Demand for comedy increases with Kings of Komedy

Up-and-coming local comedians will want to ask themselves why a comedian like Anne Kansiime, who does her skits predominantly in Luganda, would come to command such a large following in Kigali, writes Moses Opobo Day Two, Round Two. That is what today’s MTN Kings of Komedy show at the Kigali Serena Hotel can aptly be called. Day One, of course, was yesterday, at the massive Gikondo Expo Grounds. Even before we seal Day Two with tonight’s Serena showing, we can confidently take to a few conclusions already; this thing has grown bigger and better …this komedy thing is going places – even literally. The first show, on March 29 at Kigali’s Royal Car Wash Gardens was a massively sold out affair. The fact that it was such a huge success came both as a good thing and a bad thing. The good bit of it is that because Kigalians attended in such large numbers, the organizers deemed it only prudent to turn it into a monthly gathering. The success of the first show not only surpassed the organisers’ wildest projections, it caught the corporate world by surprise. Obviously, it made some of them wish they had associated their respective brands with the gig.Enter MTNOne such company, MTN Rwanda took it beyond just wishful thinking, and the result is the now rebranded “MTN Kings of Komedy”. That the biggest telecom dealer in the land could take a “gamble” on this new “baby” already says it all. A few things would have to change owing to the new partnership deal. The name aside, the initial venue, Car Wash had to be ditched in favour of the more spacious Expo Grounds in Gikondo. So jammed had Car Wash been during the first show, that management was forced to push the entrance fee from Rwf5,000 to Rwf7,000 as the most polite way of turning the excess crowds away.According to organisers Glam Investments, the show will be running after every two months, before eventually going monthly. What does this mean, in real terms? It means that we will need a big number of our own home-grown comedians to feed the increasing demand. Nobody will want to watch Anne Kansiime, Patrick Idringi and Eric Omondi at the end of every month. Up-and-coming local comedians will want to ask themselves why Anne Kansiime, who does her skits predominantly in Luganda, would come to command such a large following in Kigali. Of course, YouTube must have played a huge role, seeing as everyone who makes a comment about Kansiime usually follows it with tales of how they always watch her clips on the Tube. Kansiime is at her best when playing a spoilt, tantrum-throwing rich man’s little girl. Her high pitched voice sometimes reminds you of Celine Dion’s music, or the buzz of a mosquito that is on the verge of landing on its victim. We like her for that. Eric Omondi carried Kenya’s flag single handedly in March, but at the Gikondo show last night, he came with his kid brother, Fred Omondi in tow. We only hope that the next time he comes to town, Omondi brings along his kid sister this time, if only to give Anne Kansiime some company, seeing as she is the sole comedienne in a sea of bulls. That way, maybe we can begin to call it the Kings and Queens of Komedy. We can’t say Kings and Queen of Komedy, can we? Omondi’s brother is not the only new face. Eric Muhangi and Naboth Fisher also joined the tour from Uganda, while our very own Arthur Nkusi joined Ronnie Nsengiyumva to up Rwanda’s representation. As things go now, the biggest names seem to be Anne Kansiime, Patrick Idringi and Eric Omondi.We wait to see how much (and fast) they can learn from the big three, so that in future, we can have our own comedy acts staging shows of this caliber. It would be better to know that the big comedians flying in are doing so as guests, not main acts.Etiquette for watching comedyStand-up comedy is not a laughing matter after all. Yes, it is one of the toughest gigs to pull off in entertainment. A comedian stands before a room full of strangers from all walks of life, and must get at least two-thirds of that crowd to laugh. It is very easy for some fool to ruin the show, even unintentionally.Unlike night clubs and discotheques, a comedy show needs to keep a high degree of order for it to be enjoyable. I would say Stand-up comedy is theatre without a fourth wall. The rules and expectations on how patrons should conduct themselves are the same… The first and most basic rule comes in the form of a question; why do you not switch that phone off, or set it to vibrate? Never take a phone call during the show. If it can’t wait, find a place away from the show to take the call.Keep conversation quiet and to the bare minimum, preferably under thirty seconds. Let other people hear the show, your friends will still be there to talk to when the show is over.Also, don’t be the one that incessantly asks about this and that from total strangers. No one came to the show to know all the comedians’ names for you.Public displays of affectionKeep it tasteful and within limits: a comedy show is not the place for messy make-outs.

Insight

Demand for comedy increases with Kings of Komedy