Talal Jomar: Tour Supports, Theatre & Arsenal To Win The Title?

In only the space of a couple years Talal has already made big waves in the comedy scene in NI, gigging all across the country, playing in the biggest comedy clubs & doing tour support for the biggest acts at the grandest venues. Supporting Shane Todd at the Grand Opera House isn't something that's just handed to you & to perform that early in a standup career proves how good Talal is.

"Shane Todd is one of my comedy heroes & even just to be asked was an absolute privilege. To perform in a venue as iconic as the Grand Opera House was fantastic & I'm so thankful for the opportunity. It really felt then that I could call myself a comedian & William Thompson was on too, again another comedian I have huge respect for & look up to. It was nice to share the stage with those guys."

Shane Todd isn't the only big name act Talal has supported on sold out tours as he's fresh off his most recent tour support for Paddy Raff in Cookstown.

"It went well & was a great opportunity not something I thought I'd be doing this early on in my career. I'm appreciative of Paddy for giving me his help & this experience."

It's not just comedy Talal enjoys performing on stage as he's a long time member of the 'Jump The Ditch Theatre Company' who's upcoming performance will be the comedy play 'Dying to Meet You' by Ron Hutson at the Craic Theatre, Coalisland.

"I've always done plays, probably one a year, but I don't aspire to be an actor I just love it & I do it with Jump the Ditch which is more for the laid back actor. We put on good shows & take it seriously but it's more for the people who want to do a bit of acting but don't really want a career out of it.

It's also a good way for those who maybe want to get into acting to see if they enjoy it. Close to me is the Craic Theatre & the Bardic Theatre both amateur theatre company's but they put plays on at a professional level."

Unlike many this wasn't a childhood hobby carried into his adult life as the comedian never did any drama as a kid growing up in the Moy.

"Growing up it wasn't cool to do that sort of thing. You either played football or you weren't cool so when you get a bit older & life's too short you just do the things you want to do & not care what anyone else says. I'm glad because the acting sort of paved the way for the comedy. 

I wanted to be a standup since I was about 17 but one of those things where you don't know how to get started. The acting gave me some stage time so it wasn't completely alien to me."

It's safe to say Talal has an edge to his comedy & can certainly take different risks with jokes others can't which unsurprisingly mixes very well with audiences over here too. 

Being originally born in Syria to an Irish mother really sets Talal apart from I think it's safe to say any comedian in the world. "I think with my background I can tap into a niche market so I'd say I'm quite fortunate to have that niche."

With social media playing such a huge role now for comedians & most entertainers in general, it's crucial to stand out & be seen by as many people as you can as you grow your own brand. With short sketches being so popular today & with Talal's background in acting & niche there's many opportunities for him to stand out amongst the rest.

It wasn't always something he felt comfortable with however.

"I recorded that years ago & was just one of those things where I'd post it & then take it away cause I was a little bit scared but now I'm not, I don't really care. That is the plan for this summer, do more sketches to help my profile & also because they're really fun to do."

Something obvious from having a chat with Talal is his since of community & charitable nature. He's done many fundraisers in the past including running a mile every hour for 24 hours raising money for Dementia which they raised thousands for.

"I like doing stuff for charity to give back & we helped raise a hell of a lot of money so it was worth it."

How & when did you get into standup?

"It was November 2021. A local bar was running a little comedy night & the guy running the bar said look we want someone local on & you've always talked about doing standup. So he contacted Sean Hegarty who was running the comedy night saying 'got a local lad here wants to do 5 minutes' & genuinely I thought I'd do it once & never do standup again.

I never really thought it would've went as well as it did & again I didn't know anything about open mic nights etc. It was only after speaking to Sean after the night he told me to speak to all these different contacts from that gig; so once I got one gig I was like I want to do this. I owe a lot to Sean Hegarty he gave me plenty of face time & I think he's the best lad."

What's your favourite venue to play?

"It is very close but its between Lavery's & Daly's in Omagh. Two very good rooms but if I had a gun to my head I'd probably go Lavery's because I've spent a lot of time watching my favourite comedians there & it was always a dream to play Lavery's. Daly's is a very close second.

The audiences are there for a good time because I've done some gigs to some ropey audiences to be fair."

What would you say is the best venue you've played?

