think that the fact that a lot of them are doing very well in their English acts as well just goes to show you how funny they are. We have a lot of original thinkers and comedians who are very avant-garde like Lioz Shem Tov and Daniel Chen, pushing stand-up beyond the known boundaries.
Have you performed abroad as well? What are the differences in terms of audience, content, and format?
I've had the opportunity to perform around the world - in the States, Europe, Australia, and even Africa. Humor that translates around the world usually includes family: wife, kids, in-laws etc. Topical comedy and jokes that are based on observations that are local (i.e. ads and political humor) usually don't translate well. They're not very popular in Israel too. I believe that it's always better to stay away from politics. If you choose a side, the other side will hate you.
When watching comedians from Israel or abroad yourself, what differences/similarities do you see?
I can tell you that the same problems that bother comedians in Israel bother comedians around the world too. I've had the privilege of sitting down and talking to famous and very successful comics as well as unknown road warriors and it's always the same problems: hecklers, joke stealing, bad agents, yadda yadda. It's not as fun to hear as the hell gig stories. These stories are the best. If you get 10 minutes with a comic, don't ask him to tell a joke, ask him to tell his top 3 hell gig stories. Guaranteed you'll laugh your pants off.
There are some big names like Brian Regan and Chris Rock coming this spring to Israel. How do you feel about the influx of international comedians?
Honestly, this is the best part of being a comic today – having a chance to see all the great talents performing today right here in Tel Aviv. You have all these international names like Seinfeld, Jim Jefferies, Louis CK, and Eddie Izzard that already came. Now we've got Brian Regan and Chris Rock coming and there are more lined up...It's unbelievable! Don't miss out on any of them, especially Regan. Go to every show, even if you have to give up buying a new pair of pants. It's better to go to a comedy show and soil the old ones anyway.
Brian Regan and Comedy for Koby will perform around Israel from May 25-29. Check their website for dates and details.