PETALING JAYA: Malaysian Rizal van Geyzel doesn’t want to survive the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He wants it to break him. After all, the comedian known for his provocative stand-up routines during his Crackhouse Comedy Club days in Kuala Lumpur will perform two solo shows every day for almost a month at the world’s largest arts festival.
“I’m a nut lah,” he laughed. “The way I put it is like I’m returning to the Shaolin temple. I’m putting myself through boot camp. I’m looking forward to coming out on the other side stronger, more resilient, more match-fit as a comedian.”
For most performers, one Fringe show is demanding enough. Rizal is bringing two. The first, “Arrested”, revisits the chapter of his life that followed his 2022 arrest and sedition investigation over jokes made during a comedy set.
The second, “Single Fatherhood”, picks up where the first leaves off, delving into the aftermath of those events through the lens of family, fatherhood and starting over. Together, they form two halves of the same story, even if each has its own personality.
“’Single Fatherhood’ is actually the sequel,” he shared with FMT Lifestyle. “It’s what happened after all the court cases and everything else. They’re both my stories, so switching between them isn’t difficult because I lived through them.”
Despite their deeply personal roots, Rizal insists audiences shouldn’t expect an evening weighed down by heavy themes.
“’Arrested’ isn’t a political show,” he said. “It’s about resilience in times of tribulation. It’s about knowing there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”
As for “Single Fatherhood”, he admits it is more vulnerable, though no less funny.
“The funniest jokes come from real life. They come from a place of truth,” he pointed out. “And if you’re single and don’t have children, maybe it’s a contraceptive to avoid having children!”
His material may be unmistakably Malaysian, but he has learnt that authenticity travels remarkably well. As a comedian who has performed in over 20 countries in shows like the Melbourne and Sydney International Comedy Festival, and Singapore’s the Kings & Queen of Comedy Asia, he would know.
He likened “Arrested” to “travelling to Malaysia without a passport”, offering international audiences a glimpse into the country’s quirks, social habits and colourful characters. The key, he said, is not changing who he is, but giving just enough context for outsiders to join in on the joke.
“When I mimic a Chinese uncle or a Malay municipal officer, Malaysians laugh because they recognise the accent,” he explained. “Non-Malaysians just hear an Asian accent, but the joke is still there. Everybody has their own version of that nosy neighbour or that government officer.”
That discovery is precisely why he keeps returning to Edinburgh.
“It’s easy to perform for Malaysians overseas because I already know what works,” he said. “But I don’t learn anything. In Edinburgh, people don’t know me or Malaysia. I have to start from scratch.” It is that blank canvas that excites him most.
However, Rizal believes Malaysia boasts one of the world’s best comedy audiences. “When the audience is ‘campur’ or mixed race, there’s just something magical,” he said, urging Malaysians to support local performers and “put away the gadgets… and enjoy a live show.”
As for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Rizal mentioned success this year has little to do with ticket sales or glowing reviews.
“I want to come out a better comedian,” he revealed. “Faster on stage, quicker, more creative. When you can feel yourself improving at the thing you love, that’s the buzz.”
That doesn’t mean the road there will be easy. By the final week, he’ll have performed the same material dozens of times. His survival strategy? Hydration, sleep and a peculiar piece of advice from an Australian comedy veteran.
“He told me, ‘You’ve got to lie to yourself,'” Rizal recalled. “‘Tell yourself you’re excited even if you don’t believe it.'” So before stepping on stage, he repeated the words to himself over and over. “I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to be here.”
“And somehow,” he said, laughing, “by the time I walked on stage… I actually was.”
Find out more about Rizal’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows here.
Follow Rizal van Geyzel on Instagram.
