Joey Rasdien debuts fresh material

All that work, preparation and marketing for just a couple of hours – it seems unbalanced.

“It is a lot of work,” says Rasdien, “but there are some practical things to think about.

“That’s the only time I could get the theatre – it’s booked out all the time – and also, with my previous shows, I did a run around the country. Hopefully, if this one is as successful as those were, I’ll take it on tour. Also, it’s a great space for recording and I’m going to be recording a DVD there, so anyone that comes will be part of that. And it looks great – not like part of a casino.”

There was recently a collaborative show at the same venue called Divine, during which several prominent South African comedians discussed religion and associated themes. The title of Rasdien’s production suggests a slant in that direction as well. Are these topics on some sort of cycle?

“The Here After doesn’t look specifically at religion, but more at cause and effect,” says Rasdien.

“If you come from a good place in your heart, you can come across as irreverent, but actually that’s the key to getting people to listen. Then you need to have the ability to make something serious light-hearted. We have an opportunity to change someone’s perception about certain things and that’s a responsibility.”

It’s a responsibility comedians sometimes have to take publicly, as members of the public approach them outside of the performance space.

“You see things as you are,” says Rasdien.

ENERGY. Joey Rasdien combines sharp insight with an approachable demeanour. Picture: Supplied.

“If you take offence at something, you must first look in the mirror and ask yourself: ‘Why?’ We just offer a point of reference. Let’s say you have a snake: some people will take out a flute and make it dance, others will worship it, others will make shoes out of it and others will try to make it a pet. The snake is a constant – where you come from changes the way you react to it and you might laugh at someone else’s response if it’s different to your own. It’s the same with jokes.”

With only one performance to make the most of, is Rasdien able to make the most of the specific audience that arrives on the night?

“The show is not written on the night. It’s more about concepts you want to speak about,” he says.

“So you’ll have all of those concepts to get through, and that will be between 45 minutes and an hour that you’ll be talking. The rest depends on the type of audience – if there’s a certain type of person in the front row who you want to chat with before you go back to the plan and so on.”

Rasdien’s a cheerful sort in person. “When I’m with my family, I can get angsty,” he says.

“You can’t even go to Wimpy without having someone coming up and saying, ‘Tell me a joke! You’re the funny guy!’ And angst is all around us in society now. To make fun of sadness gets the easiest laugh. If you make fun

of something profound, it’s more difficult.

“For me, I do what I do because I want to do it. Everything else is a bonus. I’m not going to wonder if a particular person is going to laugh at something. I’m giving you some information and my opinion with regards to that information. That’s all.”