A feast of laughs with top comics
Celebrated local and international comedians set to give Cape Town a serious dose of the funny
The 14th Jive Cape Town Funny Festival, which opens at the Baxter Theatre for a month on 9 July, is best described as a showcase of top local acts, presented on a stage, with respected international variety performers.
The combination of variety acts and stand-up comedy is nothing new, but has over the years attracted a loyal and strong fan-base of Capetonians.
All the major comedy festivals around the globe present a gala show which showcases a range of comedy performers, not only stand-ups. As such, the Funny Festival can best be described as a month-long gala featuring comedic acts.
The Cape Town Funny Festival has become a barometer of the state of comedy in the country. Humour is in short supply in the world today, and students of sociology and psychology have found that humour is the best form of escape from stressful situations.
South Africans, it seems, are keen adherents of this particular remedy. Comedy in the country is in rude health and there is an abundance of new acts coming onto the circuit. Add the country’s range of cultural diversity and you have a recipe for the development of great comedians.
Kurt Schoonraad’s Cape Town Comedy Club at the Waterfront, organises an annual search for new talent and this year there are plenty of promising comedians coming through. This is a good litmus test of the state of the industry. The winner of the competition joins the Funny Festival and gets to perform alongside giants of the local and international industry.
The list of local comedy heavyweights taking part include the likes of Marc Lottering, Alan Committie, Rob van Vuuren and Siv Ngesi. Add to that musical comedian, Tats Nkonso, and you have a lineup that will provide an interesting insight to the psyche of the country today.
As we laugh at our foibles, we also get to learn more about our fellow citizens. As such, it’s no surprise that some of South Africa’s top comedy performers started life in the teaching profession.
School teachers make for good performers. It’s what they do in the classroom, day in and day out. The added benefit for us is that they have a daily window into family life from the perspective of a child, which often makes for great material. With former school teachers Khanyisa Bunu and Committie on the bill, get ready for a comedy masterclass.
The Jive Cape Town Funny Festival runs from the 9 July to 5 August at the Baxter Theatre. Tickets available from webtickets.