From mental health to sex and politics: MoMo Matsunyane unleashes her most personal comedy yet

MoMo Matsunyane will be bringing her stand-up comedy show, "I'm Momo And I Have Issues", to POPArt Centre for the venue's very first stand-up comedy event.

The multi-award-winning actor and theatre director is known for her poignant stage shows, such as “UNLEARN” and “Ka Lebitso La Moya”.

This time, she invites the audience into her private world, revealing her experiences with mental illness, relationships, sex, and politics, as well as growing up with a well-known father and being part of a blended family.

“I decided to pen I’m MoMo And I Have Issues’ because I have a deep passion and love for comedy in general, and so I don’t necessarily think that this is far from what I would’ve naturally done.

"My play ‘UNLEARN’ inspired me to finally just do it because in it, I play a young stand-up comedian who lives with mental health,” Matsunyane explained. 

“I think the show gave me the confidence to trust that I could do it if I stopped overwhelming myself with doubt. With this particular show, I wanted to explore my passion and love for stand-up comedy even further, but also share a more personal side to me, whilst provoking the audience with my outlandish views, you know?

“I think people know me through a particular rigid structure that exists in my work, so this is an opportunity for me to think of myself outside the boxes that I think I’ve created. I am exploring, I am playing, I’m discovering. This is just an opportunity for me to try. However, I’m still very much performing.”

The script had been fermenting for close to two years until she chose to revisit it late last year. 

Consequently, there was limited time between the final script being completed and the commencement of rehearsals for the stage production.

She admitted: “It’s unfortunate that I only had two weeks to rehearse because I’m producing this show myself, but I’m not averse to the challenges of independent theatre making, and I will always fight for my work to live no matter the circumstances.”

On entrusting Jefferson Tshabala to bring her words to life, Matsunyane shared: “Working with Jefferson has been amazing, challenging and scary. We are both very passionate about comedy, and I’m glad that this production has brought Jeff back into the theatre scene after a few years of a hiatus, even though he’s been writing and all of that over the years. 

“He’s gentle and caring but also has very high expectations of me, as I do of him. We have known each other for a very, very, very long time, and we’ve worked together over the years, and so I think the project is meeting us at a great time in our careers when I am needing to be pushed, and for Jeff needing to be creatively pushed as well.

“I think the process is requiring us to both let go of our inhibitions and fears and encouraging us to experiment.”

On this being the month of love with Valentine’s Day around the corner, she revealed the key takeaways from the show. 

“I’m a huge fan of love, and so I’m super excited that the show is falling on what people consider a very big weekend for love. I am excited for couples because some of my material is about love and relationships, but most importantly, it explores what it means to have a deep sense of love for self.”

Where: POPArt Centre, Parkwood. 

When: February 12 - 15, 7pm.