THE measure of a comedian is their ability to judge just how far an audience can be pushed, and knowing at which moment to hurriedly pull them back before they are too far gone.
Rob van Vuuren seems to have perfected that, if opening night of his latest stand up show, Life, is anything to go by. At one point he strays very close to bad taste, but by that time in the show he’s reeled his audience so far in, that only the most sensitive would be truly offended. Everyone else howls and gasps, and waits for the inevitable (if unnecessary, it IS a comedy show after all) “I’m just joking!”
Life is billed as a rant - and aptly so. This is Van Vuuren at his finest. Spitting observations about society, parenthood, and the challenges of keeping chickens at home - he’s a riot. In true stand-up style, the comedian has left space for interacting with the audience, so be warned - if you book in the first few rows, you’re fair game. And he’s also not averse to going off on the odd tangent or two, not that anyone is complaining.
He runs the gamut of emotions on stage and it’s what makes his work extra special. This isn’t just some guy on stage rattling off jokes and waiting for laughs. Life has just enough real experience for it to truly strike a chord with the audience. So when Van Vuuren is working himself up into a manic frenzy on stage, piercing eyes gleaming, it’s obvious there’s more than a little truth there. “It’s not that I’m having a nervous breakdown,” he clings to the mic, desperation beading on his forehead. “It’s just that I’m trying to get my five year old to school on time.”
I would pick an evening with Van Vuuren over a seminar with a motivational speaker as a pick-me-up any day. Sure, he’s the first to admit that his cynicism gets in the way, but this show succeeds in provoking unbridled laughter before deftly taking the audience to a soberingly dark place and back. Good comedy does more than just make you laugh.
Life is well-paced, carefully plotted and Notcutt’s directorial hand is evident. It’s the perfect example of the benefits of scripting and working to a theme, rather than simply relying on anecdotal gags and stream of conscious rambling.
It may not solve any of the world’s biggest problems, or make the morning school run any easier, but you will at least be prepared for your next visit to home affairs.
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