Glocal and multi-talented, Mina Liccione, talks to B-Change leading up to her debut comedy special recording on May 13 at Warehouse Four in Al Quoz, Dubai.

Dubai is gearing up to flex its comedic muscles with a “her-storical” night as locally based artist Mina Liccione films her debut stand-up comedy special live the evening of May 13, 2017.

Stand-up comedy specials are becoming more and more popular on platforms like Netflix and Comedy Central but are still very new to the MENA Region, let alone by a female comic.

Liccione has been performing stand-up in the UAE for nine years now and rather than filming Mina Liccione: Araby By Nature in her home city of Manhattan she’s insisted on filming it in Dubai to help bring positive attention to the Region.

Talking to B-Change about what the audience can expect from the live screening, Liccione replied with a smile:

Jokes, a lot of them!

About her upcoming comedy special, she said,”I hope it’ll inspire women and help break negative stereotypes about the Region through the comedic lens of a Non-Arab. If I can, in some small way, help battle Xenophobia through comedy then that’s the biggest reward.”

“With everything that is happening in America, I wanted to film my special in the Middle East to help a wider audience see things from a new perspective; through the eyes of an Italian New Yorker who married an Muslim, Arab comedian. This special is dedicated to my Arab sisters and my fellow expats living in the UAE. My favorite style of comedy makes you laugh but also makes you think afterwards. Truth in jest goes a long way,” she says.

Liccione is no stranger to the stage (or screen) having performed on Broadway with the hit show STOMP, MTV’s The Grind, National Lampoon’s Motion Picture Pucked and most recently appearing on Comedy Central Arabia’s premiere show produced in the Middle East Comedy Central Presents currently airing Sunday nights on OSN.

Mina’s style blends physical comedy with observational humor and storytelling.

She has a witty scatter gun approach tackling topics like mixed marriages, stereotypes, trying to lose weight in Dubai, things getting lost in translation, traveling with an Arab and other embarrassing tales at her expense.

“I’m inspired by life. Comedy comes from imperfections, mistakes and brutal honesty… I’ve got all three down! My material is based on real life experiences that I dramatically survived and poke fun at myself! I’m a storyteller, really. Being married to a comedian and having a father who looks like Super Mario and talks like Robert Di Nero really helps too,” she says, laughing.

About her goals in comedy she said:

Overall, to make people laugh, think and heal through my comedy. Specifically, to continue touring refugee camps spreading laughter, create a comedy series based upon Araby By Nature, to finish writing my screenplay and cast Robert DiNero as the lead character.

Tickets and Timings

Mina Liccione: Araby By Nature will run for two consecutive shows the evening of May 13, 2017. The first at 6:00 PM and the second at 8:30 PM. Both performances will take place at Warehouse Four in Al Quoz.

Tickets are now on-sale, to pre-book head to www.MinaLiccione.com or call 800 COMEDY.