Alex Calleja opens up about bringing Filipino humor to global market
Stand-up comedian and writer Alex Calleja is aware of the challenges in bringing Filipino humor to an international market. However, Calleja noted that some Asian audiences do not have any problems understanding his jokes as long as they get its gist.
Calleja, whose comedy special “Tamang Panahon” premiered on a streaming platform last February 7, shared that Asian audiences would not have a problem understanding his jokes, as he made sure that the show’s subtitles capture its meaning.
The comedy special was filmed during his birthday in October of last year and was submitted in November. He was then informed by the streaming platform about its premiere a week later.
“Noong ni-review ko [‘yung subtitles ng show], nakuha naman niya (When I reviewed the show’s subtitles, it somehow got the gist),” Calleja said during an intimate media gathering.
“Pero ito naman ang na-experience ko sa ibang bansa. I do English shows in Asia especially in Malaysia and Singapore [where may] international crowd. Ang masaya sa ibang bansa, kapag sa Pilipinas, uuwi sila ng mali ang grammar, [hindi pa nila magegets]. Sa ibang bansa, basta makuha nila ang gist, tatawa na sila,” he further shared.
Article continues after this advertisement
(But this is what I experienced in other countries. I do English shows especially in Asia, especially in Malaysia and Singapore with an international crowd. In the Philippines, people won’t understand if you have the wrong grammar. But in other countries, as long as they get the gist, it will be funny for them.)
Article continues after this advertisement
Based on his experience, Calleja said he makes an effort to adjust to the audience when he and The Comedy Crew — a group of stand-up comedians who write their own jokes — perform abroad.
“May mga jokes na kapag trinanslate ng English sa ibang bansa, lalo na sa mga relationships, it works like traffic. Kapag nag-politics ako, very generic. Hindi [politically-inclined], about traffic, airport, pati d’un sa ibang bansa. We will [research] about the place so we can do on-the-spot jokes,” he explained.
(Some jokes work when they’re translated into English, especially when it comes to relationships and traffic. When I joke about politics, it’s very generic. I don’t do politically inclined material. It is about traffic, airports, and other countries. We will research about the place so we can do on-the-spot jokes.)
View this post on Instagram
Touching on his show, Calleja shared that he applies the same amount of effort to Filipino audiences. “Ang subtitle, while hindi natin ma-translate entirely into English, kung foreigner ang makakabasa n’un, magegets nila. Ang Pilipino magiging critical (While some jokes couldn’t be translated entirely into English, foreigners will somehow understand them. Some Filipinos tend to be critical),” he said.
“Iba-iba ang attitude ng mga Pilipino, Filipino migrants, Filipinos with higher positions. Iba-iba ang atake (Filipinos have different habits, such as Filipino migrants or Filipinos with higher positions, the kind of jokes I put out are different),” he further explained.
Bigger platform
With “Tamang Panahon” in mind, Calleja hoped that Filipino stand-up comedians would have a bigger platform not only in their home country but also abroad. “Sana magkaroon pa ng momentum (I hope we will have a bigger momentum),” he began.
“Maraming comedy group sa Pilipinas, at marami ring forms of comedy. Of course, we still have the mainstream comedy,” continued Calleja. “Ang pinapangarap [ko], kapag nakikita kami, magkaroon kami ng space or chance na ma-recognize, maging regular ang bar shows, mabigyan ng chance to be recognized sa iba’t ibang platforms, and to be able to go abroad.
(There are a lot of comedy groups in the Philippines. There are many forms of comedy as well. Of course, we still have mainstream comedy. What I dream of, is when they see us, we will have a space or chance to be recognized more. We hope bar shows will happen regularly. We want the chance to be recognized on different platforms and to be able to go abroad.)
@netflixph may levels ang chismis, according to alex calleja #TamangPanahon #AlexCalleja #PinoyComedy #comedу #PinoyStandup ♬ original sound – Netflix Philippines
The stand-up comedian then bared the challenges of doing jokes in an open-mic format, which reminds him to be mindful of the quality of jokes he creates for the audience.
“Dito sa Pilipinas, libre ang open-mic, d’un kami tinatao kasi libre. Ngayon, ‘yung material namin na pinapraktisan, jina-judge kami. Kasi either panis ‘yung joke or nirerecord kami. Kaya [dahil d’un], [minsan] sunog ang joke. With all those challenges, ang talagang proseso namin is to write jokes for open-mic and do them,” he said.
(In the Philippines, open-mic is free. A lot of people come because it’s free. Whenever we practice our material, we are already being judged. This is either because a joke has already been put out or we had been recorded. This is why our jokes flop sometimes. With all those challenges, we make sure to write our jokes for open-mic and do them well.)