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Bongani Ndlovu Showbiz Correspondent
COMEDY enthusiasts are now receiving value for their money when they attend shows if the performances by the comics at the Umahlekisa Comedy Show in Bulawayo on Friday night are anything to go by.

The show, dubbed ‘So you think you can laugh’, lived up to its billing with Babongile Sikhonjwa, Elando Da General, Long John, Keith Nkosi and Zwexy Makina showing their mettle at the Hope Centre.

The move to shift Umahlekisa Comedy nights from bars and pubs seems to have paid off as they get a paying audience that comes solely to watch comedy. Comics have also improved their sets.

Gone are the days when most of the content was filled with stories about sexual intercourse laced with crude language.

Most comics are now touching topical issues that affect the day to day lives of people hence resonating with the crowd.

Umahlekisa director, Ntando Van Moyo, who was also the MC on the night, said the more the comedians perform, the better they get.

“The platform is growing slowly and we’re happy that it’s doing so. The economy isn’t that good and we’re glad that there’re people ready to invest their money to come and watch comedy,” said Van Moyo.

He called on more corporates to support the local arts industry especially comedy as it was fast growing.

“I encourage companies to come on board and partner or even sponsor one of our shows. Comedy is fast growing in the city and people are now interested in the genre,” said Van Moyo

During the show, Babongile Sikhonjwa was at his best with jokes that would make one cringe while at the same time laughing. He poked fun at the list of prostitutes that circulated on social media last month, which he featured on.

He entered the stage as the last act of the night wearing a jacket and a t-shirt that was printed, “Ma** anetsa muByo in front”. At the back it was printed “Yithi amaw*** ang’khona”.

The crowd caught on and laughed when he took off his jacket while preparing a cup of tea as he marketed Bakers Inn which has partnered comedians.

Long John was a revelation with a much improved performance and it seems he has picked up some pointers on how to be the best on stage during his stints in South Africa. His delivery of jokes was vastly improved than his previous performances.

Keith Nkosi, who calls himself an intelligent comedian, had the crowd in the palm of his hand with a new set of jokes.

Those who had attended the Live and Fluid launch on Thursday evening at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo where he performed, expected him to repeat his joke but he decided to switch it up and it worked.

Zwexy Makina was up next and his set was centred on his experiences with people from the Shona and Ndebele tribes.

These types of jokes always hit a nerve and get people laughing.

Elando the General, who is known for being drunk on stage, was this time sober and that affected his set positively as he kept to his script and got the crowd laughing.

Overall, it was a night well spent out.