Theatre Opinion South Africa

Nik Rabinowitz is dry but you can laugh though

Stand-up comedian Nik Rabinowitz is known for his clever wit and fast-paced routines. And so it was when we went to watch his latest show, Dry White currently showing at the Baxter until 12 January.
Nik Rabinowitz is dry but you can laugh though

As the show started (promptly at 9pm), we were joined on stage by up-and-coming comedian Lindy Johnson, who performed as the opening act. I thoroughly enjoyed her routine. She was a breath of fresh air, authentic and, most importantly, vrek funny! I would pay good money to go watch her own show, for sure.

Then it was time for the main course. As we settled in our seats, we were excited to see Rabinowitz live. I've seen him live once before, a long time ago, of which I can barely remember the details. The DVDs and reruns of shows he's done that we've seen on TV from time to time - my husband and I also recently enjoyed his antics on the SABC 3 show, Tyres and Braaiers - kept him fresh in our minds.

No holds barred

He started off by telling us that he initially intended to talk about the Cape Town drought and water crisis, thus the name of the show, Dry White, but unfortunately for him mother nature has now literally rained on his parade, forcing him to take on other relevant topics and happenings in our country.

Jokes aside, Rabinowitz actually did his part earlier this year by partnering with Flow (For Love of Water) to help spread the word to those who visit the Mother City, advising them on how to help save water. Check the hilarious video below.

I've always felt that Rabinowitz has a no holds barred approach and I have sort of come to expect those cringe-worthy moments where he generally hits a nerve with the audience taking on some or other risqué topic. He did this early on in the show when he spoke about transphobia and the LGBTQ+ community, prompting the people sitting next to me to passionately voice their discontent, correcting him on the proper PC terminology for certain words.

I have to admit I was a bit nervous to crack a smile the rest of the night as to not offend the people sitting next to me (they got pretty serious, okay!) but soon enough I found myself snickering and easing up back in my seat again. I particularly enjoyed Rabinowitz talking about his wife and children, sharing snippets from their daily lives. I found it absolutely fascinating and could relate to many of the husband and wife scenarios as he spoke about love, marriage, fatherhood, and even infidelity.

Intelligent, edgy and topical

The rest of the evening saw him talk about on-trend topics such as staying woke post forty and when the land should be given back. Probably due to experience, he knows how to read the room and how to control his audience.

I noticed that when it gets too tense, he pulls back a little, switch direction and then when you least expect it, gives you that shock-factor jolt and I'm right back on the edge of my seat, side-eyeing the people sitting next to me.

Overall, I enjoyed looking at all these political matters and everyday life scenarios through Rabinowitz’s peepholes for a few minutes. Let’s face it, even with the awkward moments here and there, the show is, as his shows usually tend to be, intelligent and witty, edgy and topical, and most of all really funny but I suspect not everyone’s cup of tea.

The show, Nik Rabinowitz Dry White, is on until 12 January at the Baxter Theatre and tickets can be purchased here.

About Juanita Pienaar

Juanita is the editor of the marketing & media portal on the Bizcommunity website. She is also a contributing writer.
Let's do Biz