Behind the Green scene
Comedy game has ‘changed’
WHETHER he’s talking about a landmark or his schooldays, funny man Neil Green brings the true flavour of Durban to his shows.
Due to host Friday Night Comedy show at Gateway Hotel, uMhlanga, next week, he spoke to The Independent on Saturday about finding inspiration at robots, and the comedy explosion across the city.
“The awareness of comedy as entertainment is increasing all the time, which has been helped by Trevor Noah. He has definitely had a knock-on effect,” says Green.
Having been in the industry for 10 years and a familiar face on Durban stages, Green says comedy has evolved from the club scene to shows being held in upmarket venues, as well as being a popular entertainment choice for corporate events and parties.
“While there are always familiar faces in the audience, I have also seen Durban audiences changing.
“When it comes to my material, I am averse to current events, but rather keep to purely autobiographical events in my life, which I embellish and make entertaining. So I’m an authority on everything I speak about,” says Green with a hint of a twinkle in his eye.
And he readily admits comedy involves a lot of hard work.
“You have to be switched on all the time. It’s like being a photographer and having your camera with you at all times. I will sometimes be in a situation which doesn’t seem like a story, but later I think about it and realise it can be material.
“It can be a tiny idea and I sit down and start writing. At other times, I may see something while waiting at a set of robots and start writing. Before I know it, I’ve written a whole odyssey on the state of traffic. I’m a very scripted comic. I also keep comprehensive notes on what I’ve done at each show to ensure I keep it fresh when I go back to a venue.”
And like all creative industries, inspiration comes in waves.
“When inspiration is low, I have a freestyle writing session. I take a whole lot of ideas that have never amounted to much, chain myself to a chair with a cup of tea and attack them from every angle, looking for something funny.” Of course, getting your audience to laugh also depends a whole lot on a comedian’s stage presence and confidence.
“Being funny will not necessarily make you a comedian. You have to be disciplined to put it all together and go on stage. The thing that will make you as a comedian is how you present yourself on stage. Even if you are doing nothing, staying deadpan is a theatrical achievement.
“While content is all important, the actual performance will decide whether you are a success or not,” he said, adding that it’s also about being able to read an audience.
“I walk into a room and read the demographics. You have to be able to dial it back if necessary. But becoming a comic is infinitely easier than it was 10 years ago. Back then, I used to do a show every three or four months.
“There are so many opportunities now where you can go to one of the gigs and hone your craft or just try out for five minutes.”
And yet despite being one of Durban’s veterans in the burgeoning comedy scene, Green said he still felt nervous before a show.
“There’s always performance anxiety, but that goes once I am on the stage.”
For Friday Night Comedy show, Green is busy preparing his best material and the line-up for the evening includes Masood Boomgard, Glen Bo on tour from Gauteng, Devin Gray from Cape Town, as well as Durban’s singing comedienne Annalakshmi.
The show starts at 8.30pm and tickets are available from Computicket.