Popular comics stage a ‘riot’
Gordhan, Gupta rolled into one
variety of new sketches. Mamba Republic was two years in the making; Johnny and I met once a week to jot down ideas. The way global politics is exploding with material, we didn’t battle in accumulating content!”
Voss has for years entertained crowds as his alter-ego, Beauty Ramapelepele. Having grown up in Zululand and attended South Africa’s first non-racial school, his upbringing gave him a love for the diverse cultures that we share in this county. In 1995 Ben spent four months in India as a young backpacker while deciding whether to be an actor or an engineer. He returned to the area this year – he and his family visited Sri Lanka.
“It was heavenly being back in that part of the world. We got to spend quality time exploring, experiencing and tasting. Sri Lanka is out of this world. Colombo is glorious, the beaches superb, the food tasty, the countryside diverse and the people, like in India, so friendly.”
Voss also enjoys exploring his home town: “One of the first things I do when I get back from touring is head to Britannia and enjoy a mutton curry. But an alltime favourite for me is a prawn curry from Isipingo Hotel, a little gem of a place south of Durban.
“With Mamba Republic being a biting sketch comedy show, the two of us jump into a number of roles. We leave no current stone unturned. In a bit of a money-spinner, I get to play both Pravin Gordhan and Atul Gupta. Gordhan I portray as the voice of political reason with a talent for language, whereas Gupta is the sinister guy behind the scenes pulling the strings of the Treasury.
“But you’ll have to come and see the show to find out how it ends.”
Mamba Republic runs until June 4 at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre. All bookings are through Computicket. Mamba Republic.