Thursday 18 / April / 2024
Muscat: Nemr Abou Nassar, a Lebanese/American stand-up comedian, said he is “super excited” about performing in Oman tonight at the Al Bustan Palace hotel, adding that the Sultanate is, “hands down,” one of the most beautiful countries he has ever been to.
Ready for tonight's big show? Tickets still available at Mackenzies Cafe from 9am to 6pm
“I am Lebanese, but if I had to choose anywhere else to live in, it will be Oman, there is no doubt about it,” said the 33-year-old comedian, who has been credited with pioneering the stand-up comedy scene throughout the Middle East, where he performs in English.
In an exclusive interview with the Times of Oman, Nassar said that he aims through his comedy to change the misconceptions about the Middle East in the United States.
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“We come from the oldest civilisation in history; our ancestors were the inventors of language, religion, math and many sciences, however, our rich culture has been defined by few thousands naming themselves IS who were recruited by Twitter,” said Nassar.
“I try my best to break down barriers and unite people. I speak on the behalf of my people and I believe that we have so much to offer,” he said, adding that a decade from now, his work will do something great. He also revealed that he is planning to feature his shows on
Netflix HBO to reach the American audience.
The international celebrity grew up in San Diego and moved back later with his family to Lebanon. Recently, he was featured on the Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore and another radio station where he was heard by more than 8 million people.
Focus
“We, as Middle Easterners, need to show the world that the power of our people come from the intersection of our people, instead of focusing on the small things that differentiate us,” Nassar explained, adding that nothing makes him happier than seeing people of various religions from different countries come together during his shows.
“War brought nothing but destruction to our nation, I lived through a terrible civil war, now, years after that, we still find it difficult to have electricity for 24 straight hours, our trash has not been picked up for the past 12 months, and we have been left for two years without a president,” Nassar recalled, urging people to get themselves together to “make the Middle East great again.”
During his debut US tour, Nassar will be performing in Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, Boston, New York, Florida, Michigan, Cleveland and before continuing to record breaking shows all over the Middle East, including Oman, and then returning to Los Angeles on May 14 at Club Nokia to finish this global event.
Starting on the social network My Space, Nassar said he has never depended on traditional media to promote his shows as many of them are controlled by political parties, which have their own demands.
“I am proud to say that self-promotion made me the person I am now,” he added.
Nassar is an accomplished comic with six full feature specials, a prime time television show called ‘A Stand Up Comedy Revolution,’ a movie release of two of his specials, called ‘EPIC’ and ‘Victorious Secret,’ which, when it played live and subsequently formed the basis of the movie, sold out to over 3,000 people in one night and played at Rome’s Coliseum.
He currently holds the record for the biggest show in every major country in the Middle East, with his latest special, ‘Uninterrupted Funny Observations,’ selling out to over 4,000 people in one night in Beirut alone in July 2014.
