Alexander Babu: ‘Through every show, I want to spread kindness’

Popular Chennai stand-up comedian Alexander Babu gets back to music and humour with ‘Alexperience’, premiering this weekend in Chennai

Alexander Babu climbs the staircase of his spanking new villa at Chennai’s Navalur singing Ilaiyaraaja’s ‘Pon Vaanam Paneer Thoovuthu’ ( Indru Nee Nalai Naan). As he climbs down, after fetching an extension box to plug his keyboard, he playfully tries out the high notes in AR Rahman’s ‘Vennilavae’ ( Minsara Kanavu).

With the popular stand-up comedian, there is always music in the air. And jokes to go with it.

After the hit musical comedy show  Alex in Wonderland, the comedian is back with yet another live musical special premiering this weekend in the city.  Alexperience has already created a buzz among stand-up fans, with packed multiple tester shows over the last few weekends. “Due to the lockdown, we suddenly had so much written material, but were unsure of what would work with an audience,” he says.

He describes  Alexperience more experimental than  Alex in Wonderland, so the ability to have tester shows — where he got to present his material in front of a live audience and tailor it accordingly — was a boon. “It was a relief to see the response you envisioned during the writing stage itself,” he says.

So, how different will  Alexperience be from his last show? “I decided to let go of my previous material, and let my art guide me. When you do that, you will be open to newer possibilities,” is all he is willing to state.

Alex interacts with audiences, but his core strength is presenting comical material that he has polished over and over again, so much that the joke and storytelling becomes second nature. “I feel that’s important. During my first tester, it was evident that I was thinking of the next lines when I was speaking. The more you rehearse, especially in front of an audience, the more coherent is gets.”

He looks back at the resounding success of  Alex in Wonderland, which he performed across cities and countries more than hundred times, as a ‘blessing’. Especially since it came in the third year of him quitting his regular IT job to take up stand-up as a full-time pursuit. “My wife and I saved money from our office jobs and thought I’d plunge full-time into stand-up for two years and see. We extended it to three years subsequently. So, I had to make it big that year, else I would have had to go back to a regular office job,” he says.