A sumptuous 'Christmas Comedy Cook-up'

Marcia Rowe, Gleaner Writer

Lots of jokes were served. Some were unpalatable but most were mouth-wateringly delicious.

There were about seven jokers in the pack. It was the third staging of the Ity and Fancy Cat Show Live, organised by Christmas Comedy Cook-up, held at the Wyndham Kingston hotel, on Sunday.

The first of the double-billed Boxing Day shows actually got off with a broth-like act. Shady Squad, dressed in green, maybe to represent the scallions, often seen floating on the top of a broth, pranced and dived across the stage, with one or two taking time out to view their handy work from the house. And after they were satisfied with their choreography, the dancers made their exit.

This was followed by what turned out to be the format for the almost two-hour long show, a faceless voice announcing the acts - the continuous sinking of peas to the bottom of the pot. "The rising star in stand-up comedy genre ... get ready to laugh ... Leighton Smith," cold water, poured into the cook-up.

Smith entered. He wore a straight face. It was a decoy. From his opening gag to his last the comedy was sumptuous and fit for the entire family. Forget that he began his servings with the familiar light-bulb saga, albeit with more creativity. His satire on the "protesters", a touch on the "overnight salad", the intake of fast food as the antidote to crime, the primary school teachers' seemingly uncaring attitude to their students, and most laughable of all the naming of a child, were hilarious. With all the complicated names around, he planned on giving his child a simple name - 'U'.

Hard act to follow

Coming on the heels of Smith was Dr Michael Abraham. "It will be a hard act to follow," a member of the audience twittered. But the doctor was on par. He began with his trademark chanting of the year in review. His dish contained more of the familiar ingredients served on a different coloured platter. And he was the first to begin the satire on gays, but not before clearing his views on how he felt about them.

Abrahams was subsequently followed by two international stand-up comedians, Will Silavans and Trevor Eastman.

Eastman began with a joke about the laughable triangle relationship between Bounty Killer, Bennie Man and D'Angel, that had most of the audience cracking up. "Everything getting on my nerves," the Bajan comic had said earlier, before proceeding to voice those things on his nerves: the bullas (gays), tattoos, the use of telephones and thieves in Barbados.

Haitian-American Silvans was the favourite for Lorna Chambers, a member of the audience. "As a Jamaican I could relate to his work."

And Silvans' 'work' covered a number of subjects. They were, at times, fit for the family and other times too risqué. His first line of satire was on the Jamaican's use of the letter "H". Next, he moved to the Caribbean parents in the United States of America (USA). Homosexuals were not spared from his carving knife either.

His dramatic monologue with the aid of a plastic window glass was just as entertaining.

Chambers also shared the reason for her preference of Silvans over the show's main acts, Ity and Fancy Cat.

"I have watched the episodes so I am familiar with the scenes," she said.

But performing reruns did not stop the laughter each time the comedic duo made their appearance. They made three appearances, 'Ele, Bounty and the Girls, 'It's Gonna Take a Miracle' and their closing act, 'Be Yourself'.

Also appearing on the menu were Miss Jennifer who has made the not-so-new term 'tan deh deh' famous, and the son of the late Jamaican musical icon Alton Ellis, Rozah Roze.

But the otherwise great comedic feast ended somewhat prematurely. That end was worsened by another dose of 'cold water', which came from the announcement that the audience needed to make a quick exit to facilitate preparations for a second show.