By Krista Henry, Staff Reporter
Nadine Rodriquez at the Star Comedy search in May. Rodriquez performed at the International Comedy Fest at the Hilton hotel, New Kingston on Sunday. - Rudolph Brown
The Hilton Hotel, New Kingston exploded with laughter on Sunday night at the International Comedy Fest. Hosted by the comedic duo Ity and Fancy Cat, the event was, without a doubt, a huge success, as patrons literally fell off their chairs laughing.
Ity and Fancy Cat set the pace for the night at the Cashpot and Ellis International-produced event, as they performed a bit of their own comedy. Fancy Cat emerged 'unprepared' for the night, dressed in a merino and brief alone. The crowd went wild as Ity egged on the piece. The first performance was from Dance Xpressions with Orville Hall. They did a cultural number that showcased the evolution of dance from ska upwards after which, the audience was in a festive mood to watch newcomer Nadine Rodriquez.
Rodriquez was discovered by Ity and Fancy Cat through the STAR's Comedy Search competition. She warmed up the crowd doing a look-alike piece, professing her resemblance to dancehall artiste Spice. But as she said, "Don't tell Spice, cause mi hear seh she a gangsta girl."
Tony Matterhorn's song Dutty Wine has dominated the dancehall for months now. However, comedians have made it one of the hottest comedic pieces. Lemon was the first to introduce the funnier aspects of the song. The comedian donned a wig and showed the crowd how it's really done. As Ity proclaimed after the act: "Only in comedy can a man dutty wine and get weh wid it. Inna di dancehall, man mustn't dutty wine."
The night was full of surprises as Orville Hall, choreographer and judge from the local television programme Dancing Dynamites, embarked on a comedy career. The judge put on a convincing Trinidadian accent and explored the often humorous differences between Jamaicans and people from the other Caribbean islands.
Will Sylvince was the first international act to perform. Born in Haiti but raised in the United States, Sylvince was able to manipulate the different accents to add to his acts. He showed that comedy breaks all language barriers. He was the first act that had the audience members drawing for their handkerchiefs and rags to wipe away the tears brought by laughter. He highlighted the violent nature of Caribbean people, recounting the countless beatings from his parents.
Sylvince was a hard act to follow but the well-awaited act, Elva, did not disappoint. Her first task was to enquiry if any newcomers were present, then she said, "Mi glad, cause mu nuh have no new material."
Elva identified with the older women in the crowd explaining the sad parts of ageing. She elaborated on the funny yet unfortunate aspects of one's body sagging.
LAUGH OR CRY
Ity and Fancy Cat could not help but 'make laughter of a misfortune'. The duo re-enacted the recent robbery of Fancy Cat but as Ity said, "When something like that happen to you, you haffi mek joke of it and thank God for life."
Also included in the programme were England's 'Slim' who did a good piece with his humorous bus driver bit and Blakka Ellis who spoke about the comedic side of Jamaica's homophobia. "Nobody wanted to watch Brokeback Mountain, but everybody a dead fi watch the tape," he said in highlighting the irony related to the tapes found at Ambassador Peter King's house after his murder.
Trinidad and Tobago's Rachel Price ended a very memorable night. Price was a delight to watch, using her accent, facial expressions and her own life stories as a base for her act. She, too, had something to say about Fancy Cat's robbery: "In Trinidad they dare not rob me. Jamaica too big, but Trinidad small. Dem don't have nowhere to go, mi bound to find dem."
The International Comedy Fest ended on a high note, with many patrons vowing to return next year.
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