Now in its 11th edition, the Eden Comedy Club has made light work of making us laugh. Jo Caruana interviews comic David Tsonos, one of the performers at the upcoming show.
David TsonosA good laugh is worth its weight in gold. And that’s exactly why Eden’s now-regular Comedy Club has become a permanent fixture in our cultural calendar. We all need a good laugh.
Following on from hit comic routines from the likes of Peter Adrian White, Dana Alexander and Geoff Boyz, the 11th edition of the show will be performed live and will feature three new international acts.
Headlining is the energetic David Tsonos, a comedian who has already wowed audiences in venues such as The Comedy Factory in Canada and the Soho Comedy Club in London – thanks to his ability to craft comedy from everyday goings-on.
Tsonos began his foray into the arts at an acting school in Vancouver, Canada, where his teachers always told him that he could find the ‘funny’ in every scene they worked on – even if it was a serious drama. It was at that point that stand-up comedy first became an option.
“I was lukewarm to the idea originally,” he admits. “One evening, while considering it, I found myself at an amateur night in a comedy club and there was one comic who was so terrible that the audience had absolutely no reaction to him. His set involved lots of silence and weird stories about teaching karate to children. I know it’s a bit mean but I knew I couldn’t be worse than that. You could say his failure was my inspiration and I decided to give it a go.”
So he did and his first real gig was at that same club three months later – as it took him that long to get his material together and secure a spot.
Looking back, Tsonos admits it was rough at first. “There was a big group of army guys in uniform at that gig, heckling everyone that went on and that was nerve-wracking,” he says. “However, sometimes, when a new comic hits the stage, they have this kind of endearing and nervous energy about them. I must have had it that night because they shut up and listened and even seemed to enjoy my set!”
Since then, Tsonos has clearly finetuned his offering performing widely around Canada, the US and the UK. That move to Europe was an interesting one for him.
“I had never left north America before that,” he says, “and suddenly I was packing my life into a bag and shifting continent.
“I really had no proof that my comedy would work outside of the US. My first gig was hard to gauge, but my second was sold out and the audience really responded. Once I started getting the laughs I knew everything was going to be fine.”
I really had no proof that my comedy would work outside the US
Asked about the comedians he looks up to, Tsonos finds it hard to pick one. “Every single one of them gets in their car, hops on a train or boards a plane and travels to a place, stares at a group of total strangers and makes them laugh.
“Some comics take the art form too seriously and are hard on themselves. I just look at them and say you just walked out into a group of strangers who are from all different walks of life and made them laugh, stop taking it so seriously. ”
Malta will now add another notch to his growing list of successful international gigs.
“I don’t plan to raise too many eyebrows when it comes to my material and I think Maltese audiences will respond well. My set aims to be an escape from the world for a little while.It will provide the chance to laugh. I am an average kind of guy and people usually relate well to that. They come to be entertained and that’s what I hope to give them.”
Tsonos also has his sights set on enjoying his time in Malta. “I am hoping to get to Popeye Village,” he says, “and to see the three blues – the Blue Window, the Blue Grotto and the Blue Lagoon. I’ll also take in the Maltese nightlife and see what I can find. Who knows what I may pick up for my set?”
David Tsonos headlines the 11th edition of the Eden Comedy Club on Friday at the Eden Cinemas, St Julian’s. He will be joined on stage by Matt and resident MC Geoff Whiting.
www.edencinemas.com.mt