"It has to be the Grand Opera House. It's so iconic & I went there as a kid to go watch pantomimes & plays etc so to be on that stage & perform in front of a crowd that size was just fantastic. It was really special."

What would be the dream venue to play?

"I've always loved to do the Telegraph building, I don't know how it would work for comedy but there's something about it. Obviously then the SSE is the ultimate gig but I think it's a bit early to be talking about the SSE. 

There's the theatre close to me called the Craic Theatre in Coalisland & I think that is probably the one that I've done plays in & is close to where I live so I think that would be the most attainable."

What's the goal for the next 2 years?

"For the time being I want to work on being a better comedian & writing better jokes. Hone the craft for a little longer for the next year or two & just keep doing as much as I can & trying out new material; but I'd be lying if I said I haven't thought of doing a solo show.

I think I'd like to be doing it 3-4 years then think about doing a show in a venue closer to where I am."

Who would you say is the best comedian here at the minute?

"That's so hard. I'm going to pick it as overall so the standup, the podcast & everything online I think it's Colin Geddis. For me he'd be number one, I love his podcasts, comedy, comedy club is all great; everything he puts on is so well shot. They are all so good but Colin Geddis is the one but they are all so nice too like: Shane, Colin, Paddy, Mickey, Mark McCarney, Aaron McCann they all have so much advice & great with us.

I've spoken to Colin quite a few times & he always gives me little bits of advice with not to do & what to do."

Do you think that is what m makes the NI scene so different? The big names always seem to help the smaller names?

"Yeah, that's the thing that surprised me most. Not that I didn't think they would be nice but it's how much time they actually give to you & how genuinely helpful they are. Shane has given a lot of newcomers to the scene time with the podcast & doing support for him & even like Paddy McDonnell has smaller names supporting on his tour giving them a spot.

I don't think they realise how much it means to the likes of me or whoever, it means the world & that's why the scene up here is so great & everybody get's on well. They do give everybody a fair shot & that's all you can ever ask for."

What was your worst ever gig?

"I did a gig, I'm not going to mention where but I did a bit that was quite 9/11 heavy. In the middle of my set a women stood up & basically said they were from America & didn't find the bit about 9/11 funny. I was relatively new to comedy & just says I'm really really sorry did about 20 more seconds & just was like that's me done bye & got off there.

I had never been heckled before & it wasn't even a heckle it was more just pulled the mood down for the entire room it was horrible. I had never given it a second thought that someone in the audience might've been affected by it & it does make you aware but I think I can make more jokes around that know because I'm a bit more savvy with it now. I was only new & was learning, but lesson learnt."

Who would you say is the most underrated comedian?

"I think there's a few & I think she is just starting to get her acclaim is Jazmynne Sierra. I have never seen her have a bad gig. Ciaran Franco is also very very good, Alan Irwin, Luke McGibbon, Cathaoir O'Hagan so there is a lot of talent coming through. Obviously Alan has been about for a long time & it shows because he's so so funny but I'm going to pick ones around the same as me would be Jazymnne, Ciaran & Cathaoir I think they're all underrated."

Did you ever think when you started that it would've went this well for you just 2-3 years in?

"No I didn't to be honest. I think that's just down to the fact how good the scene is here & us newcomers are just blessed that the bigger names have trail-blazed & created such a great scene & not just a buzz for a big night but everywhere. I do feel very lucky but to answer the question no I didn't think I would've done even a quarter of what I've done already."

You're a big Arsenal fan so have to ask if you think there's still a chance or is the title gone?

"You know what, as an Arsenal fan we are born with the hope so I do, unfortunately I can't let myself not have hope. I think this is our year so I do think Arsenal will win the league.

I grew up in that era of that great rivalry of Wenger & Ferguson & I was lucky enough to witness those years & obviously unlucky to witness United be the best team in the world for a number of years while Arsenal struggled badly but it's nice to see United struggle now I'm not going to lie."

Caramel Square or Malteser Squares?

"That's the easiest question you could ever have asked me. Caramel squares all day long they are my favourite! That's not even up for debate, caramel squares all day everyday. It was almost destiny to interview today to ask that question.

Was great to have a chat with Talal. He's someone I have seen live a couple of times & killed it every time. Honestly you have to go see him if you get the chance, fresh material you certainly wouldn't have heard before. Such a nice community orientated guy who I hope gets more success as the years go on. I look forward to seeing his progression & bigger nights ahead in the coming years.