Colombo Comedy Central with Event Cloud held ‘Fools’ Pride 2023’ on April 1 at the Bishops College auditorium.
Amidst the countless laughter, awkward laughing snorts, enthusiastic claps, and slaps on chairs, the evening was filled with happy faces and happy tears.
Young and talented Sri Lankan standup comedians including the celebrated comedian Hasalaka Thushara performed that night.
Chamara Guruge, Nathasha Edirisooriya, Taniya Lewwanduwage, Sathees Nadesan, Asiri Allage, and Ishan Kawmina performed their best jokes and skits and comedic commentary in an entertaining lineup. The event was compered by talented and hilarious Ravindu Amendra.
Female empowerment, comedic commentary on political and cultural ongoings, and heartfelt appreciation of ‘fools’, this night had it all. Introducing the genre of stand-up comedy to the Sinhala-speaking crowd, Colombo Comedy Central has been recognized for its innovative approach to comedy by most local crowds.
‘Gasping for air’
Most jokes and questions were directed at the audience itself, who on almost all occasions had a good laugh. The audience was so taken by the performers, most of them were gasping for air during the performances. The night was kicked off by the youngest and very interesting comedian, Ishan Kawmina. He was full of energy and did not fail to fill the auditorium with laughter.
He was followed by Taniya who had an interesting take on female empowerment and sacred motherhood and the position a woman has in our society. Taniya was followed by a very expressive and joyful comedian and our personal favourite Sathees Nadesan. Chamara Guruge, Nathasha Edirisooriya and Asiri Allage performed thereafter and had a fresh take on comedy and current affairs. The final act for the evening was a crowd favourite and the highlight of the evening Hasalaka Thushara and the best Sri Lankan comedian in Sri Lanka, according to him. While his fans claim that he is the king of Youtube, he was most certainly the king of ‘Fools’ Pride 2023’.
Stand-up comedy is a growing subculture in Sri Lanka and is heavily embraced by the urban middle class. Until recently, the only medium available for entertainment and exposure of these comic adventures was social media. However, with the popularization of ‘Freddy’ and the mainstreaming of comedic content by many talented comedians including Dino and Blok and Hasalaka Thushara, Stand-up comedy in Sri Lanka has become popular enough for tickets of a comedy show to be sold out a month before the performance.
Colombo Comedy Central has produced a number of comedy shows, including ‘Save Our Souls’, ‘Kakiri’, and ‘Unhealthy’, in an effort to replace the need left by a theatrical stand-up comedy experience. As anticipated, every performance was sold out. However, their Fool’s Pride show was the biggest comedy show yet and has been equally successful for the third time in a row.