Generating barrels of laughs at comedy fiesta

CAPE Town’s favourite comedy festival returns to the stage on Monday for its 11th season. Held at the Baxter Theatre, the month-long Jive Cape Town Funny Festival features a line-up of top local and international acts.

Event organiser Eddy Cassar says that the annual comedic tonic started small in 1997.

However, it has developed into the largest of its type in the country and is respected by international performers as a “blue-chip” event.

“The festival has been embraced by Capetonians and has run at 100 percent capacity for the past 10 years. This year seems no different as booking at present is very heavy,” says Cassar.

The festival, which runs from July 20 until August 16 is sponsored by Turkish Airlines.

It also supports numerous charities through donations to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital Trust and the Mayoral Fund.

In addition, the event offers bulk discounts to clubs, schools and civic associations, that use it as a fund-raiser, said an excited Cassar.

The Cape Argus spoke to two international acts who will be performing.

Britain’s Earl Okin has opened for Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, Billy Connolly, Eddie Izzard, Sasha Baron Cohen and many others. Okin, who will be performing for the full festival, is a top-class guitarist who also plays the trumpet, sax and trombone in an astonishing way.

Local comedians who will be performing for the full festival are: Alistair Izobell as master of ceremonies Carl Wastie Dylan Skews Shimmy Isaacs Tumi Morake Local comedians who will be performing for limited runs are: Tracy Klass, from July 20 to 25 Carl Weber, from August 3 to 9 Siv Ngesi, from August 10 to 16 Baxter Theatre, Main Rd, Rondebosch Time: Mon to Fri – 8pm; Sat – 5pm and 8pm; Sun, August 16 – 2pm and 5pm Cost: Tickets are R150 each and available through Computicket. Discounts are offered with bulk bookings. Facebook: Jive Cape Town Funny Festival Twitter: @JiveCTFunnyFest ITALIAN Simone Fassari and Swiss Camilla Pessi, left, have been performing together in circuses and cabarets across the globe for over a decade. They will wow their Cape Town audiences, from August 3 to 16, with their one-hour performance, “Pss Pss”, which they have performed over 400 times on five continents. How and where did you meet?

At the Dimitri School of Art in Switzerland where we spent three years studying together. What drew you into the world of performance?

Simone: When I was a young boy I was always fascinated by street performers and I could watch them for hours.

As a young man, I was always the clown of the group and I started to take theatre courses. The day I put on the white clown make-up, I realised it was my life.

Camilla: Since I was little I had a passion for clowns and acrobats. I first did competitive skiing, but my passion for clowning was stronger. I registered at the Dimitri Theatre School of Art ANDYHeydon and Tony Salmon, below, perform a prop-based musical comedy routine that is a traditional act on the London circuit. The twosome, Salmon (Mr Timpkins) and Heydon (Raymond) are loved for their multimedia music act with an hilarious twist and will be performing at the festival from July 20 until August 2. You have been performing together since 1992, what has contributed to your longevity?

We work very hard at keeping our material relevant and funny, and Raymond does what Mr Timpkins says and never questions it. Hence we’ve been together for such a long time. How would you describe your performance to someone who will be watching your show for the first time?

Energetic, uplifting, occasionally alarming and funny. If you were not a performer what would you be doing right now?

There has never really been a plan B. We both had day jobs when we started entertaining so presumably we would go back to something like that. Having said that, we have picked up skills along the way so who knows? How do you get into character?

We are so used to it that all we do is put on our outfits and there we are. How do you develop your comedy material?

We listen to music a lot and spend a lot of time together travelling. We both have a well-developed sense of the ridiculous and love a pun. and that was that.”

For Simone and Camilla, clowning is their dream as it allows them the opportunity to travel the world, they say.

They explain that Cape Town is a very special place which they regard as their “birthplace”. After not seeing each other for a long time, they were reunited in the Mother City when they were invited to perform at a private party in 2004.

It was during this visit that they decided to form the double act.

Simone and Camilla start warming up three hours before they go on stage. Make-up takes about an hour for Camilla and 30 minutes for Simone. Both admit to still getting stage fright before a show. What’s your weirdest habit?

Simone: I buy torches and Camilla buys second-hand bicycles. Describe your personality in four words?

Simone: Absent-minded, helpful, friendly and emotional.

Camilla: Sensitive, generous, timid and even-tempered. Mr Timpkins has a book in which he write things down. Tell us about your most memorable show?

Raymond has a very poor memory so I shall answer this one. We once performed at a travelling ragbag show where people with more money than sense walk about in mud and do their toilet in front of each other. I think it’s called Glastonbury Festival or something, where we had a huge crowd both inside and outside, surrounding the tent. That was quite something. What can Capetonians look forward to at this year’s Jive Cape Town Funny Festival?

As usual, it’ll be an eclectic, exciting, fast paced, international mix of standup and variety entertainment. The Baxter Theatre is a beautiful venue and perfectly suited to this type of show. Cape Town highlights?

We love Cape Town and we have missed the constant honking of taxis and the call of seagulls. All the usual sightseeing stuff and hopefully another morning climb up the Lion’s Head

with Eddy (Cassar) and his dogs.