April 19th, Stand Up BA, Buenos Aires
Greetings from Buenos Aires! I hope you’re well:) Last week I went to an open mic exclusively in Spanish hoping I’d glean a bit of what was being said and despite employing every brain cell in my noggin, that simply did not happen. It was a strange feeling, being somewhere that on the one hand felt so familiar, an open mic, and yet also alien and unreachable on account of the language barrier. The experience sent me in search of anyyyy English speaking comedy and that’s how I came across Stand Up Buenos Aires, allegedly the only one of its kind in the city. A couple nights ago I hopped on the very speedy, very impatient no. 12 bus - the doors open before the bus has stopped moving, turning all disembarking passengers into James Bond for a second - and visited one of their shows hosted at La Silla Electrica Comedy Club near Palermo. Sometimes the pursuit of stand-up takes you to strange places and this time it landed me at a kitsch little bar beside a sex/ jewelry shop inside a mall?!!? Love. The club was v long and narrow and the bar was decorated with a whole array of bits and bobs including a weathered football helmet and a mischievous looking stuffed witch. The light fixture above the bar was made from silver paint cans. A plastic astronaut figurine moonwalked across the surface of one while others were wrapped in blue feather garlands. On the bar’s back wall hung a small guitar, a chubby babushka, some rogue playing cards. All very kitschy-witchy indeed but nothing compared to the net of fake plant life that covered the stage wall. Top to bottom just squiggly, electric green flora and fauna. Literally who made that design call ahahah. I bought an aperol and orange juice that came in a water glass and flopped down in the front row. Aperol and OJ is categorically not my drink of choice but like I said, my Spanish is very bad.
Per usual, let’s start with the night’s gems. Andy Marcó MC’d and got things going by having everyone in the audience introduce themselves. Looooved this. It was a small crowd (maybe 20 people?) so this totally worked and it was so nice to get to know who you were sitting with, which turned out to be a very international and couple-y crowd. There were bfs and gfs from Germany, China, France, the US, and Argentina ofc. Then there was the single crew including a woman in her 60s with an incredible salt and pep mullet who’d come all the way from Australia to learn tango. Marcó was instantly likable and warm. Much of her material revolved around the trials of being married to her wife for 12 years. Stuff like her wife’s indecisiveness: “Do you want pizza or burgers for dinner?” “Idk whatever you want.” It was cute but ngl the volume of material she had like this makes me hope they’re doing ok.
Seven comedians performed about 6 minutes each. The first two acts, Ingrid Cruz and Franco Saraceni, were the best of the night. Cruz killed with her anecdotes about her grandfather who reveled in others’ deaths to the point where the smell of burning bodies in car accidents made him hungry for barbeque. Over time her grandfather’s preoccupation started to rub off on her. As a kid, she began to look forward to accidents in her neighborhood because it meant her grandfather would leave her home alone with unlimited access to TV and cereal. Her set was equal parts dark and sweet and a strong start to the show.
Saraceni followed this up with some chat about his English ex, stating that he was probably the first Argentinian to miss someone from England. He mused that maybe if England had given head, Argentina would still want them around. Then he told us about stalking said ex’s IG only to find her posing with some cool looking dude from Columbia with a parrot on his shoulder. He acted out trying to best the guy in the photo with a pigeon snatched off the streets of Buenos Aires, imitating the pigeon squawking, biting, and obliterating all chances of victory. The crowd exploded. Moments later he gave another stunning impression of his sibling’s baby making indecipherable infant noises when he was around and then speaking in perfect English as soon as he left the room. They teach gaslighting young these days. I loved the vulnerable, relatable confessions about insta-stalking his ex and comparing himself, coupled with the dude bro bits about getting head. A delicate balance, ya know. The dichotomy matched his presence on stage: cool + casual but also nervous and a bit jumpy. He made apologetic sounds every time he paused to check his notes but then delivered absolute gems and totally owned the room. More, please!
As for the rest of the acts, they all had their stand-out moments. Marcel Goldhammer, a comedian from Germany, delivered an edgyYyy bit about being gay but preferring the ISIS flag to the LGBTQ one because of its visual simplicity and the hot (his take, not mine), macho men that fly it. A French comic explained that all the critical voices in his head are British. Lol. Clari Castro lamented that she wore billowy button downs to attract women but to her dismay people just assume she’s from Buenos Aires’ bougie barrio, Recoleta. She is. Dutch comic, Kiki Bosma, mocked BA residents for how slowly they meander down the sidewalks and stop abruptly for no apparent reason to uproarious laughter from the crowd. All strong stuff. It was a unique experience getting to watch such an international set list, with each comedian offering their jabs and inside jokes about their unique nationality.
Of course, as with most open mics, some of the material was kind of mid, either because it was half-baked or generic. For example, Bosma told a story about how she once went on a date with a guy who ordered coffee like he was giving a TedTalk which is a hilariouuuus concept but her impression didn’t really give TedTalk to me. J’adore the idea but the execution needs sharpening. Likewise, the closing act centered his set around all the things you shouldn’t say to a woman in an argument like “chill,” “seriously,” and “never mind.” Once you understood the concept it all got a bit redundant and could use with some polishing + stripping the bits down to their most crisp, witty elements. Plus I’m p sure we’ve all heard that one before. Ahh women. Beautiful, magnetizing creatures but elusive and impossible to please, etc, etc. Idk guys, I can’t even think of that many specific examples which I know is unhelpful and uncritic-y. A lot of the jokes just felt a bit underripe to me, a bit flat. And I get it. Open mics are for messing about with material. An opportunity to rearrange, experiment, flip-flop, take a risk. Still. A little British voice in my head kept saying Is that the best you can do? 😈
All in all it was a Good Show. I’m sooo grateful some English-speaking comedy exists while my Spanish continues to flop and I will totally be back. The w’s made the l’s worth it and the atmosphere was so friendly + cozy, due in large part to Marcó’s MC-ing and the close quarters. Sometimes the small clubs make for the best vibes:) Anywhoooo until next time ciao y gracias y buenos dias💫
