The Coffee and Comedy at the Bean tour, which launched in September 2006 and ended on October 19, 2006, was the first Standup comedy tour of its kind in the Philippines. The concept started when I was walking around Greenbelt, after a nice pedicure, and saw some posters at a coffee shop of a band that was playing in the cafe. So I thought, "Hey, why not a comedy tour of all the coffee outlets in Metro Manila?" After several months and several meetings with Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (thanks to Paolo Del Rosario), the tour materialized. Together with my comedy partners, Al Manalo, Marlon Olivan, and the now defunct "tenderizer" Raffy Taruc, we provided laughter for coffee junkies in 9 out of 10 branches. Due to the billboard-wrecking typhoon Milenyo, our gig at the Eastwood outlet was cancelled, though we'd still like to perform there some day (hint hint to Coffee Bean and Globequest).
The branches we hit are as follows (ranked from best to least best audience and venue setup): Convergys, Alabang Town Center, Greenhills Promenade, Greenbelt 3, Salcedo Park, Ortigas Center, Paseo Center, Mall of Asia, and Tomas Morato. If we had to do the tour again, I personally would pick the following: Convergys, Alabang Town Center, Greenhills Promenade, Greenbelt 3, and Salcedo Park. The other venues were also very nice, but the ones I mentioned are my favorites and are the least likely to be affected by weather, unless we get another killer typhoon like Durian. May the souls of those who perished rest in peace.
Veteran comedian Al Manalo showing the Ortigas crowd his comedic stylings outdoors.
Thanks to everyone who watched us during the comedy tour. Now, we embark on another tour - the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. Go team Philippines!
