LIFE. Directed by Tara Notcutt with Rob van Vuuren.
Karen Rutter
When Rob van Vuuren gets riffing, the joint starts hopping. Things go a little loco. People are on edge. But, like when watching illegal cage fighting, they’re also having fun. As long as they’re not getting the bitch slaps, that is.
Van Vuuren’s latest show, Life, is a unique and sometimes trippy take on a number of things that the comedian has noted over the past few years – the layout of the Home Affairs toilets being one, the makeup of motivational speakers being another. But before he gets to these whimsical musings, he warms up by getting to know his audience. Which means, logically, that each night of his run begins differently, audiences being the random clusters they are. It also means that Van Vuuren gets to box clever using his formidable wit as a weapon – and that’s where the fear, mixed with good cheer, kicks in.
Things that make you go hmm …
It’s impossible to ignore Van Vuuren when he asks where you’re from, or what you do – and that’s when he starts improvising on a theme. Suffice to say that the night we were there, a posse of possible UN delegates got taken down, the hipster in the front row was roasted, and even my nephew in the back was called a Satanist. All fun and games, until an unfortunate audience member forgot to switch his cellphone off and it rang. Then things got interesting …
But the warm-up routine aside, Van Vuuren’s 60-minute foray into the stuff that makes him worry, or he simply finds amusing or confusing, is a masterful blend of stand-up comedy, physical theatre and even poignant drama, at times. Notcutt’s direction keeps things on a swiftly-flowing path, while Van Vuuren’s own mastery of timing and dynamics ensure an engagingly nuanced delivery.
There are moments that are exceptionally outrageous – I won’t forget the line about blind children in a hurry – that startle one into nervous belly laughs. And there are parts that are so sharp you have to mentally rewind to make sure you heard or saw correctly. Did he just refer to Afrika Burn? Was that a disabled man he just pranked? It all pulls together, though, in a high-energy whirlwind of humour.
In all, Life offers an hour-long in-your-face delivery that muses on the kind of things we can all relate to (including tardy kids and irritating emojis) plus a few more we didn’t think were allowed to be laughed at, but are actually fecking hilarious.
Catch it while you can.
Where and when: Kalk Bay Theatre from January 17 – 28
Book: Kalk Bay Theatre
WS
