Toti funny man to host comedy fest

On Fire Comedy, in association with Mozambik Restaurant, proudly presents the inaugural Durban Summer Comedy Festival, which will feature among its acts a former Toti comic.

For the first time this Summer, nine of the funniest and most successful comedians to ever come out of Durban will take the stage for a comedy feast unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.

For two nights only, the historic 500-seater Durban Jewish Club on North Beach will host action-packed, hilarious stand-up featuring: John Vlismas, Dusty Rich, Darren Maule, Carvin Goldstone, Neville Pillay, Justice Khubeka, Robby Collins, Jem Atkins and Neil Green.

It’s a ‘proudly Durban’ line-up guaranteed to have you rolling in your seats. The host for the evening is Toti’s own funny man, Dusty Rich.

He’s had his own half-hour special on TV’s Comedy Central, he’s toured the country opening for Trevor Noah over the last three years, and he features on Noah’s DVD ‘Nation Wild’.

After leaving his hometown Amanzimtoti for Gauteng in 2013, Dusty Rich has become a comedy force to be reckoned with. Incorrigible, sharp-witted, fearless and down-right hilarious, the man is a master of crowd interaction and literally oozes ‘funny’.

“Joburg has been treating me like a new girlfriend, doing all the right things to keep me interested in her,” said Dusty. “She’s fast paced, dirty and sexy. She also pays really well. OK hold on – this metaphor is going sideways. Johannesburg is a big city, it’s messy and vibrant and has a lot going on. For a comedy career that’s great, you can perform often and to good audiences, so it’s perfect. However, sometimes that speed and constant rush needs a break and I need a time-out. That’s why I love coming home from time to time.

Toti was everything I needed when growing up – a small town where everyone knows each other and everyone gets involved with whatever is going on at the time, good and bad. It was incredible. I miss the small town vibe and the girls. I’ll be in Toti over Christmas. I’m going to paddle out at main beach, get some chow down in Warners, say ‘what’s up’ to a few friends and enjoy being home for a bit.”

Having just returned from his highly successful Australia and New Zealand one-man comedy show tour ‘Only in Africa!’, Carvin Goldstone cements his position as one of SA’s most successful comedians as he follows in the footsteps of Trevor Noah.

His hilarious, family-friendly comedy style and instantly likeable on-stage persona leave people in stitches wherever he goes. He’s also the only other SA comedian besides Trevor Noah to regularly sell out Durban’s 1,200-seater Playhouse Opera Theatre.

An award-winning comedian, John Vlismas is one of SA’s most creative, prolific and well-known international comics. While outspoken and sometimes controversial, Vlismas is a firm favourite on the SA comedy scene and a household name to boot. Some of his successful (and usually sold-out) one-man comedy shows and tours have included POW (2009), Lucky Plebian (2008), the award-winning Gay, and Black and Immortal (2007), Whacked (2001), Grinder (a twohander with Bevan Cullinan, 2001), Aggravated Assault (1999), Man in Black (1998), and Mr Ballistic (1997). He produced and headlined Have a Heart (HAH) in aid of Child Welfare Johannesburg in 2006, while in 2002 he hosted and co-produced the largest ever stand-up comedy event seen in SA, Laugh Out Loud, which played to 7,000 people. John also produced the South African leg of Henry Rollin’s world tours in 2007, 2008 and 2010.

There will be loads of sponsored prizes and giveaways on the night, as well as a Gunslinger raffle to raise funds for the LIV foundation.

The shows are on Tuesday, 22 December and Wednesday, 23 December at 8.30pm at the Durban Jewish Club, 44 KE Masinga Road at a cost of R150 per person. A cash bar and snacks will be available. Tickets are available at Computicket or call 086-191-58000.

To stay connected: Twitter: @onfirecomedy; Facebook: onfirecomedy; www.onfirecomedy.co.za; email: onfirecomedy@gmail.com or call 074-188-7090.