Foster Romanus speaks on virtual comedy shows in coronavirus era

Ghanaian comedian Foster Romanus says nothing can replace the energy that comes with standing in front of an audience to perform rib-cracking jokes.

As a result of the Coronavirus, some comedians around the world have had to take their shows virtual due to the ban on mass gathering. The usual audiences and fans who

Read full articleturn up for their shows now have to stream their live or pre-recorded performances online.

Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb, Foster Romanus stated that the feeling is not the same as virtual shows that have been organized in this COVID-19 era lacked the magic that comes with performing to live audience.

“Virtual shows have been the most used strategy but with comedy, we draw energy from our audience so definitely you need them to give you the energy to guide your delivery,” he said.

The comedian cum actor hopes Ghana would quickly manage the virus for life to be brought back to normalcy.

He said, “When you say a joke, you ask yourself, are they laughing? You can’t hear them laugh, we are used to having people respond to our punchlines. Virtual was not really the best option, it also comes to your following.”

Addressing the challenges that he had faced as a result of the outbreak of Coronavirus in Ghana, he stated that “due to the virus, almost every booking that we had already agreed on was to be cancelled. Those that we had processed had to be put on hold and monies refunded, we lost huge monies.”

The entertainment industry has arguably been massively hit by the pandemic as all major events have to be put on hold as a measure to control the spread of the virus.

In his 15th address to the country on Ghana's fight against Coronavirus, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo eased retrictions on events. He mentioned among others that conference, church actvities could be held within two hours and with strict adherence to various protocols.