Malaysia’s leading comedy troupe bid farewell after 10 years with tour that stops in Hong Kong
- The Malaysian Association of Chinese Comedians, whose cheeky brand of humour has entertained audiences in Malaysia since 2009, will split after tour
- We talk to the four members about why they got into comedy, their own personal styles and what they have planned next
After 10 years of laughs, Malaysia’s leading comedy troupe, the Malaysian Association of Chinese Comedians, is bringing the curtain down with a final tour of the region. Known as the MACC, the four stand-up comics have decided to go their separate ways.
“MACC Mania X: The Goodbye Tour” is the grand finale for the comedians Douglas Lim, Phoon Chi Ho, Kuah Jenhan and Dr Jason Leong, after entertaining Malaysian audiences with a tongue-in-cheek brand of humour every year since 2009.
Boasting all-new jokes, this farewell tour is already underway. Twelve thousand tickets are now on sale for shows at 11 locations in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia before the tour culminates in Kuala Lumpur with four grand finale performances. The Hong Kong show is scheduled for 8pm on Saturday, October 26, at the Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre.
The brain behind the MACC is Lim, a well-known comedian and actor who plays a central character in the popular Malaysian sitcom Kopitiam. He decided to change gear and try stand-up comedy along with a group of other comedians in 2009.
“I wanted to do stand-up comedy for a public audience in a theatre setting, not just corporate shows,” Lim says. “But I didn’t want to do it all on my own. The objective was to try out new material for an audience that wanted to be there to listen to you.”
He approached Phoon and Kuah with the idea of the MACC (which oddly bears the same acronym as the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission). Both were regulars at Timeout KL’s Comedy Thursdays. Back then, tickets for the newly created MACC show sold out on the group’s second weekend of performance.