BESPOKE
CAST: Stuart Taylor
VENUE: The Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre
UNTIL: 26 April
RATING: ***
AWARD-winning comedian Stuart Taylor opened his newest one-man show, BeSpoke, in Durban last week. And with the show only in town for a brief run – ending this weekend – this is one you want to catch before it moves on.
In the show, Taylor (pictured below) goes back to his comedy club roots, which complements his conversational style of stand-up comedy.
With the stage mimicking the look and feel of an intimate comedy club setting, Taylor engages the audience in the offering. Promising that his show is indeed “Taylor-made”, the funnyman has delivered and brings to stage a show that is fluid and relaxed, with a great underlying message to share.
Taylor interrogates the human condition in an unapologetic style, while managing to not cross the proverbial line. He delves into issues of societal labels and the importance we place on them. Through his own experience as a father of two boys, he also reflects on what this might mean for his kids.
With topics that could easily veer towards the uncomfortable and mis-understood, Taylor takes care to get a message across while not over- stepping the line.
It helps that he seems to possess a natural rapport with his audience which he solidifies through very casual and playful interactions. It’s this establishing of a “safe place” that is the key to winning over the audience when he tackles the rest of the show. It also keeps things interesting as it means that the show is never the same on any given night.
The timing of the show could not be better. Although coincidental, BeSpoke comes as South Africans generally need a bit of nudge in the right moral direction.What with all the drama of the statue sagas, land grabs and the shameless acts of xenophobia, we need a reminder of what it means to be tolerant human beings. The dash of laughter that comes with the package is the cherry on top.
BeSpoke is Taylor’s ninth one-man show in which he proves that, like a fine wine, he’s only improved with time.
Performances are Tuesdays to Saturdays at 7.30pm.
Tickets are R120. Discounts are available for students and block bookings. The show is PG 16. Bookings can be done through Computicket and Shoprite Checkers stores.