Review of the week
Miles Keylock
A more than capacity crowd packed out Observatory’s Armchair Theatre, braving the worst of the Cape winter looking for a laugh. They were not disappointed. MC for the evening Mark Sampson played a pied piper of sorts, throwing in a continuous stream of short gags that tackled everything from drugs to old age as well as constantly cajoling an already enthusiastic crowd into action with the Cape Comedy Collective (CCC)slogan: “Comedy for the people, by the people!”
I must admit that I had no idea what to expect from the CCC’s opening bash featuring 12 of Cape Town’s finest comics performing live on stage under the banner of the Cape Comedy Club. Sure, headline act Soli Philander is something of a celebrity. His exploits on stage and television have made him a household name.
Similarly, those familiar with rock festivals in the Western Cape would inevitably have come across CCC main man Mark Sampson. But for the most part, the other comedians were an unknown factor.
>From straight stand-up and hardcore rant routines to a transvestite diva, magicians and even a ventriloquist, what amazed me was the sheer diversity of comic skills on display. Like many, I had no idea that such talent actually existed in this country.
Opening act Nhlanhla Sicelo primed the audience with his dry and deadpan delivery. When I saw him take the mike, I was already laughing. Minutes before he’d endeavoured to pull the scrounging Obs-bum-in-search-of-a- free-beer scam on several white members of the audience, including yours truly. Thing is, that mischievous glint in his eye had kind of given the game away. “Tricky bastard”, I chuckled.
Marc Lottering’s stylishly camp performance continued with a particularly funny, stereotypical sketch about the difference between whites (“Wendys”), coloureds (“Cloras”) and blacks (“Natalies”). In contrast, Robert Fridjohn’s set was more of a conventional stand-up routine, playing his Jo’burg-ness off against the Capetonian crowd to perfection in his edgily conversational stage manner.
Newcomers Van Eyk Olivier, Paul Snodgrass and prankish magician Riaad Moosa all highlighted their burgeoning comic potential with short sets that made use of sight gags and audience participation.
An absolute pleasure to watch was ventriloquist Conrad Kock who provided an appealing change of mood with his friend Ronnie the puppet. The latter’s insistent heckling of a member of the audience foregrounded not only Kock’s technical adeptness but also the subtleties of his comedic range.
A comedian is possibly the only entertainer with a licence to get up on stage and tell the truth. Ultimately, the comedian is responsible only to himself. With only men performing, it was hardly surprising that there were so many “dick” jokes bandied about during the evening. Chris McEvoy’s overtly crass and misogynist rants not only bombarded the audience out of their comfort, but served to emphasise a fact so often unappreciated by those offended by vulgarity
As McEvoy reminded a plaintively, politically correct heckler: “They’re all just jokes.” His bit on being able to judge the size of a man’s penis by the size of his eyes – let me tell you he is all eyes! – served to take the piss out of political correctness altogether. The function of comedy is also to communicate something about the specific comedian on stage, even though the best jokes force you to pause for a second and laugh at yourself.
The uproariously funny Philander rounded off an evening of truly mesmerising comedy, encapsulating the cathartic nature of the experience which, as Sampson remarked, should function as a “release valve for the audience”.
On the evidence of the Cape Comedy Club, stand-up comedy is precisely what this country needs: conventional stand-up routines, obnoxious ravings and the sacrifice of sacred cows. What we need is a sense of humour, and the CCC give it out – ready or not.
The CCC play Barneys pub in Rondebosch on Tuesdays, Planet Hollywood on Wednesdays, Dirty Dick’s in Hout Bay on Thursdays, Caf Camissa on Saturdays, Thuthuka Sports Bar in Guguletu on Sunday afternoons and the Armchair Theatre on Sunday evenings