Why Two Brown Guys Had To Be Funny To Fit In

22 March 2016 | 3:58 pm | Staff Writer

"Two brown guys from New Zealand telling the funniest jokes they have ever been able to think of."

"Two brown guys from New Zealand telling the funniest jokes they have ever been able to think of," is how Pax Assadi describes Hard In The Paint, the two-hander he will perform with his partner in comedy, James Roque. They're regulars on the NZ comedy circuit, but this will be the Pakistani/Iranian and Filipino duo's Melbourne International Comedy Festival debut. Assadi says the boys decided to try comedy "when [they] realised it was the only way to fit in as brown kids".

It certainly seems as if Assadi and Roque don't have a shortage of ideas, Assadi admitting that "trying to slow the onslaught of material flowing out of [their] mouths" when writing this show was particularly challenging. "It's so annoying when you only have to write 25 minutes [of material], but you inadvertently write one hour 45 [minutes]."

We're looking forward to seeing how their chemistry plays out on stage after Assadi describes the duo's pre-show ritual: "We slaughter a goat, drink its blood and then smear what's left on each other's bare chests." On the last thing that made Assadi totally crack up, he says it was "a joke James said. I can't remember it, but trust me it was a doozy!"

When asked what he loves about Comedy Festival season, Assadi cheekily offers, "Discovering new and fresh talent from New Zealand *wink* *wink*." And Assadi is confident that Hard On The Paint will bring the LOLs. "If there are strangers in the room, we'll get ya!" he warns. "There is no escaping the hilarity."

Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter