Durbanite's discovering the creative part of creativity

There is no cast list, no rehearsals, and up until 30 minutes before the show started, the actors did not even know they were actors.

At the start of the evening, most of those who will provide the entertainment are sitting in the audience with absolutely no intention of doing so.

Welcome to an Andre the Hilarious Hypnotist show.

From 1 to 4 October, Andre returns to Durban’s Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre with a peculiar kind of live entertainment that simply cannot be rehearsed, because nobody, including Andre, knows exactly what is going to happen.

The stars of the show are ordinary Durban people who volunteer from the audience, are hypnotised on stage, and suddenly find themselves at the centre of an evening that can go almost anywhere.

That unpredictability has kept Andre on South African stages since 1989.

After more than three decades, thousands of volunteers and performances around the country, he still walks onto a stage without knowing what his volunteers will give him that night.

And that is precisely the point.

“I can do the same routine with different people and get a completely different show,” says Andre. “People are much funnier than anything I could write for them. My job is really to create the situation and then get out of their way.”

It also means the audience isn't watching actors pretending something is happening.

These are real people.

Your friend. Your partner. The bloke sitting three seats away who looked extremely sensible when he arrived.

Possibly you.

Andre’s particular brand of comedy has always been distinctly South African. It doesn't need imported jokes or elaborate scenery. Give South Africans a stage, a few ridiculous situations, and permission to forget their dignity for a while, and they tend to take care of the rest.

But there is one important distinction.

Nobody is dragged onto the stage.

Volunteers choose to participate, and no volunteers under the age of 16 are accepted. Those who would rather remain safely in their seats can do exactly that and enjoy the consequences of other people's bravery.

Bookings for the Sneddon Theatre Season is available at Webtickets