Nik Rabinowitz brought actual real funniness to the South African Film and Television Awards on Saturday night for the very first time in the history of this awards ceremony trying to honour South African film and television, with the 7th (definitely not annual) incantation which took place at Gallagher Estate.
While a staccato co-host Connie Ferguson struggled with her words and seemed to suffer as she waded through her lines with a stilted performance right through the evening, Nik Rabinowitz clearly showed that he not only prepared before the time, but that he worked hard at finding really humorous, clever and inventively funny comedy.
Nik Rabinowitz' 7th Saftas co-hosting act was refreshing delightful, truly funny and hilarious making a stiff Connie Ferguson seem like nothing more than just a playing-it-straight, side act - a mere on-stage foil for his material which was spot on, creative and made for a sparkly difference for the South African Film and Television Awards which is always a dismal and flawed television production.
Constantly framed against a very amateur-looking black backdrop with blinking red stars - a backdrop more reminiscent of and belonging at a Madame Zingara dinner theatre evening than a TV awards show - Nik Rabinowitz kept bringing the jokes with perfect timing as Connie Ferguson constantly kept awkwardly laughing at whatever he said.
He delighted the Gallagher Estate crowd several times with his fluency in African languages - itself a stage act employed with great effect.
Nik Rabinowitz clearly worked hard at writing a script, doing research and memorising lines, and it showed.
Nik Rabonowitz' clever on stage zingers prevented the 7th South African Film and Television Awards from sinking away into the deep tedium which usually characterised this award show broadcast:
"Statistically, most of you nominated here tonight are not going to win anything."
"Connie, I just want to say this, I'm a big fan. I've watched all your stuff. Possibly my favourite episode ever was when Karabo was about to get married, and whatshisname just arrived out of the blue. And then of course Nikiwe demanded the paternity test from Beth which was totally hectic for her. And then of course Thandalo was cheating on her husband, which eeeverybody knew - she was so obvious. And then afterwards Sisbusiso gave the company to Mulano. But Mulano wasn't his son. He thought he was his son but actually it was his cousin's brother. And then he was spying on Putla and doing these dirty tricks. And then Sibusiso had to go for a kidney transplant overseas because of the stress."
Hilariously, when Nik Rabinowitz did the intro to tell viewers that the technical categories in film and television of the 7th Saftas were awarded on Friday night but is not filmed for broadcast, the camera panned to the left and off of him [conceivably due to an "upset" cameraman].
"Most of the cameramen that I know, don't like too much attention."
"Our next presenter will stop at nothing to get the story. He got arrested when he was filming a documentary about pirates. He was then kidnapped by the pirates, who then released him when they realized that he was a South African filmmaker, and probably had no money."
"I just want to find out how your love life is?"
Connie Ferguson: "Why?
"You know, I've followed it for a while. Karabo first dated Max Naidoo. You then married Mandla. You then got engaged to Glen, who was cheating on you with Kgomotso. You then got together - you married - was it Tau? You married Tau. Then you married Sibusiso. Later you got divorced; you got back together with Tau. Tau then left for Muvhango to become Pheko. He got together with somebody else, right? Then at the same time you married the dead guy - or was he a ghost - nobody is quite sure?
Then Pheko came back from Muvhango, you got back together with Tau. You went on honeymoon for forever. Then you became Marang on The Wild and you fall in love with Itumeleng who is ..."
Connie Ferguson: "... my real-life husband."
"I love it when a plan comes together."
"Our next presenter is head writer of The Wild. Well, he was head writer of The Wild, until ... Well. You know..."
