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COVER
STORY
Situated in Taman TunDr.Ismail (TTDI), Kuala
Lumpur,TheCrackhouseComedyClub has
been operating since 2014 and is serious about
proving that laughter is the bestmedicine.
What A Joke!
Crackhouse?
After kicking a few name suggestions
around, the founders settled on this very
tongue-in-cheek one. ‘Crack’ is a term
derived from the irish expression Craic,
meaning good times or fun. A ‘cracker’
in Australia means a good joke, to crack
up is to laugh when someone ‘cracks’ a
good joke. And of course, a crack house
is a place where crack cocaine and other
illegal drugs are traded and sold. Fear not
though, the only drug being sold here is
laughter.
The idea of the club came about when
Australian comic Jonathan Atherton and
Malaysian comic Rizal van Geyzel had
the crazy fantasy of creating a base for
Malaysian comedy to grow. The timing
seems to have been spot on judging by
the positive responses that they have
received, and are continuing to receive
from the crowds.
I asked them about the choice of
name, as it is slightly controversial. Pretty
much anyone who watches American cop
shows on television would know what a
crack house is. “I do a gag about a guy
walking into the club confused, saying
W
hen
The Crackhouse Comedy Club
burst onto the Malaysian comedy
scene, they were the first ever dedi-
cated comedy club showcasing the
best local, regional and international
headliners with up to four shows
every week. The shows range from
amatuer open mic nights, whacky improv and Bahasa Melayu
stand-up to comedy from heavyweight professional comics
from different parts of the world.
Kishen Alex Raj
had the opportunity to speak to the people
who are the brains behind the Crackhouse. They did not want
their names in print so the magazine will not mention
Rizal
van Geyzel, Shankar Santhiram, Jonathan Atherton
and
Kavin
Jayaram’s
names.
Jonathan Atherton, the laugh Guru,
entertaining the crowd, something
which is not new for him