Urzila Carlson Flies High

Urzila Carlson will be chronicling her journey from her homeland of South Africa to her adopted abode of New Zealand in her show ‘The Long Flight to Freedom’.

After performing across the hemisphere, Carlson says she’s feeling confident. “It’s always like you’re starting to get to know a new friend, you know. And I’m at the point now where we’re really good mates. I’m really good mates with the show and we get drunk every night,” laughs the comedian, “So I’m really liking this show I think it’s great. Like I always say I’m not on a soapbox for everyone but there is a message in there. Gay straight, people that wonder, racists, people that fight against racism, I cover everything.”

“I talk about what happened inside South Africa during the apartheid years and it’s not a heavy show, when you talk about it it sounds like a heavy topic but it’s not. I explain it pretty quickly. I think people are interested in that and the general feedback has been that it’s amazing to know or to get a glimpse on the side if you will. It’s an interesting topic. “

Carlson says her first priority is to make sure her audience has a good time. “I don’t pick on my audience at all, because people are so petrified to go to a comedy show! It’s funny! And nobody wants to sit in the front and I understand 100% because they get picked on. But I always say I never pick on my audience because I understand that they come to see a show, not be the show.”

‘Long Flight to Freedom’ is on at the Astor Theatre from the
13^th-15^th of May, with an extra performance in Afrikaans on the 15^th. Book tickets at www.perthcomedyfest.com.au

Sophie Joske