Guess What? Harry de Fretes

JAKARTA (JP): Comedian Harry de Fretes, popularly called by the nickname of Boim, is optimistic that his newly-opened dining establishment called "Boim Cafe" in Tanah Kusir district, South Jakarta, will gain success.

"Abroad, many cafes with comedy shows can be successful. Why not here?" he told The Jakarta Post last Sunday during the restaurant's grand opening.

Upon seeing that the cafe is decorated in the Betawi manner with a lot of pictures of famous Betawi figures hung on the wall, many people, said Boim, may assume that his cafe is selling Betawi culture in the sense that it serves only Betawi cuisine. or puts on only Betawi performances.

"This cafe is in principle similar to any other cafe, where you can also ask for burgers, for example. Its speciality is that it is selling comedy shows in the first place," said Boim, who became a prominent figure in the Indonesian "business of laughter" after his successful TV comedy series Lenong Rumpi, which was aired on RCTI several years ago.

Boim proudly calls his unique cafe "the first comedy cafe in Indonesia."

According to the schedule, the country's most noted comedians will perform there regularly every Saturday, while comedy contests are also on the agenda.

Time will show if Boim's novel idea is a failure or a success. At least, the around 100 guests that attended the grand opening, including dozens of film and TV stars and Minister of Youth and Sports Haryono Isman, sincerely wished him luck. (jsk)