The Laughing Samoans break new ground in 2008 as they take their popular comedy act to the UK and Tonga for the first time. VAIMOANA TAPALEAO went behind the scenes of their latest show Crack Me Off.
As I stood outside the Aotea Centre waiting to see The Laughing Samoans in Crack Me Off, it wasn’t the expectation of us brown folk having no patience to queue up in an orderly fashion that struck me. In fact it was the total opposite; people from all walks of life, and colours, queuing up.
I felt like Alicia Silverstone in that late 90s teen flick Clueless describing the different ‘crowds’ amongst the student populace.
There were of course the loyal fans who you knew watched all the previous shows and knew the punch lines off by heart, waiting excitedly for their latest fix of island humour. Then there were the paparazzi targets, the faces in the crowd and socialites who knew everyone. But seeing mature looking palagi men in business suits and the mainstream arty crowd mixing and mingling made me double take (look twice).
There is no arguing the Laughing Samoans have come of age and are at the peak of their powers. That was evident seeing their humour crossing cultural divides and reaching new audiences. But is there a serious side to all this humour?
Three hours earlier, I found out there is. I got to see a different side of Tofiga Fepulea’i and Eteuati Ete when I was invited backstage.
The first thing I noticed and which scared me a little, were the multiple wigs neatly laid out on the stage before me. Ranging from curly black and dark brown ones, I quickly set my sights on a wildly frizzy auburn wig, with touches of blonde and a hot pink flower set delicately on its side; which was obviously Aunty Tala’s do.
But there was no spontaneous laughter or wisecracking going on. I observed the pair during rehearsals, polishing up their act, arranging props and making sure the lighting and music were accurate down to the last beat.
It quickly made me realise that there was more to their shows than just showing up and making people laugh; there was also a serious business side which went part and parcel with their success.
“This is what you don’t see,” Ete tells SPASIFIKmag.com. “Every time we go to a new venue, we have to work with their lighting and sound people, to help us make the show.”
Five years of touring has taught them the value of paying attention to detail. It is not just about their onstage chemistry too. It is how they conduct business off it and the support networks they draw on that drive them on.
And this has helped them improve as an act, according to Ete: “We’ve polished our stuff in Off Work and Crack Me Off; and hopefully people see that,” he adds.
The Laughing Samoans break new ground in 2008, touring the United Kingdom and Tonga for the first time. They will also cover New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, the Cook Islands and the United States.
“I’m looking forward to performing in the small towns like Whakatane and Gisborne; you know, the kuabacks,” laughs Tofiga.
“People really appreciate it when we go out there. There are lots of PIs who live there and we’ve got a strong Maori and Asian following too.”
Their latest effort and fifth show, Crack Me Off, is a reflection of their wide audience. They get good mileage from a certain kids’ TV show and the Rugby World Cup.
You’ll fall in love with little Johnny, cringe at Aunty Tala’s pick up lines and sympathise with the boy being yelled at by his Mum in public.
“Sometimes people come up to us and say: ‘Oh hey maybe you could use this!’ We’ll use it sometimes, if it’s funny,” says Tofiga.
But they do know where to draw the line with families in their audiences. “That’s our secret, knowing to be respectful to our audience. It’s not funny if you’re going to offend someone,” adds Tofiga.
Ete agrees: “We were raised in the church. My dad’s a preacher and Tofiga’s dad is a lay preacher. We don’t swear in our shows and that’s what helped us appeal to audiences.”
Sending their audiences home with a smile is always their objective.
“We want everyone to have a good time, laughing all the way home,” says Ete. Tofiga agrees: “I really believe that laughter is good for the soul. If people come to the show, enjoy themselves and leave happy, then that makes us happy.”
