Comic duo Stuart Cairns and Westley Cockrell Comic duo Stuart Cairns and Westley Cockrell
Meeting comic duo Stuart Cairns and Westley Cockrell, I was curious to know what it takes to do comedy and stand-up comedy acts. As a secret actor myself, I knew I would learn much and was not disappointed.
They both spoke passionately - if at times quite comically, especially the more off-beat Stuart who was then somewhat “managed” by his more grounded acting partner. I asked a few pointed questions which prompted further insight into the world of entertainment.
They are presenting the Book Detectives at the Alexander Bar (with the last show on tonight), a work that revolves around a fairy-tale land inhabited by various characters and with a case to solve.
What emerged was that the duo write the script themselves. They're required to be disciplined and their “jamming” sessions, while creative and exciting, go far beyond brainstorming. They require getting a clear structure, format and the general essence, which is then reworked, to add the “flesh” as it were to an initial skeletal structure.
This method means that when it comes down to playing the various characters, the memory work required to enact it is already in place as they have developed the characters through the process of writing.
They have taken their work to Grahamstown National Arts Festival on many occasions and the comic-art duo are set to do so again this year when they will be presenting a play titled The Plothole. This promises to be an invigorating performance.
Stuart hinted at their interest in the so-called absurd, saying that acknowledgement of the inexplicable in life is surely wonderful fuel for comic relief. It also promises a deeper meaning - that laughter itself is rather profound, uniting people and developing an almost transcendent perspective on the vicissitudes of the drama of life. In fact, they both concurred that their intention is to find a universal core, and not get submerged in all the political talk and the like.
Both do stand-up work, yet it is peculiar to note that neither began in the “industry” and only in the last few years have they devoted themselves to the art and to theatre performance.
They draw their inspiration from anything from the Simpsons to the iconic and surreal Monty Python. And the latter would make sense as I felt a kind of quirkiness during the discussion - though they are distinct in their expressive modalities.
I found it interesting that both comedians spoke of always being rather nervous before a show and, of course, comedy is that much more difficult, because the audience may simply not respond and laugh, a rather awkward moment, as one could imagine. In this respect, their art is courageous and their success so far is doubly well deserved.
Yet the addictive “high” that Stuart described when a show does work is rather euphoric and has obviously motivated the comical pair to continue plying their trade. Yet there is a deeper (and I would not use the word “darker”) side to comedy and that is how it could also express anger and dissatisfaction. In this respect, comic relief can be a useful way of dealing with the powers of the day through critique.
Their obvious disruption of that narrative suggests a desire to shift consciousness from simply focussing on the local to addressing universal themes. As such their desire to grow as artists may very well lead to a meteoric rise and perhaps, like other home-grown stars in the genre such as Nik Rabinowitz and Trevor Noah, we shall see a lot more of them.