CAPE Town funnymen David Isaacs and Oscar Petersen are in East London for their latest production, Joe Barber VI Life.
The production is currently running at the Guild Theatre celebrating a milestone of its own.
The show started 15 years ago as Joe Barber and had three sequels, Joe Barber and Boeta Gamat Too, Joe Barber 3: The Family Affair and Joe Barber 4 The People.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch ahead of their first show yesterday, Isaacs said the concept behind Joe Barber VI Life came from a conversation they had about leadership.
“We started talking about leadership about two years ago, then we started building up on that to have this show,” he said. The two said they had noticed a different angle of appreciation from their Eastern Cape audience.
“People here appreciate it more. I also think it is because we did not come here as often and now the appreciation factor is different from other provinces,” said Petersen.
He added that there was always a buzz around the show when they visited a particular area.
Petersen said at some point they had considered bringing the show to an end.
“We felt we had peaked and the only way to go was down, but our show has kept on growing.”
Isaacs said they had also seen a growing trend of cross cultural mix at their shows.
“We have noticed a much bigger mix of people from all over. We get staunch Afrikaans people coming to watch the show,” he said.
Petersen said it was their dream to cut across cultures.
“The dream of our brand is coming true. In our hearts, when we do shows, we are not prejudiced. People used to brand us as a ‘coloured’ show but we believe it’s just a show.
“And now it’s coming true. People are looking at it as just a show,” he said.
Isaacs said on the show they spoke of their life experiences.
“Just by us coming from a coloured area sort of gave that coloured show ownership but we feel this is everybody’s show, not just coloured people,” he said.
He also said their current show was different from their previous ones.
“It is a narrative show. There’s a story from the beginning to the end. We have taken a simple story about power and people in positions of power,” Isaacs said, adding that they broke the power struggle down to a simple basic human level.
The production has also partnered with a local group of people who are fundraising to help Roger Foster, who has locked-in-syndrome. Isaacs said they were contacted by the theatre a few weeks ago about the initiative and they decided to support it as well.
lThe Daily Dispatch in partnership with the Guild Theatre is giving away two double tickets for tonight’s show. To win, tell us how many years the production has been going. Call 043-702-2260 between 10am and 11am today to win. Tickets for the show cost R100 and are available at the Guild Theatre. — poliswap@dispatch.co.za
Comedy crosses cultural divide
The production is currently running at the Guild Theatre celebrating a milestone of its own.
The show started 15 years ago as Joe Barber and had three sequels, Joe Barber and Boeta Gamat Too, Joe Barber 3: The Family Affair and Joe Barber 4 The People.
Speaking to the Daily Dispatch ahead of their first show yesterday, Isaacs said the concept behind Joe Barber VI Life came from a conversation they had about leadership.
“We started talking about leadership about two years ago, then we started building up on that to have this show,” he said. The two said they had noticed a different angle of appreciation from their Eastern Cape audience.
“People here appreciate it more. I also think it is because we did not come here as often and now the appreciation factor is different from other provinces,” said Petersen.
He added that there was always a buzz around the show when they visited a particular area.
Petersen said at some point they had considered bringing the show to an end.
“We felt we had peaked and the only way to go was down, but our show has kept on growing.”
Isaacs said they had also seen a growing trend of cross cultural mix at their shows.
“We have noticed a much bigger mix of people from all over. We get staunch Afrikaans people coming to watch the show,” he said.
Petersen said it was their dream to cut across cultures.
“The dream of our brand is coming true. In our hearts, when we do shows, we are not prejudiced. People used to brand us as a ‘coloured’ show but we believe it’s just a show.
“And now it’s coming true. People are looking at it as just a show,” he said.
Isaacs said on the show they spoke of their life experiences.
“Just by us coming from a coloured area sort of gave that coloured show ownership but we feel this is everybody’s show, not just coloured people,” he said.
He also said their current show was different from their previous ones.
“It is a narrative show. There’s a story from the beginning to the end. We have taken a simple story about power and people in positions of power,” Isaacs said, adding that they broke the power struggle down to a simple basic human level.
The production has also partnered with a local group of people who are fundraising to help Roger Foster, who has locked-in-syndrome. Isaacs said they were contacted by the theatre a few weeks ago about the initiative and they decided to support it as well.
lThe Daily Dispatch in partnership with the Guild Theatre is giving away two double tickets for tonight’s show. To win, tell us how many years the production has been going. Call 043-702-2260 between 10am and 11am today to win. Tickets for the show cost R100 and are available at the Guild Theatre. — poliswap@dispatch.co.za
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