Chronicle Editor
Angela Sibanda, Showbiz Reporter
Last Friday, for the first time in his comedy career, Hidden Sibanda, popularly known as Zex Mdawini who has been trending over the past year for his jokes on landlords and tenants, performed in front of an audience at Bulawayo Theatre.
However, his first stand-up comedy show was not that successful as organisers failed to outsell the tickets to the show and many who attended the show seemed to be making more noise for popular comedians than for the man-of-the-moment.
Comedian Frank Chirisa who received a lot of love from the audience ended up giving a second performance by public demand.
During his performances, he highlighted the challenges faced by Bulawayo residents, and these included water shortages, dirty public toilets and challenges faced by young men in a society that focuses more on the girl child.
One of his jokes that left the audience yearning for more was when he claimed to have visited his girlfriend’s parents and he had to use the toilet only to find out that there was no water.
“I was embarrassed to tell people that I needed to use the toilet, so I pretended to be making a call, left the room, and proceeded to the toilet.
When I got there, I did what I did, but when it was time to flush, I discovered that there was no water. Because I had left the room to make a call, I couldn’t go back asking for water.
“So when I opened the door, I called a small boy who was nearby and asked him for water. He asked me aloud if I wanted water to drink or to flush the toilet and because he was loud, everyone heard and my father-in-law came and gave me a bucket full of water and said ‘son this is the last water, use it wisely’.
“While flushing, I had my fingers crossed praying that everything would go and it did, except for a small piece of it. I decided to man up since the water was finished and put my hand inside the chamber, picked what was left, and threw it out of the toilet through the window.
I felt good about myself and when I went out, the whole family had gone to sit outside and the waste that I threw had hit my mother-in-law on the forehead,” he joked.
In an interview with Chronicle Showbiz, an undeterred Zex said his first performance was a big step towards his career adding that he was determined to work with those already in the industry to grow his brand.
“I’m yet to master the art of stand-up comedy and I’m very positive that with help from other comedians, I’ll host more shows and grow my brand,” he said.
“The show was successful to me and even if we had a low turn out, I’m grateful to everyone who came to support me.”
One of those who attended the show only identified as Sithatshisiwe said she believed in Mdawini’s talent. She said with proper training and more exposure, he had the potential to be great, even outside Zimbabwe.
“My mom is a big fan of Zex Mdawini, but besides that, I’m also a big fan of his, that’s why I came to watch him perform in person because we’re used to his social media jokes.
“Today’s show was not as good as I’d have wished it to be, but for someone who’s still new in the industry, I believe that he still needs to practice a lot. If he does that, he has great potential to be a celebrated comedian across the country and outside,” she said.
The show was attended by Madlela Skhobokhobo and Ntando Van Moyo.
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