White Noise — starring Chester Missing and Conrad Koch.
GENRE: Comedy
FORMAT: Video
DURATION: 60 mins
AVAILABLE FROM: July 10 (Video on Demand)
White Noise is not your typical stand-up comedy show.
Aside from the cool tech-savvy multimedia elements — from cartoon animations to video inserts and slides — added to make the show a more interesting for online audiences, White Noise is not lighthearted, cheerful or happy-go-lucky.
While the show definitely elicits some belly laughs, as comedy should, the jokes are meant to stir up much more in audience members — and they do.
Dealing with everything from the colonialists of the past to what South African society looks like today, famous SA puppet Chester Missing confronts his handler — double Emmy-nominated satirical ventriloquist and anthropology master's degree holder, Conrad Koch — about his own white privilege, racism and behaviours and beliefs when it comes to understanding SA society.
Framed by humour, White Noise delves into the complexities of SA society, how Apartheid is directly linked to the privileges some have and the trials others face.
And while Koch, like many, believes things to be much better than they were in the past, Chester [Missing] continuously drives home the notion that systemic racism is very much alive in our society and should not — and cannot — be ignored if we are to truly be a 'Rainbow Nation'.
In confronting Koch with a series of facts, figures, brutal truths and yes, many a joke, Chester [Missing] also confronts us — the audience — and asks us to question and criticise our own beliefs, our own privilege.
We are given the opportunity to laugh many a time at Koch and his many mistakes, misinformed answers and rebuttals to Chester's [Missing] very real and very raw statements, but within that we are also given the opportunity to reflect on what our own thoughts and responses to Chester's blows may be.
Dealing with intolerance, privilege, racism, injustice and more, White Noise is hard-hitting and heavy. It is uncomfortable and awkward at times, yet it still allows us to laugh often at Koch, at Chester's jokes and searing remarks, at ourselves.
It has been said time and time again that South Africans have a unique way of getting through things — often bad things — with humour and in White Noise this is exactly what we are given the chance to do; face a serious issue with humour and jokes instead of ignoring it.
We're presented with the idea that a 'Rainbow Nation' is a goal we still need to work towards, something that is yet to be achieved and while jokes may not fix anything, acknowledging these issues exist and starting a conversation — or joining in on a conversation about them — even if that conversation is carried out by a comedian and his puppet — is a step in the right direction.
For all that the content of White Noise gives us, it would be unfair not to mention the impressive ventriloquy skills of Koch.
Chester's [Missing] witty comebacks, hilarious comments — and bluntness — would not be as effective if it were not for the continuous and effortless back and forth between the two 'characters'.
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