I’m not sure anyone loves the sound of laughter as much as Samoan comedian Tofiga Fepulea’i.
But, according to the New-Zealand-born king of comedy, that comes with the territory of being Samoan.
“It’s part of our DNA,” Fepulea’i told the Weekender.
“Every Samoan is funny and enjoys a good laugh and taking the mickey. That’s one of the joys of being Samoan.
“You could go to a funeral and be laughing the whole time – we just love to laugh.”
Fepulea’i feels proud to bring his rich heritage and boundless joy to stages around the world.
“My comedy is about me being Samoan; everything that I do stems from the Samoan perspective,” the comedian stated.
The comedian is known to share stories about his upbringing and how it shaped him into the person he is today.
“My mum and dad bought a three-bedroom house, and it was just the three of us at first, and then we ended up with 12 people in this three-bedroom house. We had to sleep standing up,” Fepulea’i described.
“Growing up, everything was Samoan – the people were Samoan, the culture was Samoan, our food was Chinese,” he said, earning a surprised laugh – something he’s become used to.
Although laughter has always been his calling, Fepulea’i worked a 9-5 job for some time before forming a comedy duo with his cousin Eteuati Ete called The Laughing Samoans.
“The first moment I heard people laughing at my jokes, it felt like time froze,” Fepulea’i reminisced.
Now Fepulea’i is one of the most recognisable Samoan voices in the world. He appeared as a contestant in the latest season of ‘Taskmaster New Zealand’ and lent his voice to Disney film ‘Moana 2’ as Nalo, God of Storms.
His next undertaking is a comedy tour called ‘Shuuush Your Mouf’.
“With this show, it’s mainly about me being in my 50s,” the comedian stated.
“I have three teenage boys now, and I reflect on how life has come full circle, and I have some really funny stories to tell.”
At The Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre on Friday, February 13, listen to Tofiga Fepulea’i muse about crossing half a century of life, discuss the things that are important to a man in his 50s, and reminisce about his joyful Samoan family.
Tickets cost $59.90 and are available online at www.thejoan.com.au/whats-on/tofiga-fepuleai-shuuush-your-mouf.
