Nite of A Thousand Laughs Xtra set to rip Abuja Apart

Opa Williams

AFTER a successful debut of Opa Williams rejuvenated Nite of A Thousand Laughs Xtra in Kenya and Uganda, it is the turn of Nigeria to experience the revolution in comedy shows by the man who started it all 16 years ago.

 And the city that will get a taste of the new mix is the Federal Capital, Abuja, on May 1, Workers Day, at the Ladi Kwali Hall of Abuja Sheraton. Nite of A Thousand Laughs Xtra will feature top comedians from four African countries that will literally rip Abuja apart at the seams. The leading light in the comedy turf in Kenya, Eric alongside Chibue (Zambia), Funny Face (Ghana) as well as Loyiso from South Africa will hold the sleepy city of Abuja in a laughter grip. These comedians will be supported by their Nigerian counterparts at the show
which promises to make this year’s Workers’ Day a memorable one.

 When late last year comedy merchant Opa Williams announced he was resting his premier show, Nite of A Thousand Laughs, the whole country was thrown into a shock. Fans nationwide, across Africa and even Europe where the show was popular also prevailed on Williams to rescind his decision. The main reason given by the film producer was the bastardization of comedy shows in Nigeria after he began the revolution in 1995. Everybody consequently joined the fray and in no time, it became a ‘see one, see all’ affair as all the shows featured the same set of comedians and musicians. Williams through his media Company, Media Image Managers, MIM, said he was pulling out as all comedy show organizers were short changing the paying crowd “and I don’t want to be part of the audience short changing scheme.”

But after much persuasion, he gave in but had to come up with something different from what others are doing at the moment-Nite of A Thousand Laughs Xtra. “We had a successful show in Kenya and Uganda and we have decided to debut with the rejuvenated Nite of A Thousand Laughs Xtra on May 1 in Abuja. It’s tagged: the Homecoming of African Comedy Chiefs. We have started a new phase in comedy, and we are aware it’s a trend others will clone very soon, but it will go down on record that we are always the first to do it,” Williams said through his media Company.”

 However, for you to witness how the new show will pan out, “you will have to be at the Ladi Kwali Hall of the Sheraton, Abuja on May 1 because we have put everything in place to ensure that everybody laughs a thousand times. Consequently, we have changed May 1 Workers’ Day to Laughter Day in Abuja and you don’t want to miss this,” Williams said. A drama skit involving some celebrities whose names are being kept under wraps will sure blow the minds of audience members out. The show enjoys support of multinationals such as MTN among others.