Unson’s brand of comedy antidote to insult theater

MANILA, Philippines — Have you ever been put in a situation where you are the object of a stand-up comedian’s antics and everyone’s laughing at your expense?

That scenario won’t happen when you watch veteran stand-up comic act Mike Unson whose brand of making people laugh strictly does not resort to insulting someone from the audience or to be blunt about it, degrading a person who paid to watch you. 

Call it class. Or comic talk for the elite. But it’s a certainty that you can sit in front of the stage with your obviously younger girlfriend or gay lover and be assured you’d go home intact.

“Most of us Filipinos do watch English comedy movies and we laugh at what the actors are saying. With that, I say there’s no reason for us not to understand stand-up comedians using the English medium,” argued the baby-faced 40-year-old guy who was nominated at Aliw Awards for Best Stand-up Comedian last year.

Mike, who once opened for Rob Schneider and Rex Navarette, no doubt caught the audience’s delight in his Century Mall (Kalayaan Ave., Makati) show Mayhem In The First Degree staged earlier this year. He did the same last Sept. 29 in the same venue for a second bout dubbed Second Degree Mayhem and sponsored by drinkmanila.com.

He brought a new line-up of diverse artists who added to his humor, including spoken word personalities, high-caliber musicians and busy DJs. Chris Bacula and Eric Salazar came in with Jerome Cleofas, Sheena Pena and Pilipinas Got Talent’s Ruther Urquia, while Norby David (formerly of Rivermaya), Overtone and Roy Antonio provided acoustic live entertainment.

Mike and Silverfilter, the alter ego of Cyril Sorongon, collaborated on stage. According to insiders, they made history in the field of Filipino comedy.

Mike shared, “I watch movies alone and even devours two to three DVDs in one stretch. I’m even into horror flicks like the classic Twilight Zone and I have a box of notebooks where I write my plots and jokes.”

By revealing his movie buff side Mike is partly telling the secret to his thought-provoking fun talk — from cabbie or security guard encounters to recalling childhood memories, to stating his point of view on romantic relationships and middle child hang-ups. Certainly, he’s not a fan of okrayan and he carefully munches his slice of the market.

With a 14-year background in stand-up comedy, Mike had been picked to be featured in iFlix comedy series Huy, Bibig Mo. He likewise excels off stage and off-cam, being a part of the creative team for GMA 7’s Pepito Manaloto.

Mike, with hopes of helping push more the envelope for his style of entertaining people, noted, “I love doing this and not for the money. I want people to enjoy themselves.”

That remark is surely not an insult to the comedy craft.