The New Strait Times
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
February 7, 2002

Laugh a lot with Loftus
Audiences are bound to laugh hysterically during American Karen Loftus' stand-up comedy routine, writes Francis Dass

Should she crack up while delivering her lines, we doubt if the audience's laughter - no matter how raucous - would drown out Karen Loftus' piercing shriek-of-a-laugh during her stand-up comedy routine.

But you can be assured that the audience will definitely get an A for effort, and might even bring the roof down when Loftus runs loose on stage today and tomorrow but her shriek-of-a-laughter will still will still win hands down for its sheer high-decibel delight.

Born and raised in sunny California in the United States, this blonde is becoming hot in the world's comedy circuit, having taken her routines to Scotland (Edinburgh), Singapore and Bali.

Life & Times had a phone interview with Loftus who was in Singapore to perform at the Comedy Festival last week.

Her one-woman comedy show, titled The American Woman, in Kuala Lumpur will demonstrate how far this gifted comedienne has come in the five years doing stand-up comedy.

"The material for the show comes from my travels and observations of different cultures, and they looking back at me. It is all about perceptions and how we look at each other," she says.

"My show is a personal story as well as a social commentary."
Polite and nice, her humour somehow doesn't leave a bitter taste or discomfort after the laughter has died down. It is not that she is non-committal when it comes to the funnybone business (the laughter bears witness to this), it is just that she comes across as an individual who hasn't a mean bone in her body.

For example, one of her favorite one-liners: "Blondes are a bunch of brunettes smart enough to colour their hair."

The one-liner is funny in that harmless and non-malicious way.

"I don't like being mean spirited. When I am playing with the audience, it is all in good fun and we are all having a ball," she says.

It is no surprise then that she more often casts her own devilishly funny eyes on herself, as another favourite one-liner demonstrates: "I'm in the prime of my life and I'm the only one taking advantage of it!"

Self-criticism, she says, is important as it helps us to have a good laugh at our own foibles and faults.

"That's the way to go," she says good naturedly, neither forcefully insisting nor being wishy washy. That's just the way Loftus is.

The American Woman will see her relating the funny and quirky things in life, which she is determined to make us laugh at.

Having said that, she admits that she sometimes does feel spoilt as an American; through her travels, she has seen that a great deal of American culture has been exported to almost every corner of the world.

Refreshingly, despite having travelled far and wide, taking her routine to various parts of the world, it is still the simple things in life that make her day complete.
A perfect day for her is one which she starts by reading the newspapers, having coffee, working out (running and yoga figure highly) and writing in her journal.
"I always write in my journal. It helps clean out my head and I write down all my ideas," she says.

Friends also figure high on her list of priorities and since she has a highly developed funnybone, those close to her share an inordinate appreciation of laughter. Happiness is having a good circle of friends around you, she says.

"My friends and I always make each other laugh. I believe that in life, you need joy and you need a good laugh because (a lot of) people take things too seriously.

"My friends are really out there and they are totally in touch with what's going on around us," she says.

To unwind, she likes to go out for meals then go dancing with her friends.

She is based in Los Angeles although she does say that she is a city girl at heart and loves New York a lot. She says it is more convenient for her to base herself in Los Angeles as most of her business dealings and meetings are held there.

"In Los Angeles, one gets to know people by attending parties and it can be a surreal experience; the whole town is based on entertainment," she says.

For now, though, she is happy travelling, and does not mind leaving her friends behind.