Milking laughs from human behaviour
NO SLAPSTICK and no kitschy jokes… the focus will be on human behaviour; the little things that people do without even realising they are doing them.
These are the words of Pietermaritzburg-born and now Gauteng-based comedian Pravesh Mungaldave, discussing the content of his new touring show, Human Behaviour, which he presents at Durban’s Sibaya Casino at 8pm on Friday and Saturday.
Performances will be at the casino’s iZulu Theatre. Tickets cost R100 and booking is at Computicket outlets.
“It will be just me and a mic… we all need to laugh, especially with all the negative news that surrounds us daily. This show will be an escape,” says Mungaldave.
“We use 54 muscles to laugh, endorphins get released, and the heart rate increases. So by laughing we are getting fitter without even knowing it.
“I also have a public service announcement that you will want to hear – so be there!”, he says, further underscoring why he thinks people need to see his first one-man show.
Performing since 2008, Mungaldave was noted as the Young Gun of SA Comedy after performing at the Soweto Comedy Festival in 2009.
“My first big appearance was at the Soweto Comedy Festival. Kedibone Mulaudzi, who organises the show annually, saw me perform at a club gig and booked me for the festival.
“I still thank him for believing in me, as that performance got my comedy career rolling.
“I did a tight 10-minute set there and got noticed by agents and fellow comics.”
Mungaldave first realised he had a talent to amuse in 2008, when, as part of a toastmasters club, he won a Humorous Speech contest as the only novice entrant.
“I was one step away from the South African finals, but unfortunately I didn’t make it. “Still, the experience made me realise that if I can be funny where there are rules and restrictions, I should try my hand at mainstream comedy.”
He has not looked back since and has shared stages with the likes of Riaad Moosa (at Durban’s BAT Centre and The Playhouse), Chris Forrest, Chris Mapane and Prins VR.
His first solo show was at Garden Route Casino in Mossel Bay in 2012, and since then he has done many solo gigs at comedy clubs in Johannesburg.
Those early shows saw him learning valuable lessons, he explains.
“I am a firm believer in ‘paying it forward’, so for Human Behaviour I am giving an up-andcoming Durban comedian, Mo Vawda, a platform to expose himself further to the comedy market.
“I have another opening act, which is going to be a surprise to my audience: an entertainer who is only 7 years old, but who owns the stage like a seasoned performer.
“I am so looking forward to this show. It is all coming together beautifully. I know Durban is going to want me back.”
Mungaldave’s success saw him nominated for a comedy award at the 2013 Satma Awards, something he says came as a total surprise.
“I felt honoured to be part of such a big event. I did not win, but was chosen to perform at the awards ceremony in East London in front of 3 000 people. I had fun that night!”
He is hoping for a long life for Human Behaviour, which he plans to tour nationally next year, before taking the show to Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia.
He also has further horizons to reach: “Comedy is really growing in metropolitan cities in India, like Mumbai and Delhi – thanks to TV’s Comedy Central – so I would like to tour there sometime soon as well.”
So what was Mungaldave’s most embarrassing moment on stage?
“It sounds cheesey, but it really happened – my zip was down and a woman in the front row pointed it out, so my question to her was, ‘Now, why are your eyes there, ma’am?’”
Another memorable moment on stage, he says, was during his first gig in Cape Town.
“I have a gag about a white songoma and, lo and behold, there was a white songoma in the audience – all dressed up and speaking to me in Zulu.
“What are the chances of that happening?”
Of one thing Mungaldave, the father of twin 1-year-olds boys, is sure: Comedy is his life, and he is unlikely to return to any of his previous jobs, which included delivering newspapers as a teen and working as a process engineer.