BY TOMI FALADE
Date of performance: August 11, 2019
Venue: MUSON Centre, Lagos
With ‘They Think I’m Joking,’ comedian Efe WarriBoy stepped confidently into the Nigerian spotlight with his first full-length comedy special, held at the prestigious MUSON Centre in Lagos.
The show sold out in advance and attracted over 1,000 audience members, setting the tone for what would become a defining performance in the rising comic’s career.
The special leaned heavily into narrative-driven, fictional storytelling, with one particular routine serving as the emotional and comedic core of the evening.
Efe told the story of a man who left his rural village to seek fortune in the big city, only to abandon his family and become unreachable. In their anger, his relatives reportedly sent a village deity to spiritually eliminate him.
However, when the deity arrived at a nightclub and witnessed the wealth, freedom, and beautiful women surrounding the man, the story took a surreal and hilarious turn.
The man casually confronted the deity and asked why he had come. When the deity revealed he had come to claim his soul, the man offered him a drink and invited him to enjoy the night. “Everybody will die one day,” the man reasoned, “so you might as well enjoy yourself.” What followed was an unexpected twist: the deity returned to the village and warned the family never to harm the man again, saying he was of more value to the deity than the entire village combined.
This routine was a showcase of Efe’s imagination, narrative structure, and ability to mix folklore with modern satire. It reflected his capacity to build a world on stage, complete with character shifts, dialogue, and a strong comedic payoff.
His delivery was measured and theatrical, with seamless transitions between characters and narrative tones. The audience responded with consistent laughter and bursts of applause, indicating strong engagement from start to finish.
Efe was supported by four warm-up comedians and Afrobeats icons FAZE and Sound Sultan, who each performed live music sets. The blend of comedy and music gave the evening the atmosphere of a major cultural event rather than a standard stand-up show.
It also reflected Efe’s emerging status as a creative collaborator and headliner.
As his first major solo show, They Think I’m Joking demonstrated Efe’s ability to hold a large stage, captivate an audience with extended routines, and deliver a unique comedic voice rooted in both Nigerian tradition and modern irreverence.
His fictional routines reflected artistic risk and originality, making this debut not only a commercial success but also an important artistic milestone in his career.
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