Joe of all trades

Directed by Heinrich Reisenhofer, the current incarnation is presented as a mockumentary, with the two actors playing a number of characters vying for a community award. And while the pre-recorded material is cleverly integrated into the show, it felt like too much of the performance required the audience to sit back and watch the antics on a giant screen.

Still, even though it might have been better if we could have simply enjoyed the live performers on stage, the crowd couldn't stop laughing. (A man beside me was so beside himself that his laughter physically shook a large part of our row.) It doesn't matter if you haven't seen previous editions of the show (or might not be fully conversant in Kaapse Afrikaans); there's enough appeal to make it worth a seat in Joe Barber's chair.

Joe Barber VI (PG-13) is at Cape Town's Baxter Theatre until 10 May. Book at Computicket.