Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Volier 'Maffi' Johnson and Elva share the stage at 'Love is a Funny Little Thing' at Backyaad, Constant Spring Road on Thursday. - photo by Peta-Gaye Clachar/ Staff Photographer

While stand-up comedy has been expanding its chuckling reach tremendously in Jamaica, mainly through the 'Crack-Up' series and the televised Comedy Buss competition, there has not been much variation from the sole- performer format, save for the duos of the genre.

So, the extensive closing segment of Thursday night's 'Love Is a Funny Little Thing' at Backyaad, Constant Spring Road, St Andrew, was very much an experiment, as four persons were on stage. And, as tends to happen with experiments, the combination of Volier Johnson and Miss Kitty, the primary speaker (or, more appropriately, combatants), as well as Elva and the night's host Christopher 'Johnny' Daley, had mixed results.

Individual showing

This came after an extended individual showing from Miss Kitty and a shorter one from Elva on either side of intermission ("Nuff a oonu tink yu in love. Yu in like," Elva said), Johnny getting the opinions of 2007 Comedy Buss contestants Tashawna Gayle, Dalton Spence and Gabre Nelson in the earlier going.

Johnson was also interviewed by Johnny before the group discussion, his wit and speed coming out in sharp, funny, yet well thought-out responses. On sex, he said he would never allow a woman to tie him up. "Nex' ting me see har wid a plantain a come," he said.

Among the positives of the group approach were Johnson's sharp, searing and very funny comments, as he and Miss Kitty debated a couple topics which couples often tussle over, among them a woman searching through a man's cellphone. "Yu have your phone, me have my phone, then yu have the house phone," Johnson said, to laughter.

Miss Kitty insisted that she had to search the phone, saying that if the records were empty then something was definitely wrong.

On the matter of cooking and fingernails, Volier looked at Miss Kitty's and said: "She no cook. Whe me a go eat? Me love my banana."

To this Miss Kitty declared, "That's why yu have yu madda," and also directed him to an array of fast-food establishments.

Vendors

On the downside were times - many times - when the group discussion sounded more like a trip down a street lined with vendors two days before Christmas, with everybody competing for sales. This was especially so with Miss Kitty who, though very funny in her 'mature audiences only' way (as was much of the night), showed her inexperience with the stand-up format by going on too long in her individual segment and not allowing her colleagues speaking room in the group setting.

Still, there was enough for the audience to laugh about, the men especially appreciating Johnson, despite his outright advocacy of certain controversial night-time activities, cheering as he described his paunch as a shelter for a certain part of his body.

Deejay Yohann Stephens of KOOL FM was on the ball with the song selection, playing Red Dragon's Ku Kum Kum as the 'fluffy' Miss Kitty dismissed the skinny women. The set included parts of the Comedy Buss background, making for an attractive background for the performers.

And, at the end of it all, Miss Kitty and Volier danced close close to midnight to bring 'Love is a Funny Little Thing' to an end.

Patrons could not hold back the laughter at 'Love is a Funny Little Thing' at Backyaad, Constant Spring Road, on Thursday.