WILL THE REAL DAVID NEWTON PLEASE STAND UP!
By Daniel E. Dercksen

Just as Sir Isaac Newton changed the world with his calculations, so does stand-up funnyman David Newton alter perceptions and shift worldviews with his new show Politically Incorrect.

Politically Incorrect is a show that could easily have been a calculated risk, but delivers tons of laughter and plenty food for thought for anyone looking to spend a night out.

It is great to see David enjoy what he does best and share his un-PC views unashamedly.

You will laugh at the world differently realising the silliness and frivolous nature of what makes us tick, and that life needs to be infused with the sound of laughter. 

It is a pleasure watching David take pleasure in confronting his audience with views that allow us to hear what most of us think and fear to express, it gives the audience a refreshing opportunity to think out loud without having to run.

It's even more pleasurable talking to David, who never allows his celebrity status as TV presenter and successful performer to overshadow his likeable and surprising quiet persona.

He was recently nominated for 2 prestigious Fleur Du Cap awards, Best Performance in a One-Hander and the People's Choice Award for Defending the Laid Man. Last year, other than David's national tour of this show, he produced the show on DVD, took two shows to the Grahamstown Arts Festival and hosted the SABC 3 reality travel show, Couch Trip as well as performing Stand Up weekly at venues around Cape Town.

He was one of six SA comics at the Cape Town International Comedy Festival in September last year where he performed along-side twenty of the world's best international acts while scooping great feedback which resulted in him being asked to perform at the 'Best of Fest' show.

Along from the comedy, he is also in demand as a presenter and Master of Ceremonies and was recently 'Ring Announcer' and 'MC' at the 'Taiboxing Spectacular' and 'Fight Night Africa' and will co-present the ACT Awards in Jo'burg in November.

"It's not so much that I have decided to be politically incorrect, it's more that I am challenging the political correctness of society and saying that sometimes it's incorrect," he says.

Does he enjoy taking the seriousness out of painful politically correctness?

"I love it!," he says without hesitation. "I have always been one of those people who challenge norms and social standards. I think the more we all stop hiding behind political correctness and just start calling a spade a spade we will all start being more honest and real with people."

He agrees that humour is essential in our current South Africa, and that it is important for us to laugh at ourselves.

"If we get to the point where we are able to laugh at ourselves it means we're not taking ourselves so seriously," he says. "Once we stop taking ourselves so seriously we are able to realise that we have just as many faults as the person we like to judge harshly…"

He finds material for his show in real life.

"There is nothing funnier than human truth. People like to laugh at things they recognise and can relate back to a personal experience they had. Those things we see all around us every day and the things that make us all go, "Oh my gosh, that happens to me!"

His inspiration comes from "anyone who has ever dared to dream something and resisted the voices of dissuasion and pursued their dream with reckless abandon."

Has he always wanted to be a stand-up comedian?

"Not at all," he says. "I wanted to (and still want to) be a serious actor/movie maker."

"This, I hope, is a means to an end," says David, who will be heading overseas for a few gigs in London, New York and Canada after he finishes his show in Cape Town and a season in Durban in May. 

"I'd love to do some serious theatre pieces," says David who does not want to be
"pigeon-holed as far as only doing comedic parts", and would "love to play roles like the mentally challenged teenager Leonardo Di Caprio played in 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape?'…stuff like that."

When asked about where his career as a performer started, David reflects on
"being Miss Muffet's spider" in his sub A class play.

"That then blossomed into greater things when I won best supporting ACTRESS award for my role as a hit man's girlfriend in my standard 9 school play," he says. "Next stop: star on the Hollywood walk of fame…"

As for being a funnyman, it is something that gives David great pleasure.

"I love it! I think it's a real privilege to have an audience give you their attention and allow you to make them laugh."

When he is not performing on stage or in front of a camera David watches a "lot of DVDs", and enjoys playing chef for his friends.

"I'm pretty handy in the kitchen," says David. "I was raised to cook from an early age and now because I live alone I am forced to cook all the time. Add to that a creative side and I tend to whip up rather interesting dishes. I just learned to make sushi, which I am enjoying at the moment, but I love making peppered ostrich fillet," he remarks about his favourite dishes.

As for the real David, the man behind the comedian, he believes it to be "the guy I talk to in the car during the long drive on my way home after a gig at about 01:00 in the morning. Once the smoke and mirrors have all disappeared I find that I can be the most real. I am actually a very serious person."

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Copyright © 2007 Daniel Dercksen