Gay, Black And Immortal

24 May 2007- Durban, South Africa- Somewhere like the quaint Heritage Market centre in Hillcrest is not where you would expect to find a comedian such as John Vlismas.

But you will until the end of the week, and the visit just may be worth your while.

Vlismas is back in his hometown of Durban, but there's nothing homely about his show.

Gay, Black and Immortal is dark and hard-hitting stand-up not for under-18s or people in the front row uncomfortable with discussing their sex life in front of a crowd of strangers.

Vlismas is acerbic and articulate and it's refreshing to listen to comedy laced with intelligence. He has an interesting perspective on the everyday things we don't question, especially the behaviour of rugby supporters and the reality of getting involved with very skinny women. And his take on how things work in nature may even make David Attenborough fans giggle a little.

Vlismas is a seasoned performer and you never feel like he is bumbling through his material.

There are no soft-centres or he-should-meet-my-mom moments but, at the same time, his stand-up has thought and direction so that he's not trying to shock just for the sake of it.

You keep getting caught in those moments where you realise you should be offended, but find that you're laughing instead.

And no group is left untouched - gay people, thin people, fat people, people who live in Sandton, people who live in Pietermaritzburg… even his own outfit is thoroughly mocked.

This show is good, but it's not for the faint-hearted or anyone who has a problem laughing at themselves.

Vlismas is abrasive, offensive, obnoxious and sometimes goes a bit too far, but at least he's really funny while he's doing it.

The show captures the edgy way he sees the world and he's not iffy about putting it out there. As he says: "It's better to be gay, black and immortal, than short, white and prone to gout".

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