(Robby
Collins)
Slaaning on a Friday Night - everyone loves
a good laugh and the night certainly was entertaining. (Review by Verne Rowin
Munsamy)
If you are from Durban and are unfamiliar
with Wentworth, Sydenham and Newlands East then you probably “don't know
nothing”. Last night a few of my family members and I braved the thunderstorm in Durban and ventured to the
beachfront's Garden Court Hotel to be entertained by some of Durban's fresh and
seasoned comedians in the show titled Robby
Collins Son Of Carol. Although the second half of this more than two and a
half hour programme features Collins, the first half of warm-up acts do well to
get the audience revved up.
The host for the evening was Neil Green,
who promised us a treat and he wasn't off the mark. While his mic technique
needs work he certainly knew how to get the audience riled up. He set the tone
for the night, which had us laughing at many Coloured stereotypes.
Gavin Kelly was the first warm-up act and
he did well to engage us with his quirks of being white in a new South Africa
and had us roaring with laughter at his rendition of the National anthem which included
Brenda Fassie's Weekend Special. This
‘Fall'ist’, ie. fees must fall or news must fall, focused more on general
displeasure while the second man on the line-up, Darryl Williams, focused more
on Coloured life and stereotypes. He had us reminiscing about the miracle
healing power of sugar water and the “oops babies” that headline the stereotypes
of Coloured. Third crowd-warmer, Tall Ass Mo from Johannesburg captured us with
his astute physicalisation and great timing. The audience was bouncing off their
seats with his stories of married life, lack of oral sex and diminished
foreplay.
Robby Collins, the man of the moment,
displayed great ease on the stage. He is originally from Durban and was the
warm-up act himself for Trevor Noah for seven years. He too entertained us with
anecdotes of his first Valentine’s Day, growing up in several Coloured
Townships in Durban, his despise of polony a myriad other Coloured anecdotes.
He offers a much more poised and steady delivery when compared to the other
comedians as he reveals his life stories of being typecast as the Coloured gangster
to his armed mugging by three Coloured robbers. He can stray comfortably off
script to interact with the live audience and then naturally find his way back.
He certainly knows how to 'make shit dope'. His calm demeanour bodes well as a
vehicle of his colourful stories.
I was a little annoyed with some audience
members trying to steal the limelight away from the comedians but it is what
happens when people see themselves in the stories being told. The show started
late but once it started, it took off with great gusto. I did feel that the
night was geared more towards a Coloured audience but everyone loves a good
laugh and the night certainly was entertaining. - Verne Rowin Munsamy
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