Noah’s new show ‘captures’ the state of SA
He says the Guptas may be on our stoep, but there are even bigger problems in the house.
Comedian Trevor Noah speaks at a press conference hosted by M-Net at Montecasino in Fourways, 10 August 2017. Noah, who is the host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show and is based in New York, is in South Africa putting on a number of shows in Johannesburg and Durban. Picture: Michel Bega
Even Mr Supa Mega, AKA, is in awe of Trevor Noah, joining droves of South Africans who paid through their teeth to score tickets to his stand-up show, There’s a Gupta on my Stoep, at Joburg’s Ticketpro Dome.
The rap superstar opened for Noah on Wednesday and backstage pictures of the two went viral. Noah has not lost any of his South Africanness and it was the first time he had spoken candidly with the media since taking over the The Daily Show in the US.
“I wanted to come back to SA and perform for as many of my fans as possible,” he said. “The Dome was where I could do that. I was in a place where I had to put together a show. A great show – not just a good show. I want it to look good. I want it to sound good. I don’t want you to come to the venue and not have it be an extravaganza.”
This led to ticket prices some say are exorbitant – from R450 to R1 400.
Noah explained: “For a long time, we’ve had that attitude of tickets are expensive for a South African. Yet, for an international, I don’t see anybody complaining about the price of their tickets when it’s R4 000, R5 000.”
The ticket prices reflect what people will be getting in return and Noah said he would produce the same quality he presents in other countries.
He says he’s stimulating the industry by hiring local companies for the production.
“This is not a show of me, this is a show of us.”
The show is named after Leon Schuster’s film, There’s a Zulu on my Stoep, as Noah believes the title is apt for what South Africans are experiencing, unsure about the extent of state capture and the role of the Gupta family in government.
“But remember,” said Noah, “the Guptas are just on the stoep; there are other things we need to talk about in the house.” – news@citizen.co.za
