Arts Review
Urzila Carlson @ The Powerhouse
Well that was just the best night of laughs! What, where, when you ask? Well I went along with my girlfriend for her birthday (no I didn't hogtie her) to the Brisbane Comedy Festival's Ppening Night of Unacceptable put together by the one-and-only, absolutely amazing, South-African born, New-Zealand living, loving-lesbian wife, plus-sized, mother-of-two Urzila Carlson!
For starters this chick knows how to kick things off in ways you might never expect! From introducing herself so we all knew we were at the right show, to acknowledging that she wouldn't be making fun of any latecomers (which she didn't), through to making sure we were all comfortably seated and prepared to laugh our arses off! And if you were too late, sorry, because the laughs started the moment she hit the stage!
Also if you are the type of person who thinks comedy shows where the comedian picks on the audience are Unacceptable then this is totally the show for you! That's not to say that there isn't any audience interaction because there was plenty,but it was all totally acceptable.
So let's get to the nitty gritty of what makes this chick so great. It's got to be down to her honesty. You know the kind. Forget punchlines because Urzilla tells it like it is: from the unacceptability of those who drive slow in the fast lane, to the acceptablility of those who let off fart bombs at the supermarket when shopping.
She shared so many stories starting out with those who give tickets to friends for their birthdays to how her show Unacceptable came into existence all thanks to her decision to take a stand against a homphobic Facebook Post! She shared stories from her life from back in the the days when she worked in retail in the fresh-produce area of a supermarket to now, as she travels around as a world class comedian who sometimes doesn't know how to answer no.
She touched hearts as she shared the incredibly real sadness of losing a much-wanted baby. Then moved swiftly through to the hot headed slo-mo moments of being a parent with her wife. (She took this oppportunity to note for the record that both New Zealand and South Africa have marriage equality.)
You know what, I could go on and on about how incredible Urzila was, but I don't need to as the proof of how hot things were was totally in the pie; following her debut on Thursday night Brisbane Comedy Festival immediately added extra shows to the line up and they were sold out within 24 hours!
Of course that is totally because Urzila Carlson is Unacceptable in just in the most acceptable way.
And she takes a great selfie!
Sharon Mulheron
Co Host Queer Radio