Al Prodgers in the Eastern Cape
Al Prodgers takes to the stage at the Barnyard Theatres in Mossel Bay and Plettenberg Bay on the 3rd and 4th of April to open his national Comedy Trek, but also returning to the area where his ancestor first set foot on the African continent generations ago.
Genealogists suggest that in the 19th century a Prodgers, making his way from Britain to India ended up in Africa, setting the standard of navigation that is still a hallmark of the family. Clan legend has it that he heard of the discovery of gold in Knysna and jumped ship to seek his fortune.
Although he was still wet behind the ears, and everywhere else because he should have waited till the ship docked before jumping, he fell in love with a Boer woman. Young Prodgers must have carried the comedy gene, because history records that her first words upon meeting this “soutie” were, “Is this some kind of joke?”
They married, and it’s fairly certain that they had a tempestuous relationship, since their descendants fought on opposite sides of the Anglo-Boer War. Maybe they were just lost again.
Thanks to satellite navigation and the participation of myweek magazine, Al Prodgers, descendant of this quirky crowd is on a Comedy Trek with Melt Sieberhagen, a rising star of alternative Afrikaans stand-up. It’s a hilarious roadshow, exploring the funny side of being South African. The first leg of the Trek begins in the beautiful Garden Route, which is far enough away from Johannesburg to have finally left the scene of the crime.
The Comedy Trek also features scenes on screen with fresh, improvised comedy shot daily in every destination and behind-the-scenes footage of the comedians and tour chaos filmed by their faithful roadie, Ettienne Shardlow.
Language and themes are authentically South African too, so parental guidance is advised, but if you’re an adult who wants to celebrate the wacky side of life, come along for a laugh to the Al Prodgers myweek Comedy Trek at the Barnyard Theatres in Mossel Bay and Plettenberg Bay on the 3rd and 4th of April.
