It’s Alright, We’ll
Invite Mr Wright
I’m lucky in my life to
have watched so many British television programmes. Not being British of course
means that sometimes, the oddball sense of humour, the dry wit, can simply
escape me, but through the wonders of television, tiny people in a little box
in our living room, an appreciation has grown of good humour, and an
understanding of the British way of doing things. Odd ball is probably the key
word, unexpected, random, and seemingly crass and crazy, the British do things
differently. It is with that thought that a few weeks ago I headed down to
Kuala Lumpur’s The Ship restaurant and theatre stage in Bukit Bintang to see
one of Her Majesty’s finest, well, at least, more-well-known entertainers.
Having slipped quietly
into Malaysia under a shrowd of secrecy (yes, I did know about it), and under
strict instructions not to tell the media, for fear of Barry Manilow recordings
being played over and over in my office, I kept my enthusiasm very quiet. But
the excitement was too much.
Was it Camilia P-B? Well,
some thought yes, but actually, it wasn’t. I somehow suspect Ol’ Prince Charlie
wouldn’t be too keen on this Camilia; may get a bit of a shock at night time.
So, it wasn’t Camilia.
Our distinguished Brit visitor was here, filming a new show, with none other
than local Queen of comedy, Joanne Kam Poh Poh. So, you kind of get the gist of
where this might be heading…
There I was, sitting in
The Ship, waiting, and waiting, as the film crew set up, tested the sound, and
the small crowd waited for the show to begin. Well, here is where the alcohol
comes in, because a live show is nothing without a little liquid refreshment to
help quench the thirst. And boy, after waiting for so long, did my thirst need
quenching. A rather large supply of
Johnny Walker Black Label was available by the glass, and even by the bottle,
for the eager audience.
We certainly needed it,
because what was to come, was just sheer entertainment, but would never be
believed without the aid of a few stiff drinks.
Here to film his new
television show, Invite Mr Wright, was none other than the intrepid traveller
himself, Ian Wright. Going around the region, Ian is filming with one
personality in each country, and following these personalities through their
lives and adventures. Joanne was selected for Malaysia, and the stories I’ve
heard over a late night drink or two, will certainly make for great TV.
Invite Mr Wright saw
Ian performing at The Ship with not only Joanne, but her cousin, the temptress
Bibi Kpoh and their troupe of multitalented dancers. So, with a couple of
audience shifts (making the small crowd look big), the show was underway. A few
dances, a vaguely familiar rendition of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance (that song
always cheers me up – but what’s with the trees Joanna?), Ian came on stage to
try his hand at stand-up comedy.
Hmmn… just so grateful
that he’s a nice person, and that there were no tomatoes or eggs with the
audience members. Not criticising, because I certainly wouldn’t get up there,
but he was bad! Local comedian, Quah Jen Han, who was in the audience had to
get up a little later and show him how it was really done, followed by a quirky
routine by the ever funny Joanne. The day was saved.
We were also lucky
enough to be treated to a pole dancing competition, where a good friend of mine
(sorry Richard Tan) got up and tried his hand at the pole. Better stick with
the day job Richard. Although, the other contestants did surprise us with quite
a limber performance, and our two dancers certainly showed Jen Han a thing or two.
But hey, we came here
to see Ian, to meet Ian, and to have the chance to talk with Ian. That, we
certainly got. Towards the end of the show, Ian came out and did a Q & A
with the audience; anything we wanted to know about Ian Wright and what he
does, where he’s been, etc. A good range of questions, and you soon got to see
just how down to earth and approachable this guy really was, telling stories of
places he’s been and people he’s meet.
The piece-de-resistance
though was the couple of hours Mr Wright spent just drinking with the crowd,
chatting with everyone. Funny really, he asked us just as many questions as we
asked him. Very personable, approachable, and genuinely easy to converse with
are what I would say about our intrepid traveller – a real experience just to
share a whiskey with this guy.
And I tell you, keep
your eyes out on TV early next year, because what I didn’t tell you is, why we
all thought it was Camilia P-B!
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| Posing right with Mr Wright |
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