Seven Arab comedians are heading to the U.A.E. Capital next week for some good, hearty laughs. They are the United Nations of Comedy II and this August 28-29 they are making a comeback to Abu Dhabi Summer Season festival.
"The U.A.E. has such a strong, multifaceted culture, which is an amazing prospect for a comedian. You have a diverse crowd in front of you, which creates not only opportunities for comedic gold but also a very memorable time for everyone,” said one of the seven stand-up comedians, Lebanese Nemr Abou Nassar.
The other six are Aron Kader, Mo Amer, Khaled Khalafalla, Amir K, Ali Al Saeed and Sammy Obeid.
"The line-up this year is absolutely off the charts; to get all these guys together in one place is going to be amazing,” added Kader.
The American-Palestinian comedian rose to fame especially for its Middle Eastern inspired jokes, but these past couple of months, he was in the limelight for the tragic events happening in Palestine.
Kader's distant cousin, 16-year-old Mohammed was kidnapped off the streets of Jerusalem, drenched in gasoline and burned alive. Like all great comedians, Kader uses own, personal stories for his stand-up acts, but this time he finds what goes on in Palestine is too tragic to contemplate humour.
One thing he promised not to bring on the stage is anger.
United Nations of Comedy was one of the most popular shows at Summer Abu Dhabi 2013, therefore they are back this year with two performances, both at Emirates Palace here.
All seven comedians will be on stage on both nights, but their material will be different. The shows will be mostly in English, with some Arabic language performances as well. "The fact we're back again shows just how much comedy is booming in the U.A.E. and the region in general. Things have changed a lot since our first performance and it's so exciting to see that change and growth in the scene,” added Iranian American comedian Amir K.
United Nations of Comedy II is the last act of Abu Dhabi Summer Season, bringing the curtain down on three-month-long season, alongside La Verità, running at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from Thursday to August 31.
The multi-award-winning contemporary theatrical circus, La Verità features a gigantic, original backdrop created in New York in 1944 by the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali.