It was supposed to be a simple stab at brand new material, but last night morphed into quite a great extended experience.
I was at Kitchener’s Carvery Bar in Braamfontein for New Material Night and was agonising over the structure of a couple of new jokes.
I arrived slightly early, having come straight from a theatre rehearsal. The venue was still empty, though chairs were set up and the effervescent Thembalunacy was already making magic on the decks.
It’s one of my favourite rooms in Johannesburg and it’s rarely empty when the comedy is in full swing. Yesterday was the chance to push out some of the untested work with a view to making it slicker and stronger.
When showtime arrived, the cosy room was packed to the rafters and the unbelievably helpful but unfortunately noisy fans had to be switched off.
Mojak Lehoko and Robby Collins took me by complete surprise when they asked if I would host the show.
After overthinking it for a few minutes, I decided ‘why not’? Plus, that level of trust in me was a major kudos. I really like the work of those two gents and it was a major psychological shift to know that I could do this – and do it well.
It was such a positive night. Working to get the audience onside from the get go was pretty cool, as ever. Making sure each act hit the stage at a point of maximum energy was a thrill too.
Grateful for the trust and focused to keep working smarter.
On we go!
-Tyson
Tyson Ngubeni 