By Takudzwa Chihambakwe and Tinashe Kusema
A homecoming worthy of the name! That best describes Alfred Kainga’s Comedy Homecoming Tour 2017 — a show that will be remembered for its cringe-worthy moments and the comedy gold that was on offer.
Reps Theatre was packed to the rafters.
Sadly scores of people had to be turned away as the show was sold-out.
All the night’s four acts — headliner Kainga, host Nqobizitha Q Dube, Learnmore “Long John” Mwanyenyeka and new kid on the block Tinaye — worked well as a collective, albeit at varied success levels.
Dube or Q as he is known in showbiz was the perfect host, hardly putting a foot wrong all night. His humour had a nostalgic feel to it and was the perfect tonic to bridge the gap between the young and older audience in-between acts.
First up was young Tinaye and he came out guns blazing. The University of Zimbabwe student got the whole auditorium in stitches from the start to the end of his set.
His only weakness was his lack of stage presence — the youngster spent way too much time pacing up and down the stage and laughing at his own jokes.
Fortunately, the host, Q, managed to sustain the momentum.
He showed his maturity in the game as he made the entire room burst into endless laughter.
The only rickety performance on the night was from Long John. The South Africa-based Zimbabwean comedian had his moments of brilliance but he could not consistently keep the audience perched at the edges of their seats in anticipation.
Physical comedy is his biggest weakness as the facial expressions and body movements take way too much attention from the content.
As far as Kainga is concerned, he is the real deal and Carl Joshua Ncube better be careful as his throne as the King of Zimbabwe comedy is in serious jeopardy.
The biggest talking point prior to Kainga’s performance was whether or not his act would be relevant to Zimbabwe.
After all, 16 years is a very long time to be away from the motherland.
Kudos to Kainga for acknowledging this and totally flipping the script on us naysayers who came yielding blades underneath our garments, ready to pounce on any misstep.
Kainga’s act was pure, funny and refreshing — with his gag about potholes (a visit to Mbare to see his granny) being one of the highlights of the night.
The audience was the biggest let down of the night, though.
A huge number refused or simply forgot to give the guy a standing ovation after one of, if not the best comedy acts in the country ever. The Sunday Mail
