Comedians Performing the Margins The Philippines’ Tito, Vic & Joey (TVJ) and Indonesia’s Dono, Kasino and Indro (Warkop DKI)

Abstract This study compares the representations of gender in the comedic performances of Tito, Vic, and Joey (TVJ) from the Philippines and Dono, Kasino, and Indro (Warkop DKI) from Indonesia, using the framework of hegemonic masculinities. These trios embodied gendered identities that reflected and reinforced the strongman politics of the 1970s and 1980s under Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in the Philippines and Suharto in Indonesia. While both groups portrayed themselves as rebellious outliers and tricksters in the urban landscapes of Manila and Jakarta, their humor paradoxically served to bolster state power reinforcing traditional masculine dynamics. Through their performances, these comedians navigated a nuanced interplay between insubordination and subservience, which concealed far more insidious forms of tyranny and corruption within their respective socio-political contexts. This paper demonstrates how these comedic representations reveal and reinforce shared cultural practices in Southeast Asia, bridging the perceived divide between the Philippines and Indonesia despite their distinct religious and colonial histories.