American comedian Deon Cole might be out of the three-day Laugh Africa Comedy Festival, but the Roast of Helen Zille will proceed uninterrupted in Johannesburg on Friday night.
It will feature comedians Tumi Morake and Trevor Gumbi as the “co-roastmasters”. The panel of prolific names set to roast Zille are Loyiso Gola, Bongani Bingwa, Rian van Heerden, Zwai Bala, JJ Tabane, Mel Viljoen, Coconut Kelz (appearing virtually), Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, Londie London and Patricia de Lille.
Morake teases Sowetan on what to expect:
Sowetan: How is it like to make a comeback as the roastmaster ( after the Roast of Minnie Dlamini last year?)
Morake: It’s the most frightening and exciting feeling. It’s similar to picking the scariest ride at Gold Reef City, where you say to yourself: “I know I’m going to like this, but I’ll be praying for my life throughout the ride.”
Trevor is like a ticking time bomb of comedy. He’s both hilarious and dangerous, he’s not afraid to go there. At times, I’d have to tell him: “Trevor, you can’t go there, come back.” We make such a wonderful pair because we complement each other.
How is the chemistry in rehearsal?
I’ve known Trevor for a while. We’ve both walked this comedy journey for a long time and seen our various changes throughout the years. The chemistry is there because we’re truly good friends, and I can almost tell where he’s going and he can tell where I’m headed, which will be a yummy thing to watch.
Comedy is a dance; we all need to be on the same page and rhythm, hence I’m looking forward to this wild jive with Trevor.
What can we expect from Helen Zille?
I’m so glad I got to host her launch [a few weeks ago] and I met her for the first time. My initial reaction was, “This firecracker.” The thing about roasts is that you have to prepare people’s hearts so that they know what’s coming, but just being in her presence, I realised that she’s taken it in parliament, she’s taken it in her career, surely she can take it on that stage.
She was also roasting the audience that was asking questions at the launch, which made me see that Helen arrived prepared. She made me think that if she’s this spicy at her launch, I’m scared what she’s going to do on Friday night. It also frees me because it looks like she can take as much as she can give – so, there’s no need to hold back or be worried about feelings because she’s just there to have a good vibe.
Is the panel going to bring it?
I’m looking forward to the surprises that the panel will bring. Some people are soft targets, those you’ve told yourself that, “I can’t wait to roast this one”. I’m also looking forward to Loyiso Gola because of his take on life and his knowledge on politics. It’s going to be epic [laughs].
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