‘Doc funnybone’ back in house!

FUNNYman Riaad Moosa is taking his stand-up comedy to another level with his new one-man show, Doctor’s Orders.

After a schedule primarily filled with TV and film work over the past two years, with Doctor’s Orders Moosa says it’s the first time he’ll be doing an extensive tour. In fact, he’s already booked dates across South Africa, in parts of Africa and abroad until December.

“This show contains all new material; I’ve never done a tour like I’m doing now. I’ve previously visited major cities with a space of a few months between each gig. But with Doctor’s Orders we’ve basically mapped out a tour for the year, stopping at small towns, bigger cities, in Africa and overseas,” he said.

Zambia, Swaziland and the Montreal and Edinburgh festivals are just some of the places Moosa will take his show.

Commenting on the show’s content, he said: “Strictly Halaal was a snapshot of my life at the time, it touched on Islamaphobia and some issues that were topical then. My second one-man show, For the Baracka, dealt with me being a new dad and the change in the geopolitical landscape at the time, like with Barack Obama becoming the US president.

“Doctor’s Orders is a snapshot of my life right now; me doing movies, doing stand-up comedy again, being confused about all my careers, some cultural material and I like to throw in some local material specific to the area where I’m performing. Obviously, the show will have its core elements, but it also involves audience interaction,” he said.

In case you didn’t know, Moosa, who is a qualified medical doctor, switched his stethoscope for a microphone after graduating and finishing his internship and community service. But after flirting with TV and film, he found himself working more in these industries – particularly in film over the past two years. He has worked on the TV shows Laugh out Loud, Pure Monate Show and Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola.

His film credits include Outrageous, the highly successful independent release, Material, and the Anant Singh/BBC Films production of Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom, which releases later this year.

“I never planned to do movies,” he explained. “Material was a labour of love and I actually thought it would end there.

But based on Material more opportunities opened up for me in film, like with Long Walk to Freedom where I play Ahmed Kathrada.”

Though different from his previous comic avatars in film, this was a role he could not pass up.

“At the time the role came up I had other things on my plate, but I juggled everything around to make way for this role. It was very different for me; it is a big-budget film, my performance is polished by the director and Anant Singh. It’s a great honour to be able to play someone like Ahmed Kathrada.”

But it’s not just TV, film and stand-up comedy that Moosa is managing at the moment, he’s also involved in a private hospital establishment in Rondebosch, but he couldn’t chat too much about that right now.

And, judging by the way he lovingly speaks of his family, it’s no surprise that it’s important for him that they’re in the mix too.

“My tour is also based around my family requirements. I only tour the first two weekends of the month… well, I’m trying to do this, this is the aim,” he laughs. “The rest of the time is spent making lunches, picking up the kids from school and with my wife.”

With this tour spanning a year Moosa says he hopes to grow his audience: “I want to expand my comedy audience and I hope new people will come out and see the show.”

• Some of the Doctor’s Orders tour stops include Sibaya Casino iZulu Theatre, KZN, from March 29 to April 1; Ladysmith Town Hall on May 3; Black Rock Casino, Newcastle, on May 4; Golden Horse Casino, Pietermaritzburg, on May 5; Wild Coast on May 10 and 11; Richards Bay on May 12; Nelson Mandela Theatre, Joburg, from October 18 to 27; State Theatre, Pretoria, on November 3; Cape Town ICC from December 20 to 22 and Richards Bay and Durban from December 26 to 30. Full tour details at www.riaadmoosa.com

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