Prolific Australian comedian Akmal Saleh has hit the road for a new comedy spectacular.
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The comic is bringing his brand of topical, insightful humour to the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre in November for his new show, Transparent.
Saleh said he liked to keep himself and his audiences on their toes.
“I kind of never have a really solid plan of what I am going to do, and that keeps it interesting for me and the audience, hopefully,” he said.
“I feed off the audience a lot and sometimes I plan to do something and then I go out there and I do something completely different.
“That’s just the style I have developed over the years, I never know what to expect.”
The 53-year-old comedian has graced our screens and radio waves as one of the country’s biggest stand-up acts.
The comic delves into heavier topics and personal themes, regularly discussing religion, his experiences in Australia and his heritage.
Saleh told the Mail his new show talks in part about the rise of reality TV. Saleh himself as been part of the phenomenon, taking on the jungle in 2016 with I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.
But Saleh has a firm understanding of where the line is between comedy and celebrity.
“With comedy you have to keep producing, you don’t stay in the spotlight for too long if you don’t keep coming up with material,” he remarked.
“There are a lot of comedians working at the moment and if you don’t produce, and if you don’t come up with fresh ideas...when people see you they expect to see new material, they expect you to extend yourself and try new things, and you have to keep refreshing your act.
“Celebrity is a very fleeting thing for a comedian if you are not working at it or continually putting effort into your act.”
The comic added his love for stand-up comedy draws him back to touring and heading up on stage.
“I really love it, I feel privileged to still be doing it, I love both the travel and the shows,” he said.
“I’m very lucky, I travel with people I really like and get on with, I like the freedom, I find the work very challenging – every night it’s different and it’s always changing,” he said.
“I can’t see myself doing anything else and the longer I do it then the more comfortable I am with it.”
Akmal’s show, Transparent, comes to Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre on Friday, November 3 from 8pm.
Visit https://www.bunburyentertainment.com/ to book tickets.
