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Comedy
duo 'The Brownies' are set to do a whirlwind tour of Rotorua
and Auckland this month before heading off to the Teuila
Festival in Samoa in September.
Samoan,
Canada Alofa, and Niuean, Vela (Brian) Manusaute, are
reprising some of their best works from the past six years
in a show called 'The Best of the Brownies'.
Their
hilarious repertoire includes Marina and Corinna, two Samoan
drag-queen aerobic instructors; a handicapped Samoan ninja
who was raised by Chinese; a Polynesian Elvis; a
bodybuilding couple called Hercules and Samson; and a
machete wielding Samoan on a revenge mission.
The
fictional characters have proven to be some of their most
popular creations since Alofa and Manusaute began their comic
partnership six years ago.
The pair focus on quirky and classic situations drawn from Pacific
Island cultures and lifestyles and garnish it with Pacific Island
humour.
"Our
shows are aimed at families - kids, teens, parents and
grandparents," says Alofa. "We purposely have kept the
humour clean so that no-one will be offended. 'The Brownies'
is now a regular draw card at the TV2 Annual Laugh Festival
in Auckland. The only topics we don't touch are things like
rape, suicide and serious issues like that."
The Brownies' comedy may seem larger than life, but things for the pair
have always been 'off-the-wall' since they met by chance in Mission
Bay, Auckland.
Alofa
says he was cruising the seaside café strip one night
when he noticed a person being beaten up by four girls and a
drag-queen.
"When
I had a closer look, I saw that it was a Polynesian guy so I
jumped out of my car and went over to help him," recalls
Alofa.
As
fate would have it, Alofa had just rescued his future
partner in comedy - although Manusaute reckons he had
everything under control that night and didn't really need
help.
At
the time, Alofa was doing a marketing job during the day and
moonlighting as a stand-up comedian with fellow comic Mike
King in Auckland's pub scene. Manusaute
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had just finished
drama school and was checking out his acting prospects on
stage and television.
The
pair's talents have taken them on tours throughout New
Zealand, Australia and the Pacific. Although some of their
humour is culture specific, the Brownies say their humour
travels well and appeals to lots of different cultures and
age groups.
This
weekend represents the pairs' second trip to Rotorua. Their
last Rotorua show five months ago was such a hit that they
were invited back to perform again at Colemans Theatre at
Rotorua Boys High School.
Once
they conclude their Auckland shows on August 25th the
Brownies will head off to Samoa for the annual Teuila
Festival in September armed with several cases of Palm and
Paradise corned beef from their corporate
sponsors.
"A
lot of people are apparently looking forward to us coming
over," says Manusaute. "They've heard that we're bringing
over some corned beef to give away and it's a big thing to
them because corned beef is a luxury item there."
For more
information, contact 'The Brownies' at
thebrowniez@xtra.co.nz
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