Blessed Njugush, the highly successful comedian, has been captivating Kenyans in the diaspora during his recent international tour. He recently entertained Kenyans in Australia, aiming to leave them in stitches with his comedic performances.
However, not all reviews were positive, as one Kenyan in Australia expressed dissatisfaction with Njugush’s show “Through Thick and Thin 4.” Gustavo 254, a Kenyan Twitter user, voiced his disappointment, stating, “My pal Njugush seems to be struggling; he even referred to the comedy hall as a lecture hall.” In another post, he added, “It seems Njugush has confused banter with comedy. I haven’t laughed yet, despite paying $30.” Gustavo 254 further expressed the desire for Njugush to clarify whether he is performing banter or comedy so that the audience knows what they are paying for, rather than being caught off guard by inappropriate language reminiscent of primary school insults.
Some Kenyans agreed with Gustavo’s sentiments, critiquing comedians from their country and suggesting that Kenya lacks exceptional stand-up comedians. Others defended Njugush, acknowledging that it is part of a comedian’s journey to face challenges when performing for new audiences.
Here are a few comments reflecting different perspectives:
- Khotsa James: “In Kenya, no one can do stand-up for more than 15 minutes. That’s why Kenyan comedians, like Churchill, have a 5-minute intro before a 1-minute 10-second banter performance.”
- Spaaaaamatozoa: “Hey, bro, you’ve pushed this agenda. Couldn’t you have stepped up or were you glued to the chair?”
- Mcwinter’ Lucky: “I’m glad I didn’t waste my time and money. I was about to travel 450 kilometers, but my wife saved me!”
- Dedan@its_kimathi: “You expect 12 seconds to be a litmus paper, but there was an entire weekend where people paid to listen to him.”
- Keter: “Wow… Njugush must have been stressed. It’s challenging to make people laugh when they don’t respond.”
- The Architect: “I believe he needs to hire scriptwriters.”
- Fellow Kenyan: “Has he performed in a comedy club multiple times before this major show?”
- Willy Kamau: “This guy is overrated. I’ve struggled to find any of his statements funny.”
- Hellen Mwaniki: “If you have experience, you know this part of the process is as important as any other. If they don’t criticize you, you’re not making an impact. Well done, Blessed Njugush! #njugush”
- FRANKIE CHIEF: “You should understand that every audience has its own jokes. If he went to that particular place, he should have adjusted his material accordingly.”
- Earl Kaccino: “Local man says, ‘Boreko has his Prado ready to take him to the traditional Kikuyu music event.'”
Regardless of the mixed feedback, Njugush remains one of Kenya’s finest comedians. Undoubtedly, he will learn valuable lessons from this experience and return even stronger and more accomplished in his craft.
