HERWORLD JAN 2020The camera pans, and a statuesque woman looks
up with expressive eyes.
“My name is Sharul Channa, and no, I’m not
a Malay boy. I’m an Indian woman with a Malay
boy’s name,” she introduces herself in her signature
opener, holding the silence in an amiable manner
before fl ashing a warm smile.
With that, Sharul breaks the ice in the studio.
Her fl amboyance has a distancing eff ect – yet she
baits the audience with what she has to say next.
Tall and elegant, with sculpted features,
Sharul appears too poised to be a stand-up
comic on fi rst impression. Yet it is the same
funny girl who gamely – and boldly took on an
invitation to perform her fi rst comedy act in a
bar eight years ago.She has fl own the Singapore fl ag at the
biggest comedy festivals in the region, like the
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
and India’s Weirdass Pajama Festival. She also
recently completed a 10-city India tour, covering
Mumbai, Goa, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Chennai.
In between, Sharul gigs at comedy bars, hosts
and conducts comedy-writing workshops.
But where you really see the infl uence of
Sharul as an entertainer – and progressive-
minded artist – is within the confi nes of her fi rst
performance at an intimate bar. In the most
unfi ltered of art forms, she works her material
with little interference or trace of concern about
standards or demographics.
She switches between gestural tics and
musingly dry observations about love, social
disparities, womanhood, her family’s initial
disapproval of her craft, and anything that
matters to her heart. She brings on raucous
laughter one moment, sets off a contemplative
mood next, but never fails to provide an oasis of
positivity at the end of it.
Tautly written, her material isn’t all risqué.
It’s heart-warming and riveting, although
Sharul prefers to describe herself cheekily as a
“dangerous export from the safest country”.Not Just Jokes and Laughter
Born in Chennai and raised in Singapore, Sharul
says a good show is made of three things: Good
comedic timing, research and careful planning.Herfirst(spontaneous)linewasabouther
proximitytothefront-rowaudience:“Wow,this
isthefirsttimeawhitemanhasbeensoclose
tomyvagina.”Theamusedcrowdchortled–a
triumphantmomentwhenthethen-theatreactor
realisedcomedywashercalling.
“Beingabletoscript,produceandactout
myownshowmakesmehappy,”shetellsHer
World.Andtheonlyfull-timefemalecomedianin
Singaporehasgoodreasonstobe.
Sharulworkedhardtosharpenhermaterial,
findhervoiceandusethestagetohoneherown
comedicbrand.Today,the35-year-oldslaysinat
least 70 showsannually,makingbetween$500
and$1,000foreach.YOU MUST NOT
DOUBT YOURSELF."“When you joke about something, you have to
sound intelligent. If not, no one’s gonna come for
your next show,” she says, matter-of-factly.
It’s good to choose a topic that resonates with
you, she tells her students in her comedy-writing
workshops organised by Theatreworks.
“Be in touch with your feelings onstage,” she
adds. “This isn’t just for comedy performances,
you can inject humour into any public speaking.”
A week before each show, Sharul engages in
a mind-mapping session. “I sit down, open my
drawing block pad and start mind-mapping a
topic I want to talk about,” she explains. “I then
branch out to how the issue aff ects me, my verbal
reactions to it and what people have said about it.”"I HAVE A
106