born British stand-up comedian, Rehman Akhtar, who is living in Saudi Arabia, will showcase his talent Tuesday and Wednesday at ‘The Century Event' at the Italian Cultural Center. He will be joined by other noted stand-up comedians, Omar Ramzi, Mohammad Hussain and Thamer Al-Hazmi for an “unforgettable night”, said the organizers. Akhtar has been sharpening his comic skills from an early age, with performances to multi-cultural audiences all over the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. He has performed in England, Dubai, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. He has performed on BBC television shows and is equally comfortable with the role of stand-up comedian, facilitator and host of corporate and cultural events. He has already performed in more than 100 plays around the Gulf, UK and Saudi Arabia over the last three years. He has been performing as a comedian for the last 10 years. “I use my acting, mimicry and linguistic skills to bring a wide range of characters to life on stage and have become a firm favorite with audiences all over the Gulf. I love to talk with my fans as a friend not like an actor.” “I have never faced any problems performing in Saudi Arabia or any other country in the Gulf because there are no boundaries for creative people. But then this is Saudi Arabia and one has to be politically correct. Comedy can be done in many ways, but here we do it with dignity,” said Akhtar. The actor has performed many times in Jeddah with other famous comedians. “I am happy to be part of The Century Event and hope it will be successful. It's a huge challenge for the organizers and performers to satisfy the public,” said Akthar. “It will be wonderful to perform with old friends on stage. Comedy shows are aimed at building bridges, I try not to use a script and prefer an extempore performance after observing the crowd.” Akthar told Saudi Gazette that October 2008 marked a turning point for him, when he was chosen to be one of the opening actors at the Axis of Evil comedy show in Bahrain - headlined by American comedians Ahmed Ahmed and Maz Jobrani. As a comedian, you bring your “life experience” to the stage, he said. “Your nationality and cultural background is a big part of that. You just can't escape it. So I talk about the funny side of growing up as a Pakistani immigrant in the UK and then moving to Saudi Arabia as a ‘brown Brit',” said Akthar. Akhtar is a communications team leader at Saudi Aramco in Dhahran. He met a kindred spirit in another company employee, Fahad Albutairi. Together, the two men resolved to get the Gulf region chuckling. Soon they found they were not alone. “After coming to Saudi Arabia my talent grew and I became better. I really enjoy performing here as it's really interesting and a wonderful experience to perform in front of the Saudi public. And also perform in their style and the way they like it,” said Akthar. He said he would also like to do serious feature film acting if he gets a chance. He has already done some television commercials. The event has been organized by Century 21 Events Ltd. A total of 2,500 people are expected over the two days. The event has received generous support from Nescafe. Helen Cupcakes, Rabea Express Tea Bags and Gelato are also event partners, including Mix FM radio station, Grand Kai Fitness Center, Bridges Bookstore, Universal Legends and Bataweel Est. Tickets are priced at SR200 a person and can be bought at seven locations in the city — Bridges Bookstore (Arafat Street), Grand Kai Fitness Center (Serafi Mall, Malek Road), Crepe Cafe (Stars Avenue Mall), Century Events Office (Tahlia Street), Italian Cultural Center (Baghdadiya) and Rio De Janeiro Restaurant (Sari Street). For more information visit the event website at www.centuryevents.tv or call Hatem and his team at 0566258290, 0544246535.
