Hossan Leong Got The Idea For His Final Stand-up Show While He Was “Suffering From A Deadly Disease”

“I was so stupid!” comedian Hossan Leong tells 8days.sg as he recounts the time he contracted melioidosis (an infectious disease caused by contact with contaminated water and soil) while filming HBO’s Grisse in 2018. “I was filming a fight scene when my tooth got knocked out. I wasn’t thinking and immediately popped it back in my mouth! I know right, so stupid!”

What happened after turned out to be a nightmare for the 50-year-old... though he also believes that there was a silver lining to his near-death experience. “It was very scary. I was in the hospital for 10 days, and almost had liver failure and pneumonia. Lying in the hospital, I came to a realisation that I have been lucky throughout my whole life. I’ve always had the support of people around me, so why not do a show to thank everyone for being so kind to me?” Hossan tells us.

And that’s how the idea for his last ever (yup, you read that right) stand-up comedy show, Hossan-AH 50! Love You LEONG Time, was born.

It’s 6.30pm on a Tuesday evening, and the surprisingly energetic (well, at least compared to us) star is prancing around the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre's rooftop garden for our shoot like a primary school kid during recess. At one point, he even playfully slides down one of the structures. The star may have just turned 50, but he doesn’t look (or behave) a day above 30.

“Sometimes I think I’m waaay too young at heart, even my staff, who are all in the twenties, roll their eyes at me!” exclaims Hossan, who has just ended a day of rehearsals for Hossan-AH 50!.

During our one-hour chat, the actor gets candid about hitting the big 5-0 (his birthday was on July 10), and his excitement about his show’s opening night.

“To be honest, it gets harder as rehearsals go on ‘cos nobody’s laughing at my jokes anymore after hearing it for the upteenth time,” Hossan tells us. “[And so] I start to doubt myself. That’s why I’m always looking forward to the first show ‘cos that’s when I get real audience members who are ready for a good laugh!”

And because it’s Hossan’s last ever show before retiring from stand-up comedy, no expenses were spared in the making of this production. With a live band, three back-up singers and a quick change segment, the multi-talented star proudly tells us that it’s his “biggest and grandest” show yet, and that he had spent “over six figures, not exceeding half-a-million dollars” on production.

But this doesn’t mean Hossan’s totally dropping out of showbiz. He has several theatre projects in the pipeline, including roles in musical A Spoonful of Sherman and a Wild Rice play next March.

“I will also be directing two shows next year,” he adds. “I want to show a different side of me, not just 'Hossan the comedian'.”

To Hossan, Hossan-AH 50! merely concludes one chapter in his career.

“I won’t stop performing ‘cos it’s in my blood. But in terms of doing a big show, I think it’s time to put it to rest. Now, I want to mentor young talent and give them opportunities to shine,” he says.

8 DAYS: You say that performing is in your blood so why have you decided to make this show your last stand-up comedy performance?
HOSSAN LEONG: Honestly, 'cos it’s been so tiring! It’s exhausting and draining not only for me as an actor, but also as an executive producer of Double Confirm Productions. A lot of my company’s costs and risks are on my shoulders and I bear it alone. It gets stressful and there’s the pressure to sell tickets! (Laughs) Wah, I check Sistic every morning to see how much we’ve sold! (Laughs)

Speaking of tickets, how have sales been so far?
It’s selling a little bit... I’m opening in two weeks but I haven’t broken even. Very stress! (Laughs) But of course, ticket sales are not the most important thing. My ultimate goal is to entertain the people. Oh, and also, it’s for charity! A portion of the sales will go towards two charities I support — the Arc Children’s Centre and the Caregivers Alliance.

What made you decide to donate a portion of your proceeds to charity?
I feel it’s time to say thank you to the community. Every year, I host events for these charities so why not do even more while I still can? Charities need help, and I want to spread the word to my audience.

