Interviewed by Rita Wakim
“Comedy Night” from Beirut to Canada… The comedians Mario Bassil and Shadi Maroun arrived in Canada on a tour in which they will travel between Toronto and Montreal to the capital, Ottawa, and then Halifax, after an absence from the Arab public dating back to the year 2008, organized by Lordia Ottawa for the Canadian-Lebanese contractor Michel Imad
Two hours of continuous laughter without a minute of boredom, separating you from your daily worries, during which the strongest duo in the comedy theater in Lebanon embody the reality or the general atmosphere in Pan Arab, without the show being limited to a large work team, paintings, direction, lighting, and costumes, but rather relying on the idea and the text along with Comedy requires skilled acting and performance and hits the target.
“Sketches” were formulated in a style that was unique to the creative artist Mario Bassil from the time of his launch in Lebanon in 1998 through the “Banned in Lebanon” program. Shortly after that, he launched “Comedy Night,” what is known as “Stand up Comedy,” through which he performs with all the craftsmanship of the “Al-Sanaei” or the actor. The professional, as they call him in Egypt, delivers his message to the world in a bold style and the art of imitation.
From the character of Shakespeare that he recently created, to political figures in the world, a wonderful performance by Shadi Maroun, who won the gold medal in the imitation category, as he succeeded in imitating the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, in the Studio El Fan program in 1993, which exported the most important talents to the world. No evening is beautiful without Marioka concluded it always with Marioka, a character he created and perfectly embodied by Mario Bassil. He created a talent to which my hat is off. The spotlight of fame that he gained during a career of nearly 25 years did not change him, even after he won the “Murex d’Or” award as the best comedic actor in Lebanon for the year 2009. He remained as he was. He is an educated and artistically knowledgeable actor, humble and always striving for progress and development and keeping up with changes in the art of theatrical comedy in the world, which has earned him the love of millions of his followers around the world.
When we asked him why he chose comedy and not drama or melodrama, he answered that he loved cinema and music. Since his childhood, he had loved the films of Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, and Marlon Brandon. After that, he studied agricultural engineering, then specialized in communications arts, and then refined his talent by studying cinema in France.
During his university days, his talent for comedy was discovered through plays prepared by university students, and he was a naturally cheerful person who loved to laugh and possessed talent. At that time, comedy in Lebanon did not require huge capabilities and productions, but rather talent, culture, and writing.
As the American actor Woody Allen says, if you give the most beautiful person the most beautiful script, he will not be able to make the audience laugh, while if you give a failed script to a talented, “funny” person, he will be able to make the audience laugh. After that, he worked in the field of advertising and learned how to market his ideas and the theatrical productions that I carry out with his personal funding.
Regarding the comedian who influenced him, he says: “From Lebanon, I love Ziad Rahbani, but as an Arab I have always been amazed by the talent and films of leader Adel Imam. The Egyptian people are known for their wit and sense of humor. I was also influenced by the pioneers of comedy in the West and Europe, such as Bill Cosby, Woody Alan, Chris Rock and Gad El Maleh.” From the new generation, he is a great talent
I took inspiration for my plays from several cultures. For example, I took some from the Chansonnier Theater in France, others from stand-up comedy from America, and the Burlesque Theater in France for “Comedy Night,” where I used male and female dancers. If my work was not limited to one color only, I used all the comedy weapons from all sides. As I mentioned with the speech-playing technique, I collected it in one theater and “built” it locally.
A summary of my reading and following of comedy in the world entered my subconscious and pushed me to “Lebanonize” Arab and foreign comedy so that it became directed to the Lebanese viewer since my beginnings in the comedy theater.
He added: “I was influenced by the playwright Antonin Artaud, who launched “Le Theater de la cruauté,” and who used to say that theater must shock in order to influence the viewer and make him think. For me, when the audience has gone through experience artistique,” that is, through the stages of “laughing, thinking, and reviewing itself,” he left the play. “full of emotions” means that I succeeded in my role.
When we asked Mario and Shadi Maroun how they, as comedians, deal with the crises that are currently ravaging the Arab world, Mario says that a large part of comedy stems from drama and tragedy. That is, when tragedy is pushed to the last, or to the extreme, it becomes comedy, and I worked on transforming tears into laughter, and this is the secret of theatrical success. It is certain that what is happening today is sad and frustrating, so the task of comedy is to camouflage people and entertain them so that they forget what is happening on the ground.
I would like to mention that the artist is influenced by what surrounds him because he is more sensitive than others
They call me “the executioner of politicians” because I criticize them with my theater and my works
So much so that some people tell me that they hate themselves when they watch imitations of their character on stage.
I have more pity for those who run after political leaders, whether in Lebanon or in the Arab world, even today, and after everything that is happening. These are psychological patients because they suffer from “Stockholm Syndrome,” that is, the victim who falls in love with her executioner.
What did marriage and fatherhood change in Mario Basil? He answered, “It changed me a lot.” And whether his daughter Sophia had any artistic inclinations and whether she inherited talent from him after she told him that most of the sons of artists in Egypt carried the torch from their fathers, such as Adel Imam, Mahmoud Yassin, Muhammad Abdel Aziz, Farouk Al-Fishawy, Farid Shawqi, and Samir. Ghanem and others answered, “She has a sense of humor like me, and her mother takes her to ballet class, and I encourage her to take karate class to become strong and able to defend herself.”
I do not encourage her to act because this field is cruel and difficult for a child, and my role as a protective father is to protect her
As for Shadi Maroun, he encourages his children to study what they love, whether it is art or acting, but not in Lebanon because the comedian does not get his due, unfortunately, in Lebanon.
As for his advice to future generations in comedy, it is: “I believe that comedy is what chooses a person and not the other way around.” “Love what you do and work on it and you will inevitably excel at it.” Talent combined with breadth of culture is the foundation.
As for Shadi Maroun, he answered jokingly, citing a quote by Ziad Rahbani, “The generation that is coming to wake up will not come.”
Asked whether he believed there was hope for Lebanon’s progress, he said:
“For me, Lebanon is limping and does not fall. Lebanon always comes back, despite all the crises, through the world of expansion and the competencies that it exported to the world.”
As for Shadi Maroun, Lebanon is like a phoenix that always rises from the ashes. I call on those responsible to provide security and safety for the artist and the human being, and the conditions conducive to focusing and working, so that the artist is not obsessed with the economic situation, providing infrastructure, and living matters. As for Mario, he noted that art is a luxury, so The basic things must first be provided, including food, housing, electricity, and medical care, so that the artist can flourish and develop and not be preoccupied with providing the basic necessities of life.
In conclusion, we bid them farewell after this beautiful meeting, like the humor of comedians, and left them to continue the tour in Canada, which will extend to November 7: “We are happy to be here.”
And with the love with which the Lebanese community in Canada surrounded us
This visit has a special flavor to meet our Lebanese and Arab fans.”
Photographer Hicham Ghadban