Valencia Govindasamy
“I TELL stories; I don’t have jokes. You can forget a joke but a story always stays with you for a long time,” says South African comic, Skhumba Hlophe as we chat about his first one-man comedy show.
The funny guy has been touring his show across the country including Johannesburg and his next stop is Durban, East London and Witbank.
So what does your show entail? “It’s mostly about my life, and about me… being on stage for an hour and a half sharing my experience for the past nine years in this industry. And I get my material from daily events such as watching TV, from looking at people and seeing how they behave, reading newspapers or doing an interview on the phone like now,” he chuckles.
He tells me he first caught the comedy bug during his school days: “It began when I was in Tembisa (my hometown). You know when everyone is looking forward to coming back to school after the holiday, just to hear the cool stories… I was that guy and I was always sharing stories with everyone. And from there, it grew in me. I was that guy.”
Shedding light on his first solo show, Hlophe says the response for ticket sales has been great. “The Gold Reef shows are sold out. And I am excited to do my first show… not nervous… I’m shocked at the love people are showing me all over the country. I came from nowhere and it’s exciting to know these tickets are selling out. It also allows me to focus more on delivering a good show.”
Comedy is something that he has a natural inclination for: “It’s a skill, the more I am on stage, the better I become. The nine years that I’ve been on stage, I’ve shared the line-up with other comedians and this time, it’s just me, alone on stage.”
What can Durban audiences expect from the show? “Expect what they will not get in other shows which is real funniness, not just jokes, but a good story. I am looking forward to my Durban show. I hope people in Durban are as ready as I am,” he adds.
Catch Skhumba Hlophe’s one-man show at the Playhouse Theatre on November 20-21. Tickets are R135 – R165 at Computicket.