What's so funny about Comedy?

"Comedians don't laugh. They're too busy analyzing why it's funny or not." 

-James Lipton

'I left banking for comedy, because even my failures in comedy make me happier than my successes as a banker'. That's the actor-comedian Sharjil Rasool for you. Though he hasn't ever lived in Bangladesh - having been born in Oman, travelled the world and studied in Toronto – his parentage does make him identify ethnically as a Bangladeshi Canadian. But that's about it.  It's 'Second City Toronto', the largest school of improvisation and sketch comedy in the world, which helped Sharjil start a brand-new career and, basically, reinvent himself.

I'd heard about Sharjil from his father Ghulam Rasool, at a get-together in Dhaka, and it intrigued me. Now in Canada, with family in tow, I went for an evening of fun and laughter at the 'Second City', in Toronto's entertainment district, for a showcasing of a sketch comedy, a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called 'Canada: The Thinking Man's America'. This show was a comedic celebration of the nation's 150th birthday, performed by a group of six comic actors, including Sharjil. And, from the very word 'go', it was a hilarious mash of improvisation and stand-up which brought down the entire house in hoops of laughter with its witty jibes at almost everything Canadian from provincial stereotypes, bilingualism, the strangest raccoon mimicry, et al. Even Canada's national anthem was made the butt of the straight-faced dig, 'In the best interest of accuracy should it not say – O Canada our home 'on' native land?'

But, what is it about comedy which makes it so powerfully appealing? 'If you can laugh at yourself, you can forgive yourself', says Susan Sparks, author of 'Laugh Your Way To Grace', 'and if you can forgive yourself, you can forgive others.' Humor, it is said, plays a huge role in the development of personal resilience.

'Kyogen', the Japanese slapstick satire, 'Ottan Thullal', the witty and outspoken soliloquy from Kerala, and Bangladesh's very own 'Shong Jatra' performed as short humorous sketches commenting on current affairs, are all proof that 'comedy is the oldest, most universal, basic and deeply significant form of humorous expression'(Lawrence Mintz). Anthropologist Mary Douglas notes that 'the structure of jokes tends to be subversive; in other words, jokes tear down, distort, misrepresent, and reorder usual patterns of expression and perception', making 'the joking activity a public affirmation of cultural beliefs and a reexamination of these beliefs'. Comedy is, therefore, a powerful tool for social and cultural mediation.

Take the question of migrants. That day Sharjil outdid himself in a short, heavily accented and poignant monologue as a Syrian refugee, comparing notions of danger at 'home' and in his new Canadian domicile, with pan faced comments like, 'Butch, he had a drone.  I never knew they could be toys'. Certainly, a humorous but powerful way of bringing home the truth.

So, who writes these comic pieces? Sharjil informs me that sketches are first improvised by the actors, beginning with a pitch of one or two sentences; and finally written down based on the outcome of these improv sessions.  Though 'Second City' does subscribe to an underlying progressive approach, it isn't necessary, says Sharjil, for everyone in the ensemble to be 'in the same page'.   Differing views bring richer content to the sketches, he continues.

For Sharjil, comedy started with an experimental 'drop-in' class at the 'Second City Training Center', in 2011. It led to almost two years of training, after banking hours, finally ending up with a place with Second City's Touring Company. This gave him the courage to chuck his job at the bank, in 2013, and plunge into a full-time career in comedy. As an actor, his television credits include 'Working The Engels' (Global/NBC) and Odd Squad (TVO Kids/PBS Kids). Sharjil co-hosts the award-winning comedy podcast 'That's How I Remember It' with his troupe, 'The Nice Guys', and has taken their show to festivals across North America. He can also be seen performing improv and sketch around Toronto with various troupes. 

What next?  'On Camera acting', hopes Sharjil.  We wish him all success, knowing that the courage it took him to follow his heart's desire, is an inspiring story for many other young dreamers.

For more information, visit:

https://www.secondcity.com/courses/toronto/adult/