Marc Lottering: Hilarious with Heart
For young Marc Lottering, comedy was the furthest thing from his mind when it came to career choices. Today, he’s been entertaining local and international audiences with his funny stories for the past 27 years and he is one of South Africa’s top comedians.
“…I always enjoyed making people feel absolutely comfortable,” Marc says. “You know, if there was a situation that I felt was a little bit tense, I would always try to defuse that situation with a funny story, or by making it light and funny. So, that has always been part of who I am.”
It was only after high school that he realised he enjoyed telling funny stories and to this day, he prefers being referred to as a funny storyteller, rather than a comedian. “I’d always thought that title – comedian – was so challenging. I’d much rather just be a funny storyteller. But, regardless of what I wanted to be called, I started working at the age of 30, telling funny stories to audiences and getting them to laugh and I’ve henceforth been called a comedian.”
A Gift from the Cape Flats
Having grown up in the Cape Flats, Marc says he only realised later in life what a gift it was. Even during a time of chaos in the country, his parents – who were rather protective over him and his brother, Tony – still tried to make things okay and as comfortable as possible.
“The thing about the people from the Cape Flats is, no matter what we go through, we always make time to cry with laughter. And that’s the gift that the Cape Flats gave me.” According to Marc, the best storytellers – colourful storytellers – are from the Cape Flats and he draws from that for his comedic style and the way he tells stories.
His upbringing also taught him how to approach and highlight difficult, yet relevant topics, turn it around and still see the positive in it. “Mostly, in life, it is possible… People often talk about how, through their darkest times, they were able to laugh at themselves or see the funny side of the situation, and that gets us through stuff. I think I’ve taken that from my upbringing in the Cape Flats and brought it into my comedic life.”
Hilarious Characters
Aunty Merle – one of Marc’s recent characters – was based on his mother, which is why he feels so incredibly close to the character. “Every single gesture, every word that she says, her movements, the way I’m thinking – I’ve taken that from my mom. My mother passed away some years back, so it’s very special for me to be able to do Aunty Merle. When I am doing that character, it somehow feels like my mother is with me on stage and I think that’s just such a wonderful gift to have as an artist. And, it brings so much joy to people.”
His other characters have all also been drawn from real people. He writes these characters into his stories by observing real people in real life and he is convinced that it’s these observations and people’s way of identifying with the characters that get the audience laughing.
“It’s all drawn from real life. Honesty in comedy is still the best thing,” he says.
Celebrate Who You Are
With such a huge platform, trying to bring certain messages across through his shows is unavoidable. “I like to let the audience know where I am at in my life,” Marc says. “Why keep it to myself if there are aspects of my life that I think I can share with other people to make their lives better and to make them feel great?” Still, “the world is a harsh place,” he adds. “Prejudice exists in so many ways – be it your age, how you identify sexually, your colour, your race. People will find ways in which to box you in and get ugly about it. So, I am about celebrating who you are.”
That statement partly led to his latest show, Marc Eugene Lottering, which revolves around ancestry and where he comes from. He says the show – which is different to his previous shows but has been very well received – speaks to the secrets that families keep about their ancestry. “Particularly for me, as a brown person from Cape Town, it’s a really tricky issue. But, I guess, ultimately you stand on stage, celebrating every aspect of who you are, instead of hiding things away for whatever reason the great-grandparents wanted to hide stuff away from us. You can take all of these facets and celebrate them, because they form part of who you are and life is short. I learn that more and more and I try and share that with the audience.”
Lessons through Laughs
As comedian, Marc creates his characters for the purpose of getting the audience to scream with laughter. Aunty Merle – which he has written three musicals around – is something else, adding some lessons to the laughs. “You look at those big musical productions and there are lessons in all of them, Marc says.
Chapter 1, Aunty Merle, The Musical, reminds the audience that family will ultimately stand together, even when you think you have a dark secret and someone is holding it against you. “As musicals go, love conquers all,” he says.
Installment two, Aunty Merle, It’s A Girl is about family standing together in the face of prejudice, ultimately proving that love triumphs. “Because it must ‘mos’ in musicals,” Marc laughs.
In the third chapter, Aunty Merle, Things Get Real, Aunty Merle loses her home because of the Covid-19 pandemic and its ramifications. But, things turn around for her, because of the kindness she and her family had shown to someone many years ago. A miracle for Aunty Merle – all because of an act of kindness – which goes to show that even amidst hardships, we can be kind.
And, through the laughs, “the lessons, I guess, are there,” Marc says.
Imagination and Inspiration
According to Marc, there are many things that could give birth to a show. When he has a story that just doesn’t want to leave his head, he knows he must create material around it. “Different things spark my imagination,” he says, broadly elaborating about a recent experience at the dentist. In addition, visuals also inspire his content. And, deadlines!
When a venue director wants to book Marc a year in advance, it serves as great inspiration. Once your space for next year is booked, “come hell or high water, you need to do a show,” Marc says. In fact, that is how his show, Marc Eugene Lottering came about. It was during the time that he had signed the contract with Montecasino’s Pieter Toerien Theatre that he also had many discussions with relatives… “Interesting things about my grandparents that I did not know and about my ancestry that I really did not know.” At the time, he’d also read the book, Coloured by Tessa Dooms and Lynsey Chutel, which served as additional inspiration for the show.
Different Territories
It almost seems unnatural, yet Marc Lottering has made the big shift from stand-up comedy to musicals seem effortless. He says one of the biggest shifts was moving from being the only person on stage, to various actors, dancers, singers and musicians on stage, every night. Still, he loves the world of musicals. “I think both of them have their charms. I always joke with the audience and say that when I’m doing my one-man-show, it can be lonely, but when I take the bow at the end of the show, I smile because I know the EFT is only coming to me. I don’t have to share it with fifteen other people!” Yet, when the musical season carries on for longer than two months, Marc says it becomes like family and you don’t go through stuff alone. “We are tied together forever and I think we will still continue to do amazing things as a company. Not necessarily [Aunty] Merle, because we’ve done the trilogy, but there many things I still want to do as far as musical theatre goes.”
He is also very keen on exploring film again. The challenge there lies in finding a director who understands him and his comedy beats well. Not just his comedy beats, but also what he talks about; what turns him on as a comedian. “When the creative team is in your head and on your side – those are the things that make it become a phenomenal series that people will talk about forever and a day.” Looking back on previous television experiences, Marc says he did not have that and he wasn’t ready for it. “I think I am now. I am also able to be very selective as to whom I surround myself with when it comes to these things.”
Of course, he will continue with is stage work and also write for other people. He is excited about the fact that he can sit back and hear his comedy be told by other people.
Where to Catch Marc Lottering Before the End of the Year
In November and December, book your tickets for Alfred and Marc at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town.
With the platform Marc Lottering has built over the years, comes great responsibility, and he knows it. Through honest comedy, he brings joy and hope to the nation and beyond.