Your show features a quick-change performance where you’ll portray eight Disney princesses in 12 minutes. How did this idea come about?
With every Hossan-AH! show I do, there’ll always be a quick-change segment. Once, I even had local TV show theme and I came out as Aiyoyo (Chen Liping’s iconic role in 1989 Ch 8 drama, Good Morning, Sir). (Laughs) This time, I was thinking of doing something everyone could identify with, and Disney came to mind. Everyone knows Disney princesses have dreams and they work hard to achieve their goals, which is also a topic I will be touching on in the show.

Besides that, what other things should we be looking out for?
There’ll be a mash-up performance of 'Shallow' and 'Evergreen' from A Star Is Born, and I will be attempting to impress everyone by singing another song in Mandarin… (Laughs) There’ll be a French segment too! And also, I’ll be talking about tourism and aging. (Laughs)

Where do you draw inspiration from?
The people around me. I have a lot of friends and society inspires me. I observe a lot when I take public transport, and I note it down whenever I come across something that can be included in a stand-up.

How many hours do you rehearse a day for the show?
About half a day. Usually I’ll start at 1pm and finish at 6pm. The show’s much bigger this time round. I’ve got a band and three back-up singers so we need to work around everyone’s schedules. ​​​​​​​

Now that you've turned 50, what are some of the most important life lessons you’ve learnt?
I'm still learning. But I’ve realised that life is a journey and there is no destination. Fame is also fleeting, one minute you have it and the next, you don’t. So when it’s time, it’s okay to move on.

Besides this show, how else are you planning on celebrating this milestone?
I already did! I went travelling in April, May and July. I went to France, Vietnam, Sydney… But cannot keep going out lah! I need to work! (Laughs)

I'm sure there are places on your bucket list that you wish to visit still.
I’ve always wanted to go to South America. I like visiting new cultures and places, but travelling is so expensive! If I had a choice, I would love to be a tour guide in France.

You’ve been in showbiz for 26 years. What piece of advice would you give your younger self?
Oh, save money. Now that I'm 50, I realise that I don’t have enough money to retire. And that’s quite scary… My parents told me to save when I was younger but I didn’t listen to them. I travelled around, spent a lot of money… But no regrets lah. It’s important to live your life but at the same time you still need savings.

Was turning 50 scary for you?
It was actually kinda anti-climatic on that day itself. Everyone was like, “You need to party!” but I’ve partied hard my whole life already. (Laughs) This year was rather calm. I just had a meal with my family and it was nice. No frills, personal, and I really enjoyed that.

Do you feel your age?
Not at all! Being young at heart has always been a part of me and I will be like that no matter what age I am… Okay, I know I’ve got physical limitations now that I’m 50 but I’ll still try! (Laughs)

Have you accomplished everything you've set out to do when you were younger?
Up until now, I still don't know what I want in life. Maybe that’s why I have no money. (Laughs) I’ve never set a goal for myself, and that’s what’s exciting about life. The nature of my job is that, if you set yourself goals, you’ll be in for a huge disappointment. What if you can’t make it to Hollywood when you turn 30? What are you going to do? But then again, if you don’t set goals, you’ll be left wandering around just like me. (Laughs)

We think you're being too harsh on yourself!
Yah lah, I may be lost sometimes but everyone has been very kind to me, giving me opportunities to dabble in a lot of genres. Not having any goals has allowed me to keep an open mind and try out more things, like radio. People ask me to do what, I just try lor! (Laughs) But now that I’m 50, I think I finally have some direction. Ah, I’ve really grown up. (Sulks)

Do you still get stage fright?
(Nods enthusiastically) I’m terrible. I am still nervous before each gig even though it’s been so many years. But I feel that nervousness sharpens you and keeps you on your toes. If I stop feeling nervous means I’m jaded. I’ll stop caring so much about what I do and I don’t want to be like that.

Catch Hossan in his final stand-up comedy show Hossan-AH 50! Love You LEONG Time from Aug 14-31 at the Drama Centre. More info at https://www.sistic.com.sg/events/chossan0819.

PHOTOS: MARK LEE and @HossanLeongOfficial Facebook