MARX IS DOING GOOD HERE

Sebastian Marx, a Franco-Jewish artiste from New York, recently performed his first bilingual stand-up in Delhi. He discusses adapting jokes across cultures, his encounter with India, and his preferred language for writing punchlines.

- ADITHI REENA AJITH

Being funny is tough, but being funny in a second language in a different country is even tougher—something Franco-American comedian Sebastian Marx has mastered.

"Comedy is already hard, but starting from scratch in another country and performing in a different language? That's a whole other challenge," he jokes speaking to TMS at an event organised by the Alliance Française in Delhi.

Born and raised in the US, Marx was immersed in stand-up—a staple of American culture. "I watched a lot of comedians, like Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock on TV growing up," he recalls. He began performing at 17 at a New York comedy club, and also took stand-up classes in Manhattan that ignited his passion. After falling in love with a French woman, he moved to France in 2005.

France and career

Marx moved to France with no intention of continuing his stand-up career. "I thought I'd have to stop because I didn't speak the language—you kind of need that for stand-up comedy. But as my French improved, I started missing the stage. I thought, why not give it a shot in French?" He began with one-man shows and appeared on the fifth season of Jamel Comedy Club, a show instrumental in popularising stand-up comedy in the country. "It was my first real filmed set, and I was extremely nervous," he recalls. "But it was a great experience, even though the pressure was intense, knowing millions would watch."