Laugh, Dance, Eat, Repeat: A Look At Qatar’s Entertainment Scene
Qatar 365 explores the world of entertainment. Aadel Haleem sits down with world-renowned comedian Mo Amer, while Laila Humairah meets amateur comics who make jokes, just for fun. Johanna Hoes goes on a groove down culinary and musical lane to experience Qatar’s vibrant dinner entertainment.
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00:00I'm just saying.
00:02There's been several pinch me moments in my career, but it's also like in life, you know,
00:07just having gratitude and understanding like this came with a lot of pain and struggle and time.
00:12No matter what the nationality is, and especially if they're not Arabic speakers,
00:16you don't need to understand the Oriental beat to dance to it.
00:21Hello, welcome to Qatar 365 with me, Abdelhalim.
00:25On this episode, we explore the world of comedy and entertainment.
00:29I sat down with comedian and TV star, Mon Amour,
00:32and Laila Humaira met some Doha-based comedians who do stand-up just for fun.
00:38But first, Ioanna Hoos is singing and eating the night away
00:42to experience Doha's vibrant culinary entertainment and explore the fusion of music and gastronomy.
00:51Steak served with a side of jazz,
00:54a pairing that's quite literally music to the ears of diners at Chicago Rare,
00:59a restaurant in Doha where every meal starts on a high note.
01:06Trying to combine music and food,
01:09you need to find the elements where they complement each other rather than compete, right?
01:14So finding that harmony between having an amazing band
01:18and at the same time, we like to lead a guest through a culinary experience here.
01:23It's very important for us to make sure that every guest leaves with the wow factor.
01:28Located here in the newly opened Four Seasons The Pearl,
01:31Chicago Rare transports diners back to the early 20th century.
01:36Inspired by the food and beverage establishments in the United States
01:40that operated out of plain sights,
01:42the Art Deco restaurant instills a sense of nostalgia,
01:45serving up traditional American cuisine with a dash of the roaring 20s.
01:50The nine years that I spent in Chicago really helped me basically to create a menu,
01:56reflective of what Chicago looked like in the 1920s,
02:00but also creating those old recipes and modernizing it a little bit.
02:04So it's great.
02:06For bass player Samuel, life is not all about jazzy blasts from the past.
02:11For his other job, he has to hit a different set of keys as a computer science teacher.
02:16But the stage is where he gets his energy.
02:19Yes, so the ambience for me is everything.
02:22Seeing amazing people, locals in Qatar, foreigners in Qatar,
02:27mix up to listen to same jazz music, eating good food.
02:30It's amazing. It's amazing. I just love it.
02:37Another feast for the senses comes courtesy of sax over at the St. Regis Hotel.
02:43Every night, the soulful restaurant turns up the music,
02:46blending high-end dining with tunes from the Middle East and beyond.
02:51The inspiration behind starting sax is having the nice blend of that fine dining
02:58and the clubbing experience meeting everyone's expectations.
03:01What sets sax apart is the international menu plus the live entertainment,
03:07the happy vibe in the place. It all blends in very well.
03:11Saturdays at sax mean one thing, jam night,
03:14a lively gastronomic experience designed around rhythms from the region.
03:19We were thinking of doing something special for Saturday nights here at sax
03:24by focusing on Middle Eastern music because it is really a very rich cultural region here,
03:31especially when it regards to oriental music.
03:34And so we try to offer our guests unique melodies and rhythms
03:39that make everyone wants to move and really enjoy the music
03:42even though they don't understand the lyrics.
03:49So that jam night is interesting for everyone no matter what the nationality is
03:55and especially if they are not Arabic speakers.
03:57You don't need to understand an oriental beat to dance to it.
04:00If you're hungry for food or for music, Doha's dinner entertainment hits the right note.
04:05So whether you have rhythm or two left feet like me,
04:08put on your dancing shoes for a groove down culinary and musical lane.
04:17He shared the stage with Dave Chappelle and the big screen with The Rock.
04:21Mo Amr is no stranger to the bright lights.
04:24The Palestinian American has several comedy specials
04:27and even his own semi-autobiographical show on Netflix.
04:30I sat down with Mo ahead of his stand-up show in Doha.
04:34Oh, hello, Mohammed, yeah. Oh, we need your thumbprint, yeah.
04:39Mo, you're living a life most comedians would dream of.
04:42You've worked with The Rock, you've toured with Dave Chappelle,
04:45you won a Peabody for your own Netflix show.
04:48What's been the biggest pinch me moment of your career so far?
04:51This, this right here.
04:52I appreciate it.
04:53Being so dope to have our own theater to do an interview in.
04:57This is it. No, no.
04:58It's the pinnacle, right?
05:00Alhamdulillah, bro.
05:01Like, I feel very blessed this didn't happen overnight.
05:05It's very important to highlight.
05:06It took, you know, over two decades to get here.
05:10I was reflecting upon it today, you know.
05:12I'm blessed to come here and do a show and get treated so well.
05:16And I was kind of like laughing at myself driving as a teenager,
05:1912 hours each way to, you know, make 75 bucks to get into a club
05:25and hopefully have a future.
05:26And so it's a beautiful thing to be here 24 years later.
05:31Shows that hard work, determination, and focus
05:34puts you in really a lot of pinch me moments.
05:37But, yeah.
05:38Robert De Niro.
05:39That's a short answer.
05:40Robert De Niro.
05:41When I met Robert De Niro, that was my, by far, one of my...
05:45He was the only person I fanned out on, to be honest.
05:48He was the only person I was like...
