Comedian Riaad Moosa is bringing his brand-new one- man show, Life Begins, to East London this Saturday.
The medical doctor-turned-comedian is on a national tour with his show. He has already done 45 shows in three cities.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch yesterday, Moosa said he was looking forward to coming to East London.
“The show has been going well and people have been enjoying it.
“I can’t wait to see an East London crowd. I’ve only been in the city a few times and the audience is always amazing,” he said.
Moosa first burst onto the comedy circuit in the late 90s and has not looked back. He is producing the world’s first funny medical educational show, #DOC, in which he uses humour to communicate important and practical health promotional information.
Apart from stand-up comedy, Moosa starred in Anant Singh’s Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated movie, Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom.
He has also been featured in the South African movie Material, for which he won a South African Film and Television Award for best actor.
Other achievements include the comic choice award at the 2011 annual South African Comic Choice Awards.
Moosa is turning 40 this year and he said the show was a reflection of his life and what has been happening in the country.
“Even though I am turning 40 this year, in many ways I feel like I’m still crawling.
“I’m looking back at my journey from being an aspirational doctor, coming from a relatively conservative Muslim background where both my parents were doctors, and how I actually journeyed to becoming a stand-up comedian,” he said.
Over the years, Moosa said, he has realised that he needed therapy – and that was also the inspiration for the show.
“Usually people pay a therapist and they talk to them.
“I thought I’d approach this differently, I will have people coming to pay me to talk. I hope in the process this will help me heal,” he joked.
On a more serious note he added:
“The show is very philosophical and existential.
“It’s about how I negotiate all these things happening around me while trying to maintain a positive attitude.
“Through my comedic lens I hope to put a different spin on it and hopefully I can enter my next 40 years with renewed vigour,” he said.
lTickets cost R150 and are available through Computicket or the Guild Theatre. The show starts at 8pm. —poliswap@dispatch.co.za
Moosa set to tickle funny bones
The medical doctor-turned-comedian is on a national tour with his show. He has already done 45 shows in three cities.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch yesterday, Moosa said he was looking forward to coming to East London.
“The show has been going well and people have been enjoying it.
“I can’t wait to see an East London crowd. I’ve only been in the city a few times and the audience is always amazing,” he said.
Moosa first burst onto the comedy circuit in the late 90s and has not looked back. He is producing the world’s first funny medical educational show, #DOC, in which he uses humour to communicate important and practical health promotional information.
Apart from stand-up comedy, Moosa starred in Anant Singh’s Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated movie, Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom.
He has also been featured in the South African movie Material, for which he won a South African Film and Television Award for best actor.
Other achievements include the comic choice award at the 2011 annual South African Comic Choice Awards.
Moosa is turning 40 this year and he said the show was a reflection of his life and what has been happening in the country.
“Even though I am turning 40 this year, in many ways I feel like I’m still crawling.
“I’m looking back at my journey from being an aspirational doctor, coming from a relatively conservative Muslim background where both my parents were doctors, and how I actually journeyed to becoming a stand-up comedian,” he said.
Over the years, Moosa said, he has realised that he needed therapy – and that was also the inspiration for the show.
“Usually people pay a therapist and they talk to them.
“I thought I’d approach this differently, I will have people coming to pay me to talk. I hope in the process this will help me heal,” he joked.
On a more serious note he added:
“The show is very philosophical and existential.
“It’s about how I negotiate all these things happening around me while trying to maintain a positive attitude.
“Through my comedic lens I hope to put a different spin on it and hopefully I can enter my next 40 years with renewed vigour,” he said.
lTickets cost R150 and are available through Computicket or the Guild Theatre. The show starts at 8pm. —poliswap@dispatch.co.za
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