Saka ‘ports’ to Nite of A Thousand Laughs

FROM January through June every year, Lagos and other parts of the country usually witness a deluge of comedy shows.

And then there is some quiet as everybody awaits the big masquerade to emerge in October-Opa Williams’ Nite of A Thousand Laughs. Preparations leading to the event usually begin from around this period as sponsors are seen jostling for space in the premier comedy show that usually holds on October 1, in Lagos, its traditional home. And this year’s edition is a special one as the show which began in 1995, is marking its 18^th anniversary on October 1. “The boys have finished playing, now is the time for the man, the father, the owner of the home, to play,” Williams said in a statement signed by his media Company, Media Image Managers, MIM, early in the week, obviously referring to the undisputed number one position of Nite of A Thousand Laughs show in the country.

He said at 18, a child has become an adult and as such has to evolve in character and attain self reliance. “Against this backdrop, Nite of A Thousand Laughs’ edition this year will take on a different shape and size because at 18, we have attained adulthood so we are playing on the maturity of the brand just like the proverbial old wine, it should tastes better. We have stayed on top for 18 years as the premier comedy brand and you know staying on top is the hardest part of the game. No comedy show in Nigeria is above 13 years of age at the moment, but we have been able to sustain our dominance for 18 years. While we celebrate, we should also be mindful of the fact that people who troop out to watch our shows yearly deserve to get more value for their money every time they come out. So this year, we will ensure the audience members laugh a thousand times as the brand’s name implies.

“If it’s a comedy show, it’s a comedy show, not a music concert, that is why we are redefining comedy show organization with this oncoming edition of Nite of A Thousand Laughs.”

Opa Williams will not go into details of the rebranded Nite of A Thousand Laughs, he however had this to say. “I want to assure you that going forward, Nite of A Thousand Laughs is not going to be about some comedians and musicians climbing the stage and entertaining people anymore. We started that trend. We later introduced dance to the menu and everybody followed suit. We are introducing something unique this year that will make the audience truly laugh a thousand times, but we are keeping that under the hat for now. So if you allow yourself to be told about it, too bad,” Opa Williams said revealing however that reigning comedy actor Afiz Aiyetoro popularly called ‘Saka’ will feature in the October 1 edition.

In a bid to discourage ticket sales at the venue, Williams said tickets will be on sale on http://www.ariiyatickets.com/ a month prior to the event as well as at other designated spots that would be announced later. “That is how it’s done in other climes, tickets for shows billed to hold in a year’s time sometimes would be sold out in five months before the event. We want the situation where we would be able to control the crowd that day because yearly we always had a hard time controlling the crowd wishing to buy tickets and the ones with tickets already. This situation saps the energy out of my security details and even men of the Nigeria police force. You know Nite of A Thousand Laughs is a family comedy show, there is no age restriction as its pure comedy. And that is why we do not encourage lewd jokes as there are decent families with their kids always present. But then we must ensure that families do not get stressed because they want to enjoy some time out.”

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