WIN: Tickets to Aaron McIlroy’s ‘Comedy Masterclass’

STAND by for a fresh new laugh-a-line theatre experience from South Africa’s Master of Mirth. Set to premiere at UKZN’s Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre from Thursday, 19 May to Sunday, 5 June, Comedy Masterclass is the latest offering from Aaron McIlroy, the artist that brought you Abbamaniacs, The Loser, and most recently The Ranga.

Join McIlroy as he delves into the science that underpins the world’s oldest coping mechanism, a sense of humour. Co-written by McIlroy and Patrick Kenny, and directed by Kenny, Comedy Masterclass is a surreal, comedic roller-coaster ride into the world of laughter, where the rules are subjective and what one person finds funny another may cringe at.

Answering the question, why do we find things funny? McIlroy said: “Something is funny because it captures a moment, it contains an element of truth as seen from a new angle, it is something that we have always known and yet are hearing it out loud for the first time. I think that our need to feel intelligent comes into play a lot in finding things funny.”

“Maybe humour is actually the overwhelming joy at feeling intelligent” McIlroy added. “Say somebody tries to put on their shoes standing up and falls over. They look like a complete idiot, we feel intelligent because we are not the one falling over… so, we laugh – maybe out of relief that it’s not us – this time. Another person makes a clever comment and only a few people get it. If we get the joke we recognise the person as being clever and feel clever ourselves because we understood the concept so, we laugh, again”.

So is humour partly to do with self-congratulation at being intelligent? “Probably a huge part of it. In any event, as ‘laughter is the best medicine’, come and enjoy your dose. Because, let’s face it, there has never been a time when we needed it more,” he said.

Produced by MacBob Productions, Comedy Masterclass plays from 19 May to 5 June, with performances at 7.30pm Tuesdays to Saturdays and at 6pm on Sundays. Tickets are R120 to R145 (early bird incentive R120 until 30 April). Book through Computicket on 0861 915 8000 or at https://online.computicket.com/web/event/comedy_masterclass/1029244689/0/72398453. For block booking discounts, call Ailsa Windsor on 083 250 2690 or e-mail ailswyn@mweb.co.za.

Stand a chance to win a set of tickets. There are 10 pairs of tickets to be won. To enter our lucky draw, fill in the competition form below!