Yellowwood Park comedian hopes to pay his success forward
Local comedian Mangaliso Mhlongo recently launched his very own comedy project: Yellowood Park Comedy Nights which aims to showcase entertaining and relatable stand-up comedy to his community.
CAPTIVATING a crowd with his humour and charisma is the God-given talent of Yellowwood Park comedian Mangaliso Mhlongo (30), who now hopes to pave the way for local and upcoming talent with his Yellowood Park Comedy Nights endeavour.
Having been part of the church choir as a young boy and later developing a strong interest in poetry, Mangaliso is a born performer. Asked whether he thinks he is funny, Mangaliso said: “I don’t think I’m funny, I know for a fact I am funny. I feel that entertaining crowds is something I was born with, although it may have taken me some time to realise it. My late best friend influenced me to pursue stand-up comedy and that’s when the ball started rolling.”
He had an epiphany at the very first stand-up comedy show he attended, that he too was destined to be a funny man on stage.
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“My friend told me he would be very disappointed if I didn’t follow what he believed was my calling. Two weeks after he died, there was a call for auditions for comedians for the 99% Zulu Comedy competition. Of about 50 comedians at the auditions, I managed to make third place. That was a defining moment for me, which affirmed I was in the right place,” he said.
From then on his career began to blossom, with several opportunities opening up for him within the industry to tour and perform at various events. He has worked with the likes of Barry Hilton, Simphiwe Shembe and Skhumba Hlophe in performances across the country. “If there is an audience that needs to laugh, I’m there,” he said. Mangaliso explained that he is very proud of how far he has come and owes all his success to date to Jesus.
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The ambitious comedian is also a qualified teacher who works full-time, teaching English at New Forest High School. Mangaliso has always wanted to do his own thing and pave way for other promising talents, hence the birth of Yellowwood Park Comedy Nights which debuted on Thursday, 28 March at Yellowwood Park Bowling Club. “The show aims to showcase entertaining and relatable stand-up comedy to the Yellowwood Park community. I hope to open it up as a platform for other talented people to also be a part of the show. I also hope to host an awareness walk and comedy show to raise awareness about cancer, as it is a cause which is very close to my heart because my mom is a breast cancer survivor,” said Mangaliso.
Mangaliso aims to host Yellowood Park Comedy Nights every last Thursday of the month at Yellowwood Park Bowling Club. He welcomes a chance to engage with talented people within music, poetry or comedy who are serious about their craft. Call him on 078-758-3331 for a chance to be a part of this entertainment initiative.
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