poof! but not a disappearing act

poof!

but not a disappearing act! By Bruce J. Little AKA, The Little Poof!

We all know the story of the magician who makes rabbits disappear into his top hat with a “poof” of smoke. Well, I can assure you that this Little Poof! is not planning on making any such exit. “Killie jouhierenkilliejoudaar, ensie’daar!”

In 2009, I attended my first ever Joburg Pride and was lucky enough to be invited on a float. As we trundled merrily along Jan Smuts Avenue, I saw a whole bunch of heteronormative, cisgender families (in other words typical and seemingly not Queer) on their balconies holding up placards. I was fully expecting those home-made signs to say things like: “God hates gays!”, or the equally welcoming: “Repent sinners!” But they didn’t. As we drove gingerly by, I saw that read, simply: “We Love You!”

I was moved and at the same time, inspired. I wanted to do something to commemorate that moment. I decided to write a show that would showcase, celebrate and shed light on LGBTQ+ issues. I wanted to make something that would help people learn something as they had a good laugh. I was also unemployed at the time and desperately in need of work, and so I created my own. And so, the first Little Poof! Homofabulous Show was born, to premiere at the gorgeous Zietsie’s “Glaskas” Theatre in Brixton in 2010. It was indeed a good year for the Soccer World Cup tagline: “KeYona!” The time had come, for me too.

The shows developed a life of their own, and in the blink of an eye, I had five years and four original shows as well as three incredible accompanists under the belt. The Pink Loerie Mardi Gras and Arts Festival came to be a yearly gig that was soon synonymous with my stock characters, ThandawamiTokoloshe, Shinaaz and Mariska, the reluctant fag hag. The straight (and sexy) barmen at Zanzibar also came to be very dear and protective friends during those amazing years, which inspired another article I wrote for Mambaonline (In Praise of Straight Men).

But all was not as glam and fab as it seemed on the surface. The shows would sell out and get rave reviews, but we made little to no profit, and eventually, the shows began to cost me money. So, I hung up my puppet, wigs and costume rail for three years to sort out my career and my bank balance.

Fast forward to the present, this Pink Loerie Mardi Gras and Arts Festival I had hoped for a comeback, and the organisers and I applied to several organisations for funding. We were sure that at least one would come through, but as the Festival drew nearer and nearer we heard nothing; I decided to pull the plug because my amazing Director and talented young accompanist had to be paid, and I could not be sure there would be money to do so. I could afford to do the show for free, but they needed to be available to find other paying gigs during that time. I always say, “Exposure doesn’t help your career, it’s what happens to you when you get left out in the cold.”

So, we couldn’t bring a show to this year’s festival, sadly. But we could publish a collection of the most popular monologues from the previous shows (in collaboration with Junkets), which you will be able to get your hands on and keep forever. The booklet is called Little Poof! The Homonologues. This at least is something that brings joy to my heart, despite the disappointment.

Rest assured, though, Mariska, Thandawami and all the other characters in my head are not going quietly, and the Pink Loerie Festival organisers and I still have a few tricks up our sleeves.

Who knows? We may even have an exciting announcement to make soon if we get the green light from a potential investor with whom we’ve been chatting. Please hold thumbs for us!

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