The brainchild of veteran comedian Lyndon ‘Jumbie’ Jones, UNCENSORED is the latest hot show to hit the stage of the National Cultural Centre. Opening for one night only this Saturday to an adults only audience, UNCENSORED will feature the cream of Guyana’s comedians and poets. Stand up icon Habeeb Khan, Henry Rodney, Lyndon ‘Jumbie’ Jones,
Miranda Austin, Chris Gopaul, Chubby and Odessa are just a few of the participating artistes.
We sat down for a moment with Mr. Jones and he is advising patrons to come early because they will be starting on time and you may miss your favourite comedian. When asked about the content of the show, he opined that there are a lot of situations in society that can cause serious offence if discussed at a public forum bluntly. However, a comedian has the freedom to comment on these situations candidly and offer solutions that will be highly amusing to people but, if seriously considered, may very well be the best thing. “Ting fuh cry we does tek and mek laugh. ” Lyndon said, “UNCENSORED is all about sending serious messages under the guise of comedy. If something is funny, we want to be able to say it without watering it down and undue censorship. In our society we tend to lampoon serious things because sometimes you just have to laugh it off. There is nothing else you can do.” Undoubtedly a show of this nature has never been attempted here in Guyana where the comedians will have the latitude to fully express themselves without fear of offending the younger members of the audience. This means that a lot of their material would have never been exposed to the public prior to now and the artistes are doubly
motivated to perform at their best. According to actor and comedian Henry Rodney, it’s something that all should see and they are guarding against people’s suspicions because of the name UNCENSORED. He claims that they are aware that people think that they are going to be down and dirty. He is advising people that it will be straight talk and not bad talk and added that it’s a must see. He further noted that if you have a sixteen year old, parental guidance is advised because they will not be indulging in lawlessness but subtlety will be the name of the game. Henry said, “I think it’s a privilege to be a part of UNCENSORED. We will be dealing with issues that are quite attached to all and sundry
and I think that we entertainers, humorists, comedians, social commentators, et al; only we will know how to put it over. All should come with an open mind and be entertained.”
The excitement is in the air about UNCENSORED and a check with the ticket locations reveals that tickets are going really fast so you need to be in place early to guarantee yourself a seat. Reports are that the younger fans of theatre and the comedians themselves are extremely disappointed about being left out but according to producer Maria Benschop, this only applies to those under sixteen. She assures us that there will be no indecent language or unnecessary vulgarity but they will be taking it to the limit and
hence, felt the need for some degree of caution. She said, “It’s the kind of show that I will let my eleven year old see but I doubt that there are many parents as liberal as I am. In order to curtail criticisms that we were offensive, this is our way of dealing with the situation. Even adults who are easily offended can make an informed choice. Our comedians are taking this to the limit and are going to be extremely suggestive while not going over the limit. After all we remain cognizant of the fact that this is the National Cultural Centre and we still have to maintain the respect.” When asked about her future plans, Mrs. Benschop revealed that part IV of “Nothing to Laugh About” is in the making for next year along with a couples pageant and a play that she has been working on for some time now. Tickets are available at the National Cultural Centre, Giftland
OfficeMax, Matt’s Record Bar, Nigel’s Supermarket, Payless Variety Store and Johnny P Supermarket and are going for $600, $1000 and$1500.