Gulf Today

Laughter Factory shows promise an assembly line of good laughter

Helping you get over the summertime blues this month, Laughter Factory promises literally a world class line-up. Following the recent success the Canadian comics enjoyed in the Middle East, the Laughter Factory is back with a full international line-up in one mega event featuring top class acts from Australia, America and Canada. The first of the three shows goes on stage in Abu Dhabi on Sept. 19. The Dubai shows are on the 21 and 22.

The show opens with "the most popular Australian comic to visit the UK" - Trevor Cook. He had recently toured with Ben Elton and David Strassman, often providing them with a hard act to follow. The winner of "Sydney Comic of the Year," Cooke has extensively toured Europe and the UK where he stormed the Edinburgh festival with his acts, receiving rave reviews.

Adding to the line-up is comedian Winston Spear. After six years on Canada's highly acclaimed Yuk Yuk circuit, Spear has managed to create his own episode of CBS's stand-up show, Comics. Riding on the wave of this success, he then traveled to London where he managed to claw his way from a nobody to a popular face on the UK circuit.

Winston Spear's comedy is dry and understated. He is firmly entrenched in the Steven Wright school of stand-up, which is characterised by well-written quick jokes that are heavy on absurdity. Spear specialises in a comic one-two punch that leaves his audience both exhilarated and exhausted from laughter.

The American offering is living proof that girls "just wanna have fun." The Laughter has made many requests for female comedians. This time they bring not only a hilarious lady, but also a stunner at that. However, Karen Loftus, with her cute kittenish looks and charm, should not be mistaken for a pushover. Her razor-sharp with is sure to put any leeching heckler right in their place. From Saturday night live to the New York comic strip, Karen has been described as the next Joan Rivers.

This is one of the most hotly tipped line-ups of the year, which promises to make one roll with laughter.

The Laughter Factory appears at Heroes in the Abu Dhabi Crown Plaza on Sept. 19, the Dubai Country Club on Sept. 21 and the Premier night club in Hyatt Regency on Sept. 22. For the Abu Dhabi show, the tickets are priced at Dhs55.
The doors open at 8:30pm and the show starts at 9 am. The show is brought by Channel 4 FM and supported by MMI and Spinneys.