Stand-up comedian Arj Barker returns to Hong Kong with sharpest material honed during performances in Australia
Ahead of his three shows for Punchline Comedy Club, Barker, who also plays Dave in US TV show Flight of the Conchords, talks about jokes he has tailor-made for Hong Kong and why he spends little time making fun of Trump
Few foreign comedians have got to know Hong Kong as well as Arj Barker, who will be making his third appearance for the city’s Punchline Comedy Club this month.
The US-born stand-up first performed here for Punchline 15 years ago, and says he always looks forward to returning to the city to explore the markets, hone his photography skills and spend time with the club’s founder, John Moorhead.
The Hong Kong jester standing up for the Cantonese community
Over three nights at locations in both Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island, Barker will present his “best stuff”: the sharpest material honed during performances in Australia, his adopted home since the early noughties, plus jokes tailor-made for a Hong Kong crowd.
“I like to do some jokes about expats and all that. What’s that acronym? ‘Failed in London, try Hong Kong?’” he says over the phone from Melbourne. “I used to have a joke about getting drunk in that one district where there are all the tailors and waking up with several new suits. I’ve got to dust that off.”
Barker, whose real name is Arjan Singh, first achieved widespread fame when he was named best newcomer at Scotland’s Edinburgh Fringe festival in 1997. He is best known, though, for his role in HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, the Emmy-nominated television series following New Zealand comedians Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement as they try to achieve success as a band in New York City.