Comedy has sent Sunil Thakkar halfway around the world and back again. The -Mumbai-native-turned-Houstonian won over the judges on Great Indian Laughter Champions the Indian equivalent of Last Comic Standing with his distinctly American style. Now, the Rice grad and local radio host will enjoy a hometown crowd when he serves as emcee of The Great Indian Laughter Nite at the Arena Theatre, which will feature six top-10 contestants from the 2008 Indian TV show. (Thakkar, the TV shows only international contestant, dropped out after making the final nine he had a gig on a cruise ship.) Be forewarned: Though Thakkar does most of his act in English, the other performers will incorporate a goodly amount of Hindi into their sets. But variations in comedic style may be a boon to the linguistically lost. [Indian comedy] is like bang-bang-bang, Thakkar says. Not so much monologue
its quicker and more energetic. The punch lines keep coming. So even if a joke is lost in translation, you wont have to wait long for the next one. 8:30 p.m. 7326 Southwest Freeway. For information, call 832-618-3333 or visit www.laughternite2009.com. $15 to $35.
Fri., July 10, 8:30 p.m., 2009