A card act to tollo
,rimi'ri/l’ Leung learnt his craft .
the criminal underworl
SUCKER
Lawrence Leung shafts the card sharks
When a comedian bases their show on Vices or addictions sex. drugs. alcohol or gambling — the audience inevitany makes assumptions; about their character. Lax-.rr‘ence Leung faces this predicament every tirrre he pertor‘rris Sucker. both an expose on the dirty deeds of swindlers and card sharks and a confession of his own teenage experiences as an apprentice to a (32 year-old con
He encountered such a preconception arriongst audiences at the recent Adelaide Cabaret l estival. ‘They thought I ‘.'.'as a real crirriinal." recalls Leung. 'but they realised by the end of the show that I was a nice person.‘ Not surprisingly. l eung regularly finds himself approached by people after gigs ready to cut deals and talk business. ‘Some people would come up alter the show and sat, things like: “I've got a card game on luesday night." or: “\."-.’ant to see more of the card techniques used?“ he says. 'li\.'er‘,'one has a scam to tell.‘
Scams like the old 'gold brick’ trick no longer tool I ax'xr'ence. When he happened upor: a man atterripting this S3‘.'.’|ll(il(}. he confronted him with his insider knowledge. ‘I le Just umm ed and ahhed and disappeared." But perhaps the most ama/irig confrontation for l eung took place during a perfor'iriance at this year's Melbourne International Corriedy/ l‘estrxal when someone ‘.'-/as caught taping the slide of hand rrrethods used during the show.
’I was on stage and I saw a small red dot in the (Zl'(}‘.'.’(l they had a small digital ‘.’I(i(3() carrrera." ()bvrously the perpetrator was hoping to replay the footage in slow iriotiori and then use their newtouiid skills at the local casino. It was a case of an audience iiieiriber trying to scairi the scarriirier‘. but no one can pull the wool over the eyes of an experienced con. As I eung cautions: 'See the show; but don't try the scamsf 'Siléll'ltitill Wright.
I ASSOIIIU/l,’ Hoorrrs. 2’96 P426"). 1) Qt; Aug. 5). lop/ii. 5‘70 5‘] 7 (5‘5). 5‘10).
14 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE ‘ ix 1/
He parachutes, he scores
Post 9/11, Iranian comedian OMID DJALILI wants to upset the ‘Middle Eastern madman’ stereotype with a spot of belly dancing. Words: Brian Donaldson
mid l)jalili is a successful comedian because he was an ugly teenager. And he's the Middle liastern version of Bernard .Manning. .\'ot a general \‘lC\\' held by the comedy fraternity. but the opinion of a therapist l)jalili's been working with for a documentary about these segregated British Isles. ‘He said that people laugh at me more intensely than other comics because of the racism and aggressiveness in themselyes and that I'm simply Bernard Manning in an Arab disguise] l)jalili tells me oyer the phone. ‘lle said it all boils down to the fact that l was unattractiye to white women. and therefore British society. when l was 1-1 or I5. So apparently. my act and my marriage to a Scottish woman are my ways of getting back at British society.’ And what does l)jalili think of this penetrating analysis'.’ 'Bollocks.‘ ()mid l)jalili’s childhood certainly wasn‘t an easy experience (he was one of
just two Iranian boys at his west London school) but he hasn't been left with a
bodyful of internal scars —- just reams of comedy material. Being Middle lias'tern and British has allowed him a unique ayenue into the hearts of western audiences. ()nc critic stated that the world would be a better place if()mid l)jajilis were being dropped all oyer the West rather than hoinbs dumped on the war-torn region while the man himself sums tip his comedy philosophy thusly: ‘If you delye closer into your own culture. you’ll Iind the uniyersal: that‘s what it‘s about.‘
While the man‘s aim to become popular with eyeryone is absolute. he was on the yerge of admitting defeat during preparations for a couple of high-profile shows in London last autumn. Then I I September happened. ‘I had a quote on my poster which said that l was a Middle liastei'n madman. So on I2 September the posters were all ripped down. I jtist thought: “Jesus. let's cancel." I felt so sick about the whole thing and I felt my career was over. Not that I would be doing anything particularly dodgy btit just that my stuff is all about east-west relations: who's going to want to book that'.’ Then I decided I was going to haye to deal with this. So I went from a well—meaning. semi-intelligent jester to this social commentator.’
But without preaching. ()mid doesn’t like preachers (you know who you are). And. simple as it may sound. he really doesn‘t like comedy that isn‘t funny. ‘What gets on my neryes about the papers in lidinburgh is that they reyiew things that are so conceptual. and giyc five stars for stuff that's not yery ftinny.‘ .-\nybody in mind'.’ Naming names. I‘d say .\'oblc and Sily'er“s show from last year which was conceptually brilliant: if it had been an art installation at the Tate Modern you‘d think: "Wow. these guys are witty." But it‘s a comedy act. and there weren’t two laughs in the show.‘
Making people laugh may be ()mid's raison tl'etrc. btit his arriyal on the Hollywood Iilm scene shows that he may haye higher ambitions. Already. he has The .l/imrrrry. (i/m/iulm' and the Bond extrayagan/a 'l'lrv llbr/r/ is HUI liming/i on his cinema (V. Being typecast as the Arab baddie is one of his fears. ‘I turn down the nothing parts that I would haye jumped at a few years ago.’ he says. 'In the Bond Iilm the role I had was yery good. a whole storyline about a Turkish spy who helps Bond. but it got cut and they offered me another part. "You only have two lines but you do get to spend a week with Sophie Marceau and Pierce Brosnan". they told me. So I was wined and dined and had to go out night after night with Sophie Marceau. Basically. I was doing my act and making her laugh a lot because I didn‘t haye the conlidence tojtist haye a normal conyersation with her. So. by the fourth night I had nothing left. no more material. and I had to pretend I had a head cold and decline the dinner offer.’
'l‘urning down imitations with French coyer girls must haye seemed a Very Iorig way off when l)jalili was at all those adolescent parties. :\t that point in his life. l)jalili‘s prime concern wasn't about whether or not he could get laid. it was simply stlt'yi\‘itlg being an Iranian in London. One particular cyent has remained fixed in ()mid‘s mind. ‘I Iiyed quite near the Iranian embassy during the time of