(Aaron McIlroy in “Comedy
Masterclass”)
(By Latoya Newman,
with kind permission of Tonight)
Aaron McIlroy is set to premier his new show, Comedy Masterclass, at UKZN’s Elizabeth
Sneddon Theatre.
A press release said he will delve into the science that
underpins the world’s oldest coping mechanism, a sense of humour, in this show
which is co-written by himself and Patrick Kenny (and directed by Kenny).
In an interview with The Tonight, McIlroy said the idea for
the show was sparked while he watched a TED talk (influential videos by expert
speakers on education, business, science, tech and creativity).
“Humourist, writer and trickster, Emily Levine, spoke on
‘science and the human condition’. I don’t remember everything she said, but it
sparked an interest in me to tackle humour from a more intellectual, in-depth
approach and to analyse all its intricacies. I never thought I would actually
write a show on it, but the more research I did, the more material I found and
felt that it is definitely something everyone can relate to and, to be honest,
something we all need to know.
“Because in this day and age when there is so much ‘stuff’
going on – the old adage that ‘laughter is the best medicine’ rings true.
Everyone loves to laugh and enjoy a good mental workout at the same time. My
objective is to bring philosophy to life so that people can laugh at the major
and mundane in our existence because nothing is just a joke! ‘I’m just joking!’
is an oxymoron and can be the most cutting thing someone can say. Comedy has
the ability to be destructive and uplifting in equal measure.”
On director Kenny, McIlroy said: “Patrick is a fine actor
and a long-time friend. He was a stand-up comedian and member of Durban Poison
with John Vlismas and the late Sean Griggs. He was also part of Comedy Games – improvisation comedy that
rocked Durban in the ’90s, and the writer of
The Friday Comedy Show on SAFM and Pat
Ponders on the East Coast Radio Breakfast Show. Most recently he has turned
his focus to writing and directing work for the National Breast Feeding
Campaign which is funded by the Bill Gates Foundation.
“We are similar in that we are both ADHD and can share each
other’s medication if one of us runs out,” he jokes, adding: “Patrick is also
an intellectual with a wicked sense of humour and he has a masters degree in
useless information so I thought he would be the perfect person to challenge
and partner with me on this roller-coaster ride deep into the human psyche on
our archeological quest to uncover the comedic Holy Grail, aka the funny bone!”
Commenting on what he loves most about comedy, McIlroy said:
“I remember when I was a drama student at ’varsity, walking into a tutorial
class to perform my Hamlet monologue,
and all the lecturers started laughing before I even opened my mouth. I was
frustrated because I wanted to be taken ‘seriously’ as the part required me to
be earnest and sincere, but it didn’t take long for me to acknowledge where my
true gifting was so I just went for it and surrendered to my calling to be a
comedic actor.”
His inspirations include John Cleese, Eddie Murphy, Billy
Connolly, Kevin Hart, Will Ferrell and the absurdity of Steven Wright. “Most of
them are not afraid to let it all hang out. They are reality on steroids and
the voices that people need and want to hear so they can laugh at themselves
and the world we live in. All of them are boundary breakers in the comedic
genre and have the ability to make us rethink and question our reality and
belief systems.”
Comedy Masterclass
runs from May 19 to June 5 at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre. Tickets R120 to
R145 at Computicket. Block bookings: Ailsa Windsor on 083 250 2690 or e-mail: ailswyn@mweb.co.za. – tonight.co.za – Latoya Newman
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