05:50I literally screamed.
05:52And I hugged him.
05:54And I squeezed him for so long like this.
05:56I held him, and he was right here.
05:58And I looked at him, and I was like...
06:00Did I hug you too long?
06:01And I swear to you, he goes...
06:03A little bit.
06:05I was like, oh my God, he's in the thing!
06:07You talk openly about your Palestinian heritage.
06:09For some of your audience, I imagine this might be the first time
06:11they're getting a Palestinian comedian,
06:13or they might be the first time seeing a Palestinian family on screen.
06:16How does that play into your creative process?
06:18You know, it's who I am, right?
06:20I'm Palestinian like this.
06:22Obviously, with the absolute devastation that's happening now,
06:26it's gut-wrenching.
06:28Nothing feels good, everything feels tasteless.
06:30Our hearts are all broken.
06:32I can't even talk about it.
06:34But what you do is you stay true to that identity,
06:37and you stay true to that, and then everything will shift to your way.
06:40So considering the state of our world,
06:42how much more difficult does it make your job?
06:44You're on stage, vulnerable, making people laugh.
06:48Is it also like a cathartic experience for you to be up on stage?
06:51Yeah, no, it's very cathartic.
06:53Stand-up, for sure, has always been that source of healing for me.
07:00And it's my own therapy.
07:02It's always been that.
07:04And now, as I'm doing stand-up, of course,
07:06and I'll never stop doing stand-up,
07:08simultaneously making a TV show,
07:10making a series, writing and directing and acting in it
07:13that's so personal,
07:15sometimes like copy-paste of what actually happened in my life.
07:21And knowing that these people, these family members are not with you,
07:25and you have to live through it again
07:28and recreate it and do it justice while telling the story,
07:32it's gut-wrenching.
07:34I can't tell you how many times where I had to just walk away
07:38and just be by myself and just clear my heart and mind.
07:42So it's one of those things.
07:44Man, I'm dropping gems on this show.
07:47It's just, man, it's crazy. It's like Oprah's here or something.
07:50All right, Mo, thank you so much for your time.
07:52I really appreciate it.
07:54Thank you. Appreciate it.
07:58Inspiring words from Mo Amar.
08:00Cutler's stand-up comedy scene may be small,
08:03but it's been around a lot longer than you may think.
08:06So how has this form of entertainment grown over the years?
08:10Laila Humaira met some aspiring Doha-based comedians to find out.
08:16It's Thursday night in Lusail,
08:18and stand-up comedy Qatar is hosting Just Kidding,
08:22their monthly show here at the Collector's Café.
08:25First to take the stage is Ronald Semaganda.
08:29The Ugandan native has been a member of the club less than a year,
08:33but he's quickly become a crowd favourite.
08:36Ronald has also performed a one-hour comedy special
08:39called Far From Africa, inspired by his roots of origin.
08:43Most of my jokes are transitional jokes,
08:46like jokes that show the difference between cultures.
08:50I show you how we do it the African way and how you guys do it here.
08:59Set up in 2010, stand-up comedy Qatar has become the place for Ronald
09:04and around 15 other people from all over the world
09:07to gather and share a common passion.
09:10It's at this café that Qatar's aspiring comedians perform once a month,
09:15dropping witty punchlines, entertaining the crowd,
09:18and by doing that, honing their craft.
09:21These events also strengthen camaraderie amongst a group of people
09:25who enjoy laughing together, at each other,
09:28and sometimes even at themselves.
09:32For some reason, we're all awkward in a sense,
09:35but we belong with each other,
09:37and it might be one of the few places where you can just come
09:40and just be yourself and not be judged.
09:43Mariam Salim and Muhammad Ayman have been part of the tight-knit club
09:47since its early days.
09:49While members come and go, one rule that hasn't changed
09:52is for everyone to be as welcoming as possible.
09:56We like to welcome new comedians because we want to meet new people,
10:00we want to meet new backgrounds.
10:02We need some cultural diversity.
10:05Diversity adds strength to the group.
10:10The club meets often to exchange ideas, go through jokes, and rehearse.
10:16Beyond just entertaining the crowd,
10:18the members help each other refine their material
10:21and share suggestions for everyone to improve.
10:24It's not just about making people laugh.
10:26A good stand-up comedian is someone who has energy on stage
10:29from where he starts the performance to where he ends the performance.
10:32But mostly a good stand-up comedian is a comedian who writes his own joke.
10:36For some of the members,
10:38stand-up comedy gives them a chance to embrace a side of themselves
10:42they don't often show.
10:44I used to do it for me, just to express myself.
10:47Some people prefer comedy than therapy because it's cheaper.
10:51I'm joking.
10:52Some of my friends tell me that they see someone else on stage,
10:56but in my mind, I'm the same person,
10:58whether it's on stage or in real life.
11:01And while everyday life can get mundane or stressful,
11:04the members of Stand-Up Comedy Qatar know
11:07they'll always have a place where they can escape to,
11:10and it's as simple as a night of laughter.
11:13I think the stand-up comedy stage is different than any other stages
11:17because it gives you that non-judgmental space
11:21and a free space to talk about anything and everything.
11:25So it's a good place to feel your pain with others,
11:29to share your pain with others in a very different manner.
11:38From musicians to comedians and professionals to amateurs,
11:42we saw a wide range of entertainment in this episode.
11:45But sadly, that's a wrap, quite literally,
11:47as that's all the time we have for now.
11:49For more, check out euronews.com and connect with us through a hashtag.
11:53Thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time on Qatar 365.
11:59♪