Lights and Laughter! UNT Presents: Improv Night with Malik Elassal

Imagine this: you are casually taking a stroll on a Thursday night by the Syndicate. Then, out of nowhere you catch a glimpse of an unmistakable roar of laughter and smiles that echoes throughout the halls. Well, you don’t have to imagine it, because the UNT UPC and Comedy Club joined forces to host one of the funniest events of the semester: Improv Night. Doors opened at 6:30pm, and it was practically guaranteed to be a good time for all students. The opener, Molly, stole the audience’s attention with her beautiful clown costume and makeup. Giving the audience the relatableness of attending UNT and many giggles of familial events, she ended her time with an impressive juggling show. 

Her performance set the tone for the rest of the evening: unpredictable, energetic, and raw. 

The night only got wilder from there, as special guest and actor Malik Elassal, known for his role as Samir in Hulu and FX’s TV show “Adults,” emerged on stage, made the crowd lose their minds, myself included. Malik delivered a hilarious stand-up routine built around stories from over the years, and the current events and topics surrounding us. 

He began the night making a connection with the room, sharing his surprise and thoughts leading up to his travels for the night and joking around about the vibe overall UNT had to offer. Finding a fellow Canadian buddy, he introduced us to his background of growing up in Canada and the many differences he’s faced after moving to America recently. We then got to learn of his Lebanese background, and recent trip to Lebanon to visit family. Then, ending with other cultural facts and memories that’s assisted in shaping him over the years.  

From there, the night continued to get even crazier. Mali started to shift his dialogue to steer more into connecting with audiences. Bonding over everyone’s thoughts on the current state of the world, and even deeming himself “King Unc” after learning about the small age gap within the room. As I was in the audience, it almost felt like I’d known him for ages. He was amazingly engaged and curious, showed a lot of attention and interacted with the crowd. As a bonus, we got to learn about the fellow students around us: from their major, backgrounds, and upcoming events they had for themselves. 

Any nerves for this performance flew out the roof, as Malik gave us more insight about his charming family and memories he’s had over the years with them. From rapping in cars with his cousins, to building fences with his dad. The audience could definitely see the origins of his witty sense of humor. Next, his stories began to get more raw and serious, topics ranging from his out of body experience at a Kanye West concert to panicking over the world ending as a child. 

As the night started to wrap up, Malik related his new interaction of meeting a man on a delayed plane trip and learning his cultural differences. It felt heartbreaking to see the show end, being left with the feeling of a long awaited reunion with an endearing friend shortly coming to an end. His efforts to connect with students felt more natural than anything I’ve ever seen, and it truly continued to attract a larger crowd. 

As a fan of his, I couldn’t wait to experience his standup set from the first day it was announced. It was an amazing experience and I cannot wait to see what more Malik has to offer to the world. With news of his show “Adults” being renewed for a second season, I will hold this night dear to my heart. As I count down each day until the release of the new season. 

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