( L - R ) Elva, Kingsley 'Ragashanti' Stewart
There were hoots of laughter when opening comedian, British, who took a loud approach to the art of provoking laughter, and hopefully, thought, was the first of many to tackle the global economic crisis at Backyaad on Saturday night. He advised members of the audience at Love is a Funny Little Thing, "Men, if you have five woman, cut it down to two; women, if you have one man, go up to five".
Maybe, though, there were those who had taken the cost-saving option of staying home, as about half of the Valentine's Day comedy show's available seats were empty. And, although individual performers, notably a riotous Elva, who focused on the 'ya' and Dufton Shepherd who swung easily between his lady's breathlessness at the point of climax and the repercussions on the MC of a 'guy' introduction for deejay Capleton, were consistently funny, others sparkled only in spurts.
No chemistry
In addition, there was a lack of natural chemistry between hosts Ragashanti and Ms Higgins, the former riotously jolly in his comments ("Big up Noddy suit," he said about the virtuous one's flaming red pants) and the latter a tad too proper in her delivery.
In the end, close to midnight when Iceman closed off the night with a well-delivered song, matters of love were more than just a little bit funny at Backyaad. But taken in its entirety, the show never got past the rib-tickling stage to a deep, rolling belly laugh.
Iceman's songs, in which he concentrated on matters of the heart in a quick series of a cappella covers and took it to the ladies on his rapid-fire original to a backing track, was part of a varied night. Noddy and Jody-Ann Pantry faced each other and sang, came closer to touch hands and stooped together at the end of their good cover of Bon Jovi's Bed of Roses.
Love-rhyme competition
And, LSX opened the second segment of Love is a Funny Little Thing with poetry, Lynch and Sage presenting a combination of verse and drama in a friendly love-rhyme competition, although it did not appear to go over well with many members of the audience. "More time a man a do a serious ting, but yu still have some comedy inna it," Ragashanti commented.
Trinidadian Errol Fabien concentrated on one of the tangible results of sex, babies, from Lamaze classes to delivery ("She use bad words as a hyphen, connecting two words, my name"). There were howls combining revulsion and amusement when he graphically demonstrated sucking cold from the baby's nose. Fabian closed his chuckles, which never hit a high, but did not descend into the doldrums, with a lie detector robot his lady had bought slapping her as she commented "You know, that is really your son."
The audience loved it.
Bobby Smith addressed daggerin' (pointing out that a dagger is by definition short), Rampin' Shop (commenting that a man better not romp with a Jamaican woman in the sack) and the male and female abilities to lie.
The Dutty Landlord, Big Pop combined song and snickers, crooning, "Me rent due today, who owe me going have to pay" and closing with "suppen warm a run dung me foot" to gales of merriment, as he deejayed about the results of over-eating.
Many a member of the audience found themselves onstage and a high point of the night was a fake orgasm display by three women. And, when they were finished, Elva gave her own demonstration, to bring up intermission with a bang.