My Other Passion - Comedy

From the Front Seat – Popular But Broke

He sprouted from beneath the stage with his right hand raised and his index finger pointing to the skies as if to say: Gye Nyame! “Only God” can stop us now. Slowly the smoke on the stage faded away, exposing the frame of the man some had paid to see (others got free tickets). From the noticeable forehead exposed by his clean haircut to the charcoal colored short-sleeved Kaftan that tightly hugged his arms. From the Nike sneakers to the huge white towel, similar to the one Edouard Mendy uses at Chelsea Football Club. It was obvious we were in for a treat. ?His name echoed in the hall as it was shouted out in an appellation that heralded his welcome on stage. The screams from the crowd were deafening. Young and old, everyone in the audience was on their feet. Some bowed. Others clapped. From the corner of my right eye, I saw the legends applauding, the way” big men” do - gently and accompanied by nods of appreciation. KSM was in the house and so was Fritz Baffour. Face masks on, yet we could all see the excitement in everyone’s eyes. The atmosphere was electric. At this point the heat in the not so well-ventilated auditorium was no longer felt. The expectation was massive.

First came the disclaimer. The warning to the sensitive ones in the audience. “No one will be spared” he said. The crowd screamed in agreement, urging him on.

#OBAmponsah ! #PopularButBroke ! there will be no other entertainment event to top this one. Not this decade.

True to the warning, the content was edgy. Perhaps, to no one’s surprise, our politicians had provided material in recent times that was pure unadulterated comedy. Kan Dapaah’s antics with a slay queen is priceless. OB gave this scandal a twist that I believe will have the Hon National Security Minister in stitches; if he has any sense of humor. President Nana Addo was not spared either. To be fair, OB said he did not believe the President has a side chic. The joke was more about how such an amorous relationship will play out if there was one. ?OB proved one thing on the night; he is well read. His presentation on how cabinet decided on the introduction of the E-Levy was deep.

The night was not all about political jokes. OB walked his audience on a very thin line between comedy and political correctness. He successfully led us to find humor in suicide bombing, soul winning by Jehovah’s Witnesses, LGBTQI+, Islam and terrorism. At a point I found myself holding on to my seat, afraid that he might just cross the proverbial line. In the entertainment world today, one misplaced joke could kill a good career. So crafty was this artist / scientist that he performed the jokes with surgical precision. Each punchline was superbly placed and as they landed, the audience cheered in approval.

Skido!

Hmmmm! Skido! We all need a Skido in our lives. Skido is a friend of OB’s. He missed one of his shows and called to explained why. The long winding and detailed explanation elicited huge laughs from the audience. Creatively, OB incorporate a call from Skido into his act live on stage. A risky move by all standards. What is the networks had failed as they usually do? The interaction proved that it wasn’t a pre-recorded message. If it was, it never showed. ?This move required a lot of tact and experience to execute. OB killed it, simple!

?Other Acts

Other acts on the night included OB’s long-time friend Lekzy. The short man who sold out the SNAPS Cinema a few weeks earlier was one of the highlights of the night. His skit, which compares how entertainments awards are received by Hollywood stars to how Ghanaians do it, had the auditorium on its feet. Piloted at his special, Too Cute To Be Mute, the delivery on the National Theatre stage was flawless. Master of impressions and great observational skills Lekzy, with his skit added variety to the night.

Perhaps, the “new” Comic who announced his talent on the night was Ranzy the Ashaiman Boy; A.K.A. Breadooo! Ranzy was confident. His story about how his father came to accept his comedy career is one many artistes and comics in Ghana can relate to. He found one of the secrets to good comedy. That is, make the joke relatable; and he did.

Earlier in the night we were entertained by Jerry Ashinyo, PJay, Teekay, James Brown and the Legendary Fritz Baffour who took us back in time. Fritz’s performance gave me funny ideas that perhaps some of us can launch a successful comedy carrier when we are done with our 9 to 5.

As a longtime patron of the art of comedy, the Comic to watch out for is Oh-Joo! His appreciation of the art is unparalleled. He did not tell jokes. He told a story. A story that showed the extent to which a young man will go to impress a new girl. Occasionally, the story became self-deprecating. There is no better humor than one which laughs at one’s own self. Oh-Joo’s talent is one we should all pay attention to as it grows right before us.

The stars need to align in one’s favor to pull off an evening such as this. On the 11th of December 2021, at the National Theatre, they did just that. Align for OB and for the 1,500 patrons who witnessed it. I am glad I witnessed it. From the Front Seat – #PopularButBroke

Well done guys! Next Stop is Tarkwa #THEHAHAHASHOW. See you there!

Call me RAY??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????