Funny man crowned comedy club winner

Reagen Allen, kneeling, holding his prize money.

Rocklands resident Reagen Allen, who won the Cape Town Comedy Club’s #yourfunnycider competition, says he is enjoying the comedy ride.

And it all started when Reagen did a motivational talk at Lotus River High School in June last year. After the MC, Lunga Tshuku, told him he was funny and that he should think about becoming a comedian, that’s exactly what he did.

“I went home, told my wife the guy said I am funny. I have MCd before at church events and weddings, but this time it was different,” he says.

So, he gave comedy a go, and after doing a five-minute slot at the Armchair Theatre in Observatory, he was invited back to do another.

In December 2017, the Armchair had a competition for newcomers, and he won. “I was shocked that I won the competition and was getting booked to more venues. It was all so surreal to me,” says Reagen.

Then, at the beginning of July, he was crowned the winner of the Cape Town Comedy Club #yourfunnycider competition, which afforded him an exclusive performance at the Jive Funny Festival at the Baxter. However, the producer, Eddy Cassar, wanted Reagen to perform for three weeks.

Reagen does clean comedy, using no vulgar language. “I always think about not only how we can generate comedy but also use comedy for good,” he says.

As a young boy, Reagen was a quiet boy who was very focused on his academic work. But he also had a stutter, which sometimes made life a bit difficult. “In Mitchell’s Plain, people make fun of you when you’re different.”

People called him “enno” because they noticed that he started his sentences with “en no”.

When he played soccer, however, he felt he was better at expressing himself than anywhere else and played for Mother City, touring Sweden with the likes of Bafana Bafana striker Thembinkosi “Terror” Fanteni.

Now, he says: “I am working on projects aimed at creating awareness around pertinent issues affecting society, as I believe that comedy can be used as a vehicle to spread a positive message. Comedy is a powerful tool that can change how we think and how we act.”