(Aaron McIlroy)
The most
entertaining of the Aaron McIlroy comedy shows I have seen. (Review by Keith
Millar)
Due to
popular demand, Aaron McIlroy has brought back his award-winning production, Comedy Masterclass, for a short season
at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on the campus of the University of
KwaZulu-Natal.
McIlroy
has built up a huge fan club over the years with productions such as Abbamaniacs, The Loser, 7 Deadly Sins
and The Ranga and others.
Normally,
with McIlroy productions, one is taken on a manic rollercoaster ride of side-splitting
hilarity, bombarded on all sides by his zany characters, and left figuratively
battered and bruised by the time the curtain comes down. And woe betide anyone
who has the courage to sit in the front row.
Comedy Masterclass is something else entirely. Not
that there aren’t elements of McIlroy’s usual high energy, manic style in the
production. But he is altogether more introspective, composed and subtler as he
tries to analyse the illusive question, “What is Comedy.”
This is
not to say that it is not a very funny show. It most certainly is. McIlroy is a
superb comedy entertainer. He just needs one of his trademark poses to get an
audience giggling. He has dynamism to burn and is blessed with sublime comedy
timing. He displays all these considerable talents in Comedy Masterclass.
The set
for the production is backstage at a theatre. The stage is littered with all
sorts of paraphernalia and left-overs from previous productions. Enough for
McIlroy to get up to plenty of mischief.
Amongst
this chaos is McIlroy, preparing to go on stage for his first performance in
some time. He is obviously nervous and this leads to his reflecting on the
nature of comedy. As the production progresses, he relates incidents that he
has experienced at gigs. These include a one armed Irish dancer and a rather
malodorous Porta-Loo story.
He also
enacts a one-sided cellphone conversation with John Cleese. This part was the
performer at his manic best as he charges about the stage and up and down ladders
looking for a better cellphone signal.
In the
second half, I felt that the show sagged a little bit when we were introduced
to McIlroy’s German scientist but certainly picked up when he related the
experiences he and his wife, Lisa Bobbert, had while entertaining in Hong Kong.
McIlroy
appropriately ends his show with a poignant and heartfelt rendition of the
Charlie Chaplin song Smile.
Comedy Masterclass shows sides of this entertainer
which I had not experienced before. As a result, it is for me the most
entertaining of the Aaron McIlroy comedy shows I have seen.
Don’t
miss this if you want a good laugh. But if you are a big Aaron McIlroy fan,
expect something a little different.
Comedy Masterclass is co-written
by McIlroy and Patrick Kenny and directed by Kenny. Produced by McBob Productions, it runs until March 26
at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on the campus of the University of
KwaZulu-Natal. Shows are at 19h30 and at
18h00 on Sunday. Tickets R145 (R120 student and pensioner concessions). Book
now at Computicket. Call 0861 915 8000 or book online at www.computicket.com – Keith Millar
Posts
