Oliver brings comic relief
[caption id="attachment_223744" align="aligncenter" width="598"] Comedian Dalin Oliver relaxes ahead of his show ‘Face for Radio’ that starts its run tomorrow at the Protea Marine Hotel in Port Elizabeth
Picture: Fredlin Adriaan[/caption]
Ex-teacher comedian keen to show Bay audience his class act
Managing a successful career as a comedian is a tough, cut-throat business but one way to keep yourself ticking – and tickling ribs – in the industry is getting to the punch-line quickly.
This is just one of the things which Capetonian comic Dalin Oliver says he is working on, as he prepares to open a three-night run in Port Elizabeth with his new stand-up show, Face for Radio tomorrow.
It follows on his debut one-man show, I Came, I Taught, I Left and the Good Hope FM sports presenter again promises a family-friendly comedy with no swearing.
He says his humour is grounded in his daily experiences as a Saffer.
“The magic of people understanding a local reference or slang is priceless. I feel like it breaks certain barriers,” Oliver said.
Although Oliver is a relative newcomer to comedy – the 28-year-old worked, briefly, as a teacher – he already has had stints and toured with veteran comic Barry Hilton, who used to live in Port Elizabeth, as well as Riaad Moosa and Stuart Taylor.
Oliver said Taylor was his director for Face For Radio.
“It’s been a fantastic journey working with him. He directed I Came, I Taught, I Left and this is where we built the relationship.
“The most valuable lesson was learning about saying as few words as possible to get to the punch-line. I tend to ramble. This is quite a long-winded reply so I’m not sure if that bit of advice has sunk in just yet!”
Oliver says he is inspired by any working comedian who has a career in what can be a cut-throat industry.
“It’s a tough space and anyone who finds their place in it deserves to be given credit. There are so many influences,” Oliver said.
He has called the show a Face for Radio not only because he works on air himself but because he has seen the disconnect between what people hear and what they expect to see.
“Think about it: how often do you listen to radio and hear an amazing voice coming through your speaker?
“Eventually you see a picture of the presenter or meet him or her and you soon realise that the voice doesn’t match the face,” Oliver said.
Although his first show played on the fact that he worked as a teacher, his career in the classroom was brief.
“Technically, I only taught for a total of five months including teaching practicals. I know, right? And here I am calling myself an ex-teacher. Shocking. Moving along.”
On the other hand, there were benefits for his pupils to Oliver’s comic persona.
“The learners knew that I was a comedian so no goofing from my side but definitely from theirs. It was all good fun though and I had my revenge when I handed back their maths test results,” he said.
“Some of them are still solving ‘for x’ – including me!”
Oliver was also a talented cricketer having represented Western Province under-19s.
As a former teacher, he does have a brief word for matrics who are about to start their final exams next term.
“There’s no time for silly mistakes. So don’t forget to write your name on the answer sheet. Imagine that slips your mind and you end up getting 95% overall. What a tragedy.”
Dalin Oliver’s Face For Radio is on at the Protea Marine Hotel from tomorrow to Saturday. Tickets are R100, on sale at Computicket and the show starts at 8pm.
