The Sooffah Comedy Couch Session

Friday nights comedy session reminded me once again why I love Stand Up so much. Our host for the evening, Nadiem Solomon, had asked me almost a year ago to join them at the Sooffah Comedy Couch sessions and I always put the idea on the back-burner.
Within two minutes of being up on stage, I realized that this kind of adrenalin rush should never be postponed. Like a visit to your proctologist, it's the kind of opportunity you should put right up there on the top of your list of things to do.

Speaking of lists and what belongs right up on top of them, the line-up of comedians that Nadiem puts together and the talent he nurtures is truly inspiring. I remember the first time I was catapulted onto the stage. I blogged about it here.
It didn't take long to learn that the bigger the headline act, the bigger the ego and the more pompous they became. It was a refreshing change to work with professionals who know and understand their history and purpose and really make a concerted effort to help new comedians.
Marc Lottering is one such professional.

I was privileged and honored to share a stage with him earlier this year and blogged about it here (at this point my damn links stopped working on Blogger!) http://www.thekalooreport.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-punchline-comedy-gig.html 

Then along came Nadiem Solomon and his comedy incubator, the Sooffah Comedy Couch.

The audience is amazingly hungry for laughs, and they clearly appreciate the young talent presented to them. The atmosphere is conducive to comedy with the air alive with excitement and a fantastic energy through the theatre.

At first I thought it was the extra hot Nandos I had snorted earlier, but the evenings buzz was a definite combination of audience excitement and comedians nerves.

What I really appreciated was the time Nadiem takes to warm the audience up before the comedians start their sets. You only really appreciate this when you're standing backstage waiting to come on and you already hear the crowd laughing and rolling in their seats.

Big crowds are nerve-wrecking.

Random audiences like I experienced at Parker's are honestly a lucky packet. You could get an entire group of suits out on a corporate evening on one night, followed by a bunch of teenagers out on a jol on the next. Your material needs to adapt to each group, and changing material on the night is a daunting task. Taking nothing away from Parker's, it really is a tough crowd.

What makes Sooffah Comedy Couch different is that the audience almost feels personal. Like you're performing in front of your friends or family, and you can tell that they WANT you to do well.

Here's wishing Nadiem and his amazing venture all the very best. I sense great talent maturing and developing at this venue.

Friday nights line-up included a smorgasbord of talent covering every genre and topic.

Lihle Lindzy Msimang

Jzuan Dreyer

Graham Shirley

Ian Campbell 

Thapelo King Flat Mametja

Myself and of course our host, Nadiem Solomon.

Lihle Lindzy Msimang is an absolute powerhouse and I reckon you will see her name in lights very soon! The 5 minutes with her backstage before my set was probably worth a years comedy workshops!

So here's to more laughs and awesome comedy and definitely more squeaky-bum moments just before getting up on stage. There is nothing that compares to that kind of raw adrenalin rush. Bungee jumping is fantastic, but there's no chance of bombing in front of a live audience when you're dangling from a rope in mid-air.