Kurt Schoonraad’s new one-man comedy show “Punchlines” aptly starts with the score to Rocky, then flows into Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” (or “Ivan Vhe Tiger” as it is called in Bellville, Schoonraad jokes).

The comedian makes his way to the ring/stage wearing a black boxing robe with his name and “too damn duidelik” emblazoned on the back. The boxing theme is continues throughout the show. Schoonraad refers to his sound-and-lighting engineer as “coach” and the show is divided into “rounds”. The comedian also dons a blond wig and prances about the stage with a board signaling the next round. He even gets a member of the audience to don the wig and board for the final round, much to the delight and applause of the other spectators.

Punchlines is well thought out. It consists of three rounds entitled “Mitchell’s Plain”, which deals with his childhood,  “Observatory”, his adulthood, and “Universal”, which covers his general observations of the South African lifestyle. Policemen, traffic officers, dagga smokers, traffic light window cleaners and the local populace of Mitchells Pain and Observatory all get a thoroughly funny going over.

Apart from great content Schoonraad is also an excellent and charismatic onstage performer, combining dialogue with physical comedy. He successfully engages the entire audience and also gives all the front row tables a gentle working over.

If you are looking for an hour of great local comedy, then you can’t go wrong with “Punchlines” at On Broadway.