The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion

Posted: 30 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Comedian Kuah Jenhan sizzled with a sinister edge as he unleashed his dark and kinky side.

FUNNYMAN Kuah Jenhan, 27, has had it with being rejected by girls. For too long, he's been a nice guy, completely clueless about the opposite gender. But all that's about to change. He's metamorphosising into a bad boy, ready to drive the ladies wild! But don't you dare compare him to a caterpillar turning into a butterfly!

"I'm something more badass! I'm a larva," said Kuah during his latest show series, Good Bad Nasty, held at Damansara Performing Arts Centre in Petaling Jaya, Selangor last weekend. "They don't have this whole cocoon phase. Turn into a pupa, and then bam! I'm a mosquito! So whenever I go near girls, they become gatal!"

Featuring rib-tickling jokes, sagely love advice, and 152 pairs of female underwear, Kuah's latest show, which we caught on Sunday, was a highly enjoyable romp through the weird and wonderful world of dating.

The comedian, whose previous very successful shows include Tall, Dark And Comedian, Planet Of The Apeks and M.A.C.C. (Malaysian Association of Chinese Comedians), delivered another winning comedy performance in Good Bad Nasty.

Kuah's show was probably the only comedy show in the country to open with children's theatre, starting with a singer, Jacinth (Charmaine Koh, 10) singing I Dreamed A Dream from the musical Les Miserables. This segued into a small skit about Jacinth catching the eye of Mini-Jenhan (Marcus Chan, eight) who tries to court her, only to be thwarted by the charismatic but repetitive Bad Boy (Bailey Martin, 13).

The child actors were adorable, almost stealing Kuah's spotlight with their innocence and earnestness. I couldn't help but wonder, however, how Kuah got away with making them recite some very cheeky lines, such as, "That's premarital hand-holding!"

This was followed by a voiceover by, of all people, theatre veteran Mano Maniam, arguing with Kuah about how illogical it was to tell the women in the audience to both hold on to their underwear AND applaud at the same time. While hilarious, it did go on a little longer than necessary.

And then it was time for Kuah, who appeared to loud rock music while perched on a motorcycle. Once he reached centre stage, a shower of panties rained down on him from a hanging basket in the ceiling. The man certainly knows how to make an entrance.

"I'm tired of a being a nice guy! I've changed! I'm a bad boy now!" the comedian proclaimed to applause.

Loud laughter broke out once the house lights came on, revealing Kuah was wearing two suits stitched together, Two-Face from Batman style. This was to appeal to both nice guy and bad boy fans. In true half-and-half fashion, he even sported half a moustache!

"If I was a pirate, I could be Captain Jack Separuh," said Kuah to laughter and groans in the crowd. "If I was knighted by the Queen? Sir Tengah!"

Thankfully, not all the show was half-baked puns. Kuah regaled the audience with tales of his previous dating experiences, from being in a school play with a beautiful girl he had to kiss on the cheek, to his failed opportunity with an Uzbeki lingerie model who invited him to her place on his birthday.

"Women want a man who can close. But some men don't even know there is a door!" said Kuah.

The problem with jokes about dating and rejection is that they have the potential to become misogynistic, with bitter references to "friendzoning", and so forth. Kuah, fortunately, veered away from this dangerous territory, poking just as much fun at men as he did women.

Indeed, for a show with "Nasty" as part of the title, it was very good-natured, with much humour being Kuah poking fun at himself.

One story featured a pretty girl coming to talk to him at a mamak stall, and asking him what his star sign was.

"I said 'Scorpio'. And she said, 'oh, I heard Scorpios are very good in bed!' And you know what I said? I said 'I better get home to bed, I have to get up early for a show tomorrow!'" said Kuah, shaking his head.

The highlight of Good Bad Nasty, however, was Kuah's display of actual text and social network messages received from girls after he'd adopted his bad boy persona. The audience went wild as Kuah, completely deadpan, explained all the hidden innuendoes in the otherwise innocent correspondences. Only Kuah could turn an innocuous "ha ha ha ha" into an ecstatic outpouring of passion!

While some of his jokes were a bit crude, most of Kuah's humour worked, and I certainly enjoyed his show. Nice guys may finish last, but this comedian, being part bad boy, clearly finished strong.

As Kuah said at his show's conclusion, you can't change the past, or predict the future, all you can do is brave another day. And his show certainly brightened my day!

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Jumaat, 2 Mei 2014