Versatile Moosa has EL comedy lovers in stitches
EAST London comedy lovers came out in numbers to see doctor and comedian Dr Riaad Moosa at the Guild Theatre on Saturday.
Performing to a sold-out show, Moosa had the audience in stitches with his hilarious stories.
His opening act, Kagiso Mokgadi, who is another Cape Townbased comedian, captivated the audience from his opening line until his last joke.
The quirky comedian poked fun at perlemoen poaching saying when he first heard the word he thought it was the name of a fruit in Afrikaans. He went on to say if Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Deputy Minister Bheki Cele knew what perlemoen was, he would be coming for all the white people involved in the perlemoen poaching.
Moosa gave the audience more than what they paid for, after going on for close to two hours. His show, Life Begins, is a snapshot into the life of Riaad Moosa – being a father, a husband, comedian and actor and with all the current cultural and political issues thrown in.
The medical doctor said he still had no idea how he became a comedian despite spending years in medical school. The father of three shared some of his experiences as a father and how his children had different characters.
He said the youngest of the three, a two-year-old boy was the most religious in their family who burst out in prayer at any given moment, even in times of conflict between the siblings. For a non-Muslim it was a bit challenging to follow some of the terms they use in their faith.
Apart from that, Moosa’s take on international affairs, South African politics and life in general can crack anyone up.
The funnyman called on all non-Muslim people to not believe everything they hear about Muslims, especially the bombing videos. He closed off his show with a clip of his son saying one of their prayers, a gesture that had the audience adoring the little boy.
Moosa’s show was part of the Umtiza Art Festival held over four days at the Guild Theatre. The festival was a collaboration with three of East London’s cultural historic giants – the Guild Theatre, the Ann Bryant Art Gallery and the East London Museum.
Entertainment for the festival ranged from, jazz, workshops, cabaret, children’s theatre, food demos and the popular wine and chocolate tasting.
Moosa will be performing at Opera House in Port Elizabeth on Saturday. Tickets for the show cost R150 and are available at Computicket.