JIVE CAPE TOWN FUNNY FESTIVAL. Festival director Eddy Cassar. At The Baxter Theatre until August 16. TERRI DUNBAR-CURRAN reviews.
IN THE middle of loadshedding, The Baxter is a completely different space without its trademark orange lights – but the multitudes that throng down the stairs are just the same. And a power outage on a chilly evening certainly wasn’t enough to keep comedy fans away from the Jive Cape Town Funny Festival. Heart FM DJs did a sterling job of wrangling crowds into the dim theatre, warming everyone up with some light-hearted banter.
This year’s programme is action-packed, with a distinctly musical bent. The line-up of South African comedians is superb and the international acts entertaining, with a few familiar faces back for another run.
Musical theatre stalwart Alistair Izobell makes for a lively, warm host, and yes, he even gets to perform a couple of musical numbers through the evening. An average grasp of Afrikaans is a must, however, if you really want to enjoy his interludes to the full. He’s great fun and keeps the programme moving at a swift pace.
The international highlight for me this year was the return of the UK’s Raymond and Mr Timpkins Revue. Their act is a masterful whirlwind of flash cards, outrageous puns and songs from over the past few decades. The creation of Tony Salmon and Andy Heydon, the revue sees the duo race through a flurry of musical snippets given a hilarious edge thanks to their clever, slick use of placards with letters, words and pictures. It’s fast, hilarious and definitely leaves you howling for more. They’re only here until Sunday, so don’t miss out.
Another absolute gem was the fabulously droll, seductive and more than a little odd, Earl Okin. Armed with a guitar, a pair of crisp white spats and raw sex appeal, the UK performer is at once charming, awkward and exceedingly talented. Behind the innuendo-riddled performance, complete with quivering lips and flicking tongue, is a musical and comedic genius. Apart from singing, shameless flirting and guitar playing, he does astounding “vocal trumpet”. He may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but most of the audience certainly lapped him up.
Also from the UK, Bruce Airhead and his six-foot balloon added a good dose of physical comedy as he bobbed and bounced around in his huge rubber ball. What exactly is it about a man climbing into a balloon and wobbling around that is so funny? It doesn’t really matter – the audience was screaming with laughter. Also playing off the audience’s sense of the ridiculous is Mike Raffone, who appears a couple of times in the show and adds the audience participation element to the evening. If you sit near the front, you may just find yourself roped into his act, but it’s all in the name of fun.
Worcester’s own Shimmy Isaacs’ comedy act is going from strength to strength. She’s a fabulous comedian and has a knack of connecting with her audience no matter their background. She pokes fun at a variety of cultures and her routine about the affects of alcohol on different family members had everyone in stitches and nodding enthusiastically in agreement.
Another young talent doing incredibly well on the local comedy circuit is Dylan Skews. From living in Obs, to awkward flying partners, to the Lion King and kinky dogs, his routine is entertaining and varied.
Although only on the programme for a short stint, Tracy Klass was an absolute delight. She deals with issues like growing older, motherhood and PMS and is definitely worth keeping an eye out for on the local comedy stages.
Finally, Tumi Morake was, as always, a huge hit. From the challenges of being a mom, to the merits of Indian hair weaves, her material is fresh and on point. She’s the kind of comedian who tackles issues of race in a way that is both funny and thought-provoking. She doesn’t pull any punches and that’s what makes her all the more engaging.
Coming up on the programme are Siv Ngesi, Carl Weber and I Baccala Clown.
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