Review – Urzila Carlson: The Long Flight to Freedom
Urzila Carlson has been performing for years, with sellout shows at the last couple of festivals – and it’s not really a surprise, to those who know her warm and authentic yet no holds barred style. I liked her before I went to see ‘The Long Flight to Freedom’, but now she’s one of my absolute favourite comics. This show is the ultimate blend of physical comedy, personal anecdotes, and just a little bit of serious stuff. I feel like I shouldn’t have to say this, but there are just some things that she gets better than other comics, and can turn into jokes that have you in stitches the whole time. As a plus size lesbian from a country with a turbulent history, she’s got so much to say and so many ways to put a new – hilarious – perspective on things. Also, her accent is amazing.
Carlson is from South Africa by way of New Zealand, where she lives with family. ‘Long Flight to Freedom’ is mostly about growing up outside of Johannesburg, the contrast with life in New Zealand, and why and how she decided to come here. It’s also interspersed with a little audience participation (important for keeping people on their toes), about which she is refreshingly clear – no hands up, no heckling, no weird requests, please and thankyou. One of the most interesting takeaways from ‘Long Flight to Freedom’ for me was that I actually learned something and it got me thinking at times – which just made the ridiculous physical gags that much funnier.
I feel like the venue had a bit of an impact on how the show came across – it’s a long, narrow room with a relatively small stage, and the seats were really packed in so that people would have a decent view (without compromising the capacity). However, this meant that not everyone seemed totally connected to what was going on up on the stage. I’d like to see the same kind of material in a venue that better lets her do her thing.
‘The Long Flight to Freedom’ is on at Vic’s Bar in the Victoria Hotel every night of the Festival except Monday the 14th of April.
