A shipful of comedy
THERE’S nothing like a bit of South African comedy to tickle your funny bone. So if you’re in the mood for some good old laughter this weekend, then The Dingalings latest production, Full of Ship is a must-see.
It offers loads of comedy, crazy mix-ups, songs from the Eighties as well as some local Afrikaans and Indian tunes.
For those not clued up with the local comedy circuit, this is The Dingalings’ fifth production and continues from the characters that the audiences have come to expect of them.
The adult comedy takes you on a journey down memory lane as the guys go on holiday aboard a cruise ship and that’s where the real fun begins.
Full of Ship features the talents of Koobeshen Naidoo, Pamela Naidoo, Senzo Mthethwa, Henry Ramkissoon, Melvyn David and Ravi Subramoney.
I caught up with Dingalings favourite, Koobeshen Naidoo, to find out more about the production.
“In typical Dingalings fashion, nothing goes according to plan. With Melvyn spending $30 000 and Senzo breaking his hand, the guys go on a madcap spree to save themselves and the ship’s gig. We have Henry playing the drunk, Melvyn the slow learner, Ravi the voice of reason and Senzo as the babe magnet.
“In this production, we have included the very talented Pamela Naidoo as Donna. As a community theatre group, we pledge to provide a platform for new young talent each year and this year in the form of amazingly talented Pamela.
“Our characters have been set in Chops Choons and spano Dops and this is just a continuation of the story of our lives where we divulge the secrets of being married men, complete with trade secrets of how we hoodwink the fairer sex and our two young men (Senzo and Melvyn) provide commentary of the dating trends of the younger set as well.
In terms of his character, Naidoo says he plays the long-suffering husband. He elaborates: “My character is very much the henpecked husband who asserts himself when the guys are together with no wives.
“I tend to also keep the peace in the group. Also, I use my experience with women to help the younger guys. He actually thinks he’s the gigolo, but is actually a bumbling idiot.”
Regarding the target market for the show, Naidoo says it’s an adult comedy show, so it’s for 16 years and older: “It’s for people who have followed us for the last 10 years and those who love escaping the world for about two hours of fun and laughter. It promises to make audiences all warm and fuzzy with familiar stories from their pasts.
“One of the reasons the Dingalings have always been so relevant is that all our audience can identify with all our drama on stage as episodes from their own lives. Also, this production fills an important niche in the Durban market, adult comedy interspersed with excellent music.
“The music is directed by our music director, Ravi, who is pedantic about maintaining a flawless quality. Our comedy gets people to completely relax as we voice what they often want to say but dare not.
So what can audiences expect from Full of Ship? According to Naidoo: “You are going to get nostalgia, crazy comedy and sing- ing beyond anything we have done before, and lots of fun and laughter. Any adult who wants to have tons of fun must join us.”
• Catch Full of Ship on Saturday at Golden Horse Casino at 5pm and 8.30pm, then at Suncoast Casino on August 2-4 and August 28-September 15 at Catalina Theatre.