Israeli stand-up comes to Australia
The show is called Funny Monday because that is the night of the week in Tel Aviv when Yohay Sponder performed his stand-up comedy in English.
Israeli comedy has arrived in Australia, direct from Tel Aviv comedians Shahar Hason and Yohay Sponder have brought their show Funny Monday to Australian audiences.
Funny Monday is special in that it brings Israeli stand up, usually conveyed in Hebrew, to English-speaking audiences. Asked what makes Israeli comedy unique Sponder commented, “Israeli humour is faster, more direct, raw and very sharp, you can always tell by all of our stage art that this country is really going through a lot.”
The show is called Funny Monday because that is the night of the week in Tel Aviv when Sponder performed his stand-up comedy in English.
Explaining how Funny Monday began, Sponder told The AJN, “It was always the dream to make people laugh in another language.” It started in 2012 in bars in Tel Aviv with only a few people in the audience, but today has grown to have a wide following internationally among English-speaking audiences, helped by their social media and YouTube channel which showcases their live performances.
Since the massacre of Israelis on October 7 last year and Israel’s subsequent war against Hamas, many people have felt strange about finding joy.
Asked whether it is still important to laugh even during trying times, Sponder said, “Yes, I super get it, it’s even harder to be the one on stage and be responsible for other people’s joy and especially at times like these.
“But I saw in a movie once, that people who want us to be sad and scared and in fear, don’t take a day off, so how could we? The same movie said also: that great power comes with great responsibility, basically, it was Spiderman, I guess that I believe we are superheroes.”
Funny Monday travelled to Melbourne on February 29, will be in Sydney on March 4 and Byron Bay on March 6. For tickets: www.eventbrite.com.au
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