No, no I’m not a comedian! I decided to test my confidence and go to a comedy show on my own, and to top off the riskiness of this move, the show was titled “Meneer Sex en Mevrou Kopseer” (Mr. Sex and Mrs. Headache).
I saw the poster for this show over a few weeks and considered going to it. Finally on the day of the show I found myself with nothing else to do as my mom and sister were up in Cape Town.
I phone the theatre up to enquire if they still had tickets available, they were sold out – luckily they had a cancellation. I booked my ticket and asked a million questions about the bar and so forth. The person I spoke to while booking my ticket seemed really surprised that I was planning to attend the show alone. That, my dear friends and followers, should have been my first warning.
You are allowed to take your own food in, however you have to buy drinks at the venue.
I got myself some chicken mayo rolls at a local bakery, the first was sadly stale which put me off and they ended going to the car guard on the way home. Enough about food- this post focuses more on the experience!
On arriving and paying for my ticket I got led to my own table which was very nicely prepared – thank you Barkley Street Theatre! When I got there, I felt so welcome I put my stuff down at my table and proceeded to get some wine. Arriving at the bar wanting to order my glass of wine I was informed that the bar is closed during the performance, which I understand but found annoying. So I proceeded to purchase 3 drinks and have them stacked in front of me on my nice little table.
I must say I regret going as early as I did, it was the first time I went to a show at this specific venue. When I phoned to enquire about the ticket they told me that the doors open at 18:45 and the show starts at 20:00. I arrived at 19:15 and the show ended up starting at 20:30 so for more than an hour I had to remain looking entertained and not consume all 3 of my drinks instantly. Looking back, I should just have bought an entire bottle of wine instead of 3 separate drinks.
One man who came past my table, peering at my beverages asked if I was there alone and seemed absolutely shocked at the fact that I was. I remember saying “there’s nothing wrong with it!” a few times throughout the night to different people as well as when telling people I went to see the show alone. In future I would go a bit later not to have to entertain myself for such a long period of time before the actual entertainment begins.
The table behind me had two very nice ladies who asked me to take photos, in doing this I realised that it seems to be a regular crowd that goes to shows at this venue who filled the room. They all had rapport and relationship with each other, greeting each other and enquiring about the families – a real community of show enjoyers. I like the idea of becoming friends with the people who enjoy the same entertainment that you do.
So now to the actual show, the comedian – Timothy Kieswetter. The show – getting out the box you have been put in regarding your sexuality. At first I wanted to get really offended at his attire until he explained the meaning behind it. I think much of the laughter was nervous as the jokes he made seemed to be holding up a reality mirror to each and every person, making you evaluate yourself right there on the spot but also making you think even long after the show.
I personally found some of the jokes a bit crude – but only in the sense that I felt guilty about understanding the joke and even more so about how hard I laughed. At this stage I was very thankful for my own little table.
All in all it was a great, hilarious and introspective show. It touched on problems you didn’t even know you had. I don’t read much, I read my Bible and I skim over the readings for my studies (don’t worry I still get good marks) and even less do I read in Afrikaans. However Timothy Kieswetter not only got me to buy a book, he got me to buy an Afrikaans book, and more than that I am actually slowly but surely reading the book!
Jo’s Take Aways
- Have the Confidence to do the things you want to do
- Go see the show!!!
- Don’t arrive too early for a show
Jo's food experiences 