Behind the scenes at ‘Roast of Minnie Dlamini’
JOHANNESBURG - The recording of ‘The Showmax Roast of Minnie Dlamini’ took place on Friday at the highly anticipated Laugh Africa Comedy Festival, and oh what a royal comedic and organisational mess it was.
After a month of waiting, the big night arrived and Mzansi celebrities filled up the Sandton Convention Centre, but ‘The Roast of Minnie Dlamini’ was hours behind schedule by several hours, only beginning at 10pm.
Attendees, who included the rich and famous such as Luthando ‘LootLove’ Shosha, Faith Nketsi, Ntando Duma, Zizo Tshwete and others, soldiered on for the main event, which had them out and about on a Friday night in autumn.
There is something about these roast recordings that makes them drag on into the wee hours of the night - even the ‘Comedy Central Roast of Khanyi Mbau’ dragged on into the next day.
At the Roast Master helm were comedy heavyweights Tumi Morake and Jason Goliath and they couldn’t escape being the butt of the joke - from Morake’s endless pregnancies and Goliath’s fat and cheapskate jokes. The panellists, Trevor Gumbi, Shahan Ramkissoon, Celeste Ntuli, Lasizwe Dambuza, Penny Lebyane, Da L.E.S, Siv Ngesi and Robert Marawa - were roasted to the core about their career failures and public gaffes.
Some of the jokes made were borderline cringe especially all the Da
L.E.S and his all white parties and the comparison to embattled US rapper P. Diddy.
Trevor Gumbi’s drug past and diabetic condition were constantly brought up and of course, his ex-wife Lucille’s recent fairytale wedding was rubbed in his face at every turn. Ouch!
It was no surprise that Gumbi went completely off-script when it was his turn to roast the panellists.
Ramkissoon was roasted for his hair, his gin Lenyora, his journalistic skills and for being the diversity card on the panel.
Dambuza’s career which was birthed from the dusty digital streets of YouTube came under attack, but he came prepared to teach the panellists a thing or two. And yes, Marawa’s heart was still beating by the end of the night despite all it has put him through with the help of his dating history, with the likes of you know who.
The Roast writers were armed with plenty of ammunition for each panellist from Ntuli’s masculinity, but pity no one cared to fact-check Dlamini’s clapback to Ntuli that referenced her ‘Isibaya’ character.
Ngesi’s award-winning career, his sexuality and his love for all races was also the butt of all jokes, while Lebyane’s long career in the industry came under attack, but she proved she’s no former it girl for nothing and held it down.