With his brand-new stand-up show, There's a Gupta On My Stoep, comedian Trevor Noah says he is trying to capture the mood of anxiety in South Africa right now and says the title was inspired by comedian Leon Schuster "who changed my life with his comedy".
The host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central (DStv 122) is back in South Africa during his weekday TV show's end-of-season break, but while actually back on home soil for a holiday he also decided to do a new stand-up show in Johannesburg and Durban. Cape Town was left out because he simply didn't have the days.
Next year Trevor Noah will also reteam with M-Net (@DStv 101) where he had his first TV show, Tonight with Trevor Noah in 2010 for three seasons, and in 13-episodes of Trevor Noah Presents... as host he will showcase upcoming new South African comedians in 2018.
"There's a Gupta On My Stoep is an idea of what I'm feeling and what South Africa feels right now, is it not? That there's a Gupta on our stoep," said Trevor Noah who spoke about his new stand-up show at M-Net's press conference on Thursday.
"There's people who are old enough to remember the reference - the title of one of my favourite movies - There's a Zulu On My Stoep. Leon Schuster changed my life with his comedy when I was a young child."
"Essentially I felt that's what we're experiencing right now: We're a country where we are confused and trying to put together the pieces of how intense, and how much effect these people had on the running of our nation."
"People are still trying to piece together the Gupta emails, people are still trying to piece together the extent of their influence on our government, but it definitely feels like there's an encroachment on what we thought was 'us' defining ourselves."
"And the best way I could think of that was really There's a Gupta On My Stoep. It's South African," said Trevor Noah.
"It's a hint and a nod to the past. And it's not There's a Gupta In My House, it's just on my stoep. There's also some other things that are happening that I talk about and so that's why I went with that title."
"It also reminded me of home. It reminded me of a piece of my childhood. And it's a nod to the time that we are living in now."
