As we continue a review of the Guyanese stage in 2023, the spotlight is turned to focus on the production Nothing to Laugh About. This performance continued in 2023, and in spite of the several issues confronting the local theatre, hardly put a foot wrong. On the contrary, it not only made a statement about its place in Guyanese theatre, but articulated several statements about its identity, its theatrical type, its style and its audience.
Nothing to Laugh About is a collection of skits, short and long pieces (very long pieces), in an annual full-length programme of popular comedy and commercial theatre produced by Maria Benschop and directed by Lyndon Jones. It has come a long way since its error-strewn beginnings on the stage, seeing considerable qualitative improvement in competence to a current mastery of its own brand. But one thing that has not changed since it first hit the stage is its immediate and constant popularity. It has never failed to fill the house, and one of the statements it made in 2023 is that it was the only production to command a large crowd.
