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Indians have a knack for adding flavour, not just in their food, but also when it comes to humour. And when it comes to roasting, they surely know how to turn up the heat! So, any international comedian stepping onto an Indian stage for the first time might feel the pressure of performing for such a spice-loving, clever audience. But not Ru Halwala and Tom Stevenson, the comedy duo behind Australia’s Scary Strangers.
Embarking on their debut India tour, with performances set in Delhi, Udaipur, and Jaipur from September 22 to mid-October, they seem anything but fazed. Sydney-based Tom quips, “Indians are culinary masters, so if they’re keen to roast, we’re happy to supply the protein.” Meanwhile, Ru’s cheeky response is our personal favourite: “Bring it on! We don’t take ourselves too seriously, and we don’t expect our audiences to either.”
With humour like this, it’s clear that Scary Strangers are more than prepared to charm their Indian audience.
Tom, for one, has been most excited about performing in Udaipur. “Because we’re breaking new ground introducing improv to a city without an established comedy scene,” he explains.
The faces of Scary Strangers
Their tour kicked off in Delhi, where they served “comedy fusion baby”. It was a mix of a workshop, followed by an improv show.
“It [Delhi] was the most intensive programme that we offered with 2×3 hour workshops followed by a one-hour show on the same day,” Ru shares with Indian Link. “That was a huge test for us to see whether our teaching and comedy style was going to work in India, and we were so delighted to be welcomed with open arms.”
An Austro-Lankan entertainer, Ru is a comedian, improviser, actor and teacher. Most importantly, she is part of the esteemed faculty at Improv Theatre Sydney, Sydney’s world-class institute of improvisation. Tom, on the other hand, is known for his wacky performances, teaches drama at Redlands High School and is Head of Creative Arts at St Andrew’s College, Sydney University.
In 2023, Scary Strangers took the Australian comedy scene by storm, producing and leading a nationwide tour of The STEAM Room Science Comedy Experience featuring the iconic Dr Karl. Their performances graced stages like Malthouse, Enmore Theatre, and Brisbane Powerhouse. Additionally, they made a fun debut at the Sydney Comedy Festival at Factory Theatre and created a 10-show improv series called Big Cat Club, which was supported by a grant from the City of Sydney.
This year, the duo went a notch higher with their humour. They started improv workshops in partnership with the NSW Department of Justice for children in the juvenile justice system.
(Source: Instagram/scarystrangers)
When asked what “dish” of comedy he loves serving the most, Tom quickly says “improv”.
“Because it’s made in front of the audience based on their suggestion, and is completely unique to that moment,” he explains.
New on their “menu” is musical comedy, promising to inject a lot more energy into their shows. “I am having so much fun performing our songs, and the reception so far has been excellent,” Ru shares. “I think music also translates really well because lyrics are simple and repetitious, so people get multiple chances to hear the jokes and be a part of it. Even if you don’t understand the jokes, there’s still a fun melody to enjoy.”
But do they have a plan to handle spicy hecklers in the land of spicy food? Any special comebacks, perhaps?
(Source: Instagram/scarystrangers)
Tom is confident. “Oh, we’ve been in spice training for quite some time! We’ve learnt a bit of spicy Hindi from some of our Indian friends in preparation for our travels. In our experience, the Indian audience has been very respectful, but we are still prepared.”
Nearly two weeks in India, Ru seems to have already mastered the art of haggling with autorickshaw drivers.
“I’ll often ask a local what they’d pay before entering the haggling arena – whether it be autorickshaws, markets etc., – and I tell Tom to stay out of sight until the deal is done,” Ru says, laughing.
So does she have any tips for Tom? “Unfortunately, there’s no tips to get around his milky, milky skin, but he does know some Hindi phrases that help with haggling such as ‘bahut mahenge!’”
Luckily, for Tom, there haven’t been any cultural shocks in India. Compared to Sydney, he feels, he’s grateful for the hospitality he has received in India so far. “We’ve been invited into family homes for meals on multiple occasions, Indian businessmen have shouted us drinks at bars, and our key Indian collaborators Kaivalya Plays, Jaipur Comedy Club, and Third Space Udaipur, have made us feel like long lost family members.”
But jokes apart, Ru does have this one thing she is scared about.
(Source: Instagram/scarystrangers)
“One of our new friends in Amritsar said ‘you can’t take a step in India without offending someone’ which is both exciting and scary. Comedy is like whiskey, the more time it has to mature the better it tastes, and with new material there’s a much higher risk that it won’t translate correctly,” she says. “Ultimately, we’re here to share our humour with a culture that we love and build ties to keep us coming back, not to offend or mock anyone, but it’s always scary not knowing how people will react until it’s already been said.”
For our Indian readers, who might want to see Scary Strangers perform for the first time, we ask the duo to spill some beans. Are they going to see any surprise Bollywood dance-offs?
Tom gives us the tea. “Prime Minister Modi made an appearance as a Chaiwala in one of the sketches that was developed during our Sketchy Improv workshop in Delhi.”
Meanwhile, Ru has found inspiration for her stand-up material in a monkey!
“In Shimla, a monkey jumped up my back and stole my hat off my head, and later in Dharamshala, our car nearly dropped off
the side of a cliff. In these situations, step one is to survive, then step two is to mine for comedy gold.”
Finally, if Scary Strangers was an Indian dish, what would it be, we ask.
“As described by our workshop and show titles, we would be a Thali, because we offer a little bit of everything combined into an explosion of flavour!”
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