A six-hour stand

This Sunday, Daniel Fernandes will put up an improv show that will last longer than a marathon finish and is a first for India

We can think of precisely two ways to remember Daniel Fernandes when memory becomes a luxury with age. The first is when we bumped into him at Dabolim Airport in 2016 while travelling with a friend who happened to be a huge fan. We then put up a disastrous tweet saying, "My friend almost sold her soul to the devil at the airport to crash into @absolutelydanny." And immediately after, he acknowledged our choice of words on Twitter — which felt like a consolation prize for a 19-year-old.

The second instance is when Fernandes, a comedian, announced that he will be performing for six hours straight. It's longer than a marathon run, which averages between three to four hours (coincidentally, one of the world's biggest running events, the London Marathon, is scheduled to take place the same day as Fernandes' gig). And as he begins to convince us by saying, "Ya, it's quite an effort... I've been training really hard at the gym," there's more to it than just an individual walking up on stage and talking for hours.

A meme shared by the comedian on social media, courtesy of @ferreiraaveesh, is a play on Avengers: Endgame and his gig

His show at Bandra's Cuckoo Club is titled Talk to Me (Iron Man), because Fernandes says, "It's going to take a superhuman effort to pull this off and Tony Stark is a good friend, hence the name." On the Talk to Me tour currently, this event is a derivative of his previous 90-minute performances he has put up across the country and internationally — each show is unscripted and created out of audience interaction. "It is a lot of fun. So, I thought, 'What is the next thing I could do?' To do 90 minutes of unscripted comedy is a challenge in itself. You don't know what's going to happen or who is going to be in the audience, and you can't have the same jokes. But you have to give them a show. And for over a year, I felt like I have managed that challenge quite well. Then I said, 'Why not do a marathon version of this?'"

Although it's a back-to-back set of two-hour performances, divided into three sets, for Fernandes, the audience can choose to stay or attend any one set or all of them together.

"Quite a few people have already bought the six-hour ticket. It's never been done in India before, so it's going to be a record-breaking show. It checks many boxes — it's a good challenge for me, fun for the audience and a show that puts everything on the map. It also comes from the sentiment of being on stage, having a good time, and never wanting to get off. Since most shows don't last for more than 90 minutes, you have to exit the stage. It was about stretching that feeling," he tells us.

But as much as it may seem adventurous, Fernandes explains that this wasn't an abrupt decision. "It is a culmination of the eight years I've spent doing stand-up and the skills I've picked up along the way. So, I'm prepared, you know?" he says, explaining how crowd work or connecting with the audience is crucial. "I got a tip from British comic Imran Yusuf in the UK, who told me that a good way to do this and become a better comic is to host as many shows as you can. And when you do that, you'll have to do crowd work to warm the audience up. And I enjoyed doing it. I would do just 15 minutes of crowd work for other comedians or for a showcase."

With no prior preparation other than "having a chill Saturday" and getting plenty of rest for himself and his vocal chords, Fernandes is most anxious about the kind of crowd that will be present. "It's an interactive event, so I want people to be supportive as well. I'm looking for a nice mix of people from different backgrounds," he says. So, does he plan on doing more such shows in the future? As of now, it all depends on how this one fares and Fernandes is encouraging of other comedians who want to try this the long format out. "If someone wants to break the record and do seven hours of stand-up, I'm all for it. But one must keep in mind that it is not a format that can't be turned into a regular thing."

On: April 28, 4 pm onwards
At: The Cuckoo Club, Mac Ronells Compound 5AA, St Andrews Road, Bandra West.
Call: 9619962969
Log on to: bookmyshow.com
Cost: Rs 499 onwards

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