Performing at an internationally known theatre in London, The Pleasance, Nigel Ng filled a cold February night with enough laughter that would easily convince any audience to keep returning to his shows. Rain or shine.
With six years of experience in comedy, Nigel carries himself with the ease and confidence of a seasoned performer. His track record backs up his undeniable talent. He recently won the prestigious Amused Moose Laugh Off Final in 2016 and was named a finalist at the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year. Watching him perform, you could see him standing as peers to well-known acts such as John Mulaney and Anthony Jeselnik.
In the hour-long stand up act, Nigel makes witty observations on wide-ranging topics such as traveling in Asia, whitewashing in Hollywood and the appropriateness of buying a vibrator to outsource his “work” on his wife. His jokes appeal to the diverse crowd, which is a strong testament to his craft and his mainstream likability. But don’t be fooled by his affable comedy style, he readily engages and roasts his audience members, which only makes him even more endearing and memorable.
The Knockturnal was able to get an exclusive interview with Nigel.
1.How did you get started in comedy?
I started when I was in university in America. During my first semester there, I found out there was an African-American sketch group that was holding auditions and I decided what the hell, I love the Rush Hour series, let’s give it a shot! And I got in. After that standup seemed to be the next natural progression.
2.Who are your comedy heroes?
So many! There are the greats of course, like Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, Patrice O’Neal, Eddie Murphy, Maria Bamford, Dave Attell, Brian Regan, Dana Gould, Jim Norton, Greg Giraldo. Then you have the newer generation that I love like Michelle Wolf, Roy Wood Jr., Deon Cole, Kyle Kinane, Hampton Yount, Andrew Schulz, Orny Adams, Kurt Metzger, W Kamau Bell. And there’s the people based in the UK like Michael Mcintyre, Seann Walsh, Tom Stade, Mike Wilmot, Russell Howard, Russell Kane, Russell Hicks (so many Russells!) and Carey Marx. All killers!
I love consuming standup and have an extensive Spotify playlist collection of comedy. I recommend checking these guys out if you’re not familiar with their work!
3.What is one of your favorite audience interaction?
I have a routine about how people always get food poisoning when they travel to Asia, and I always ask people in the crowd if what their experience in Asia was. The answers tend to be hilarious! It’s not that often you get asked if you’ve shat yourself recently.
I especially love it when they went to Asia but never got food poisoning. I’ll make fun of them a bit and then ask how they managed that. Their answers are always ridiculous. One guy just ate noodles his whole trip. Like JUST noodles. No soup, no meat, no vegetables. Just long strings of flour. For 2 weeks when he was in China. Another lady said she only ate Pizza Hut. Man, the lengths people go to not get food poisoning! Can you imagine going on holiday but all you can eat are plain noodles and Pizza Hut? That sounds more like a concentration camp than a holiday to me.
4.Do you feel that there is more positive representation in comedy for Asian, Chinese people
Yes! Society feels a lot more “woke” now (do people still say woke?). And Asians all over the world are gaining a voice, and there seems to be an audience for us. Comics like Jo Koy, Joel Kim Booster, Ronnie Chieng, KT Tatara are showing the world how diverse we are. Hopefully, there’s space for me to make a dent in the industry as well!
Check out his upcoming shows on his website and support this amazing talent!
