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...
Puppetry of the … what?
If you consider yourself prudish or body-shy, get over your fears by hanging loose at the Puppetry of the Penis in SA this Spring: For over a decade the Cape Town International Comedy Festival has put the Mother City on the world entertainment map with Africa’s largest and funniest comedy festival. This year the Comedy Festival’s Danger Zone will make sure you never look at male genitalia in the same way again, when it presents the global comedy hit Puppetry of the Pen!s. Despite its provocative title, the below-the-belt show is neither rude nor lewd , however it is – by necessity – performed in the nude. The ingenuity, resourcefulness and dexterity of the show’s creators, Simon Morley and David “Friendy” Friend has had audiences gasping with laugher since its extraordinarily successful debut at the 1998 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. With a stretch of the imagination and some other bits, they manipulate their genitals into various “installations”: get an eye-full of the Eiffel Tower, marvel at the slow-emerging molusc and be reasonably repulsed by the hamburger. A camera and a large screen mean that even those at the back of the theatre peeking through their fingers absorb every detail. After being a runaway hit at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and voted “Outright Best Show”, it ended up touring Australia for eight months. The show was then unleashed at the 2000 Edinburgh International Fringe Festival where West End producer David Johnson realized the potential of the sell-out show and the world was no longer safe from the Art of Genital Origami! Since its West End debut in 2001, the show’s popularity and subsequent growing international demand has meant that the duo has been exposing themselves to a wider, global audience. Puppetry of the Pen!s is one of the most successful, confronting and bizarre theatrical experiences of our time with up to 8 companies running at one time. It has been presented in 7 different languages in over 20 countries. South Africans will join the legions of POTP fans that include celebrities Naomi Campbell, Elton John, Bono, The Beckhams and Hugh Grant, whose member has also enjoyed the spotlight for illicit puppetry of its own! This time around the show will be hosted by one of the UK’s hottest female comedians, Ninia Benjamin. Dubbed “The Comedy Assassin” by the British media, Ninia Benjamin is well-known to many South Africans as one of the hilarious 3 Non-Blondes on BBC Prime. POTP will continue their tour of South Africa after performing at the Cape Town Comedy Festival to include showing Johannesburg audience members, theirs. Puppetry of the Penis Tour dates for South...
Japanese Binocular Soccer
It’s a classic, watch it for a great laugh. Thanks Papa Nick for the tip. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwvVh0_ZelI[/youtube]
Jozi Comedy Festival
It sounds like a largely international comedy festival to us as we fail to spot many local names although it looks like the Cool Runnings Comedy Showdown sessions continue to rock and form a part of the festival. If you’re up for a laugh, get to the Jozi Comedy festival… in previous years, Cape Town hosted the International Comedy Festival but this year Johannesburg will take its turn to present the broadest selection of comedy styles and material ever seen at such an event. The Festival, which will run over seven days, will consist of an international stand up theatre show – the “UN Comedy Show”, international comedy short films – “Funny Shorts”, international street performers from Canada, the UK and Australia in “Street Comedy”; a local stand-up competition – “Comedy Showdown”, and the much awaited Air Guitar Competition – “Hot-Air”. The UN Comedy Show will be hosted by international comedy icon, Paul Rodriguez (Mexico/USA). Paul’s career spans more than two decades and includes starring roles and featured appearances in over 30 films like “The Whoopee Boys”, “Ali” and “Crocodile Dundee” and countless television series and specials. He has performed live to well over one million concert goers and is considered to be the Richard Pryor of original comedy – with a Latin twist. He will be joined on stage by comedy heavy weight Sugar Sammy (India/Canada) who has been voted the number one stand-up comedian for the last three years in Canada and who’s performed to more than 10,000 fans during his previous tour to South Africa. Comedy legend Carl Barron (Australia), the biggest selling comic in Australia and Paul Zerdin (England) who is considered one of the most versatile performers and ventriloquists of our time will share the spotlight with funny man Frank Spadone (Italy/Canada) who performed his one man show to sold-out crowds in Canada and the US as well as Bobby Lee (Korea) who has garnered millions of fans through his comedy, film and television appearances. South Africa’s rising star Trevor Noah will complete the 5-star line-up. The UN Comedy Show carries an age restriction of 16. Funny Shorts, 90 minutes of the world’s funniest short films, will take comedy to the screens at Montecasino’s Nu Metro Cinema during the festival. A cast of internationally acclaimed street performers will be showing Jozi crowds that laughter is indeed an international currency when they take comedy to the streets around The Montecasino Piazza for Street Comedy. Shows, with content suitable for all ages, will be between 30 to 40 minutes long and a total of 30 shows will be performed over the seven day period. The ultimate...
Bring your laughter back
When all else fails we recommend turning to laughter. If you feel like life has been tough on you lately, that its all about the world vs You, then maybe you need to bring your laughter back and dust your smile off so getting through the crap is a lot more pleasant. For if we do not have laughter, what’s the point? Check out some tips for fine-tuning your sense of humour below: Wise stuff from Ezine and here too… “The idea is that a sense of perspective when it comes to humor allows you to see yourself in the scope of things rather than always at the center of things. Most of us have a tendency as to believe that any problem we are confronting and facing at particular moment is the most important thing that is going on in the world. his way of looking at problems is a very heavy responsibility. It makes you feel as if the problem is everywhere and it becomes the focus of your being. This is why a developed sense of humor is so important, because it allows you to see yourself in the scope of things rather than always at the center of things. ” “Remember that a sense of humor is learned, not inherited. You can sharpen your sense of humor if you really want to. When you do, you will find that your relationships become richer and more rewarding and that people find you more attractive and fun to be with. This alone makes improving your sense of humor worth the effort.” Some more from Suite101 here and here: “Telling funny jokes and having a good laugh actually strengthens the bonds between people. Tapping into your sense of humor can break the ice, lower blood pressure, and improve your mood. Here’s how humor works — and how humor can hurt. Also, here’s how men and women perceive humor differently.” “Funny movies, funny jokes, and funny people depend on one thing: the sense of humor of the listener or viewer. A funny joke that makes one person burst into laughter can anger another person. One person’s best funny joke is another’s lawsuit for sexual harassment. Defining a sense of humor is no laughing matter. Humor is really difficult to pull off, even with similar senses of humor. It’s hard to make people laugh because our senses of humor are so different. Writing humor can be painful (not just painfully funny); and writing about humor can be like pulling teeth. But when you produce even a chuckle, the pain is worth it.” Laughing Budda photograph courtesy of Araswami on...
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