The Real Review

Certain unique, comedic talents, you either get or you don’t. The legendary Goon Show is a case in point. Though seldom appealing to duller souls, they would have both ordinary and exceptionally intelligent people either rolling in the aisles or shaking their heads from boredom. The Most Amazing Show (TMAS) with its two homegrown goons, Corne and Twakkie, is another such instance; though thanks to copious, gratuitous buffoonery, it’s less restricted in its appeal to the dimmer wits. Unlike the Goons, with their remarkably clever use of language and their ability to exploit the medium of radio in truly groundbreaking ways, the appeal of TMAS is not as easily explained. They also use eccentric voices and peculiar mannerisms of speech, which until you have had time to tune in, make much of the dialogue and semantic jests utterly unintelligible. The humour is often puerile, but to some extent, so are belly laughs by nature. It’s a clown act, and as such, audiences should go prepared to participate in the game. Well aware of these two performers’ abilities, their subversive use of satire – targeting Jacob Zuma and Manto Tshabalala-Msimang this time – falls short of expectation, dissolving rapidly into little more than screwball antics. One sketch almost redeems the evening; this is when Corne (Louw Venter), and especially Twakkie (Rob van Vuuren), clamber over audience members in the auditorium, hugging and kissing and expressing their love. This is the direct opposite of the comedy of many of our popular comedians, notably slapstick Leon Schuster, who flourish on the comedy of pain and humiliation. For this, we love them. For the rest, many of us wag our heads bemusedly.

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