In his new stand up comedy show, Mask About Face, actor and comedian Mark Bank is reminding South Africans of the importance of laughter.
After all, laughter is the best medicine.
Mask About Face opened this week at the Theatre On The Square in Sandton for a limited season.
Banks has entertained audiences in the comedy industry for over 25 years. He is renowned for his political satire and dig at the rich and famous.
Audience members can expect everything from Shakespeare to DIY (Do it yourself) home surgery, caring for your pets in quarantine, how to sell your house without show-days, and the world’s first “drive through” funeral.
Banks says he’s got a few surprises up his sleeves for the un-laughing crowds and latecomers.
IOL Lifestyle chatted to Banks about all things comedy, his love for comedy and how he managed to keep people laughing for the past two decades.
Why do you think South Africans would enjoy your new show Mask About Face?
It is ridiculous, and it is a slap in the face for Covid-19.
What are some of the themes you'll be tackling on the show and why?
Why don't we laugh more, making audiences realise laughter is the best free medicine one can get.
You have been on stage for over two decades, making people laugh. What is the secret to your success?
An unbalanced diet, hard-boiled eggs, coleslaw on Provita, and Lindor chocolate.
Has anything embarrassing ever happened to you on stage?
All the time. The worst was the night I set fire to my hair when I used a burning hula hoop act at the Whale Festival in Hermanus.
What do you do in a case where the audience members are not getting the jokes and/or not laughing at all? Do you have techniques perhaps for when such incidents happen?
Go faster, sing or bring a semi-dangerous animal on the stage. I used to have a warthog that was specially trained to sniff out the non-laughers.
Comedians joke about things that most of us are scared to say. What is your take on this, and is anything you won’t joke about?
No, everything must be open and accessible. The secret is in the performance.
What's the funniest joke you've ever heard and the worst?
Funniest joke, 'what do you get when you cross the Atlantic Ocean with the
Titanic. Answer: ‘half-way'.
Worst, 'What do you get when you cross the Atlantic with the Titanic. Answer: ‘half-way'.
The arts sector across the world suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic. What was your experience?
Too horrifying to reveal…The answer to this question is being made into a 12-part horror series.
In his spare time, Banks manages an organic, hydroponic cocktail cucumber farm in Swellendam.
He is a bee-keeper, bird watcher and interior decorator. His most recent decorating achievement involved re-tiling the entrance to the Houses of Parliament with 37 000 Scrabble tiles.
Tickets are priced at R150 and are available at Computicket.
’Mask About Face’ is currently showing at the Theatre On The Square until March 13.