Punch lines and Panache

Billed to be the biggest comedy night on Kenyan soil, ‘Night of a thousand laughs’ held at Bomas of Kenya last month was truly a hoot. The line-up featured Klint the Drunk and Gordon (Nigeria), Pablo (Uganda), Tshepo Mogale (South Africa) and Kenya’s very own Eric Omondi.

The cavernous auditorium was filled with an equal mix of flashily dressed ladies and gents as well as the Who’s Who in the entertainment and business world. I even spotted the tall, blond-haired CNN Correspondent, David McKenzie.

Host Kaleyke Mumo, radio presenter at Kiss FM, kept the crowd in good spirits as she introduced the comedians on stage. Chris Adwar, The Villagers band and DJ De-lite provided upbeat musical interludes.

Here’s the thing, performing stand-up comedy is tricky even on a good day on home soil. There is a very thin line between cheers and jeers.

A fact that South African comedian Tshepo Mogale came to experience. His delivery was impeded by his low voice and delayed punch lines. At one point someone actually asked him to shut up. The black-clad comedian soldered on, finished his set with his head slightly bowed and thin applause in his wake.

Not so for the rest of the gang. Pablo from Uganda started off slow before kicking his act into high gear. With hilarious skits poking fun at the music industry, he had the crowd doubled over in laughter.

Klint the Drunk, in fitting-fashion, staggered onto the stage with his shirt un-tucked and his words slurring. Yet, he kept the crowd laughing from start to finish. His ‘broda’, fellow Nigerian comedian Gordon delivered a repertoire of scandalously X-rated jokes. They went down well on a Kenyan audience whose indifference towards risqué topics has been steadily thawed by certain morning shows.

The comedian, who drew the most laughs undoubtedly, was Kenyan comedian Eric Omondi. He’s devoted fan base has grown since he first appeared on ‘Churchill Live’, a local comedy show hosted by Daniel ‘Churchill’ Ndambuki. Arriving on a lone white horse, Eric did not horsing around with his set!

The wiry, kinky-haired comedian with a toothy-grin had the crowd clinching their sides in thunderous laughter. The only let down was when the projectors failed to screen one of his skits.

Organized by Nigerian promoter Opa Williams, it truly was a night of a thousand laughs.

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