Review by Steve Bennett at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival

He’s a trickster, is South African comic Loyiso Gola, loving nothing more than messing with his audience’s preconceptions and liberal guilt.

Best example? He says something in Xhosa, with its distinctive tongue-clicks, which earns him a round of applause –  which he immediately rebukes. It’s not a party trick; it’s his native language, so why think it impressive? 

But it’s done as a tease, not in anger, for Gola’s appeal is his casual, laid-back charm that makes him a pleasure to be with. The relaxed approach is deceiving, though, for there are some great jokes in this loose set.

His background is, of course, what makes him different, and his strongest anecdotes play up the differences, including a lovely routine about how Africans always have an elaborately polite greeting protocol, even when they’re being hostile.

The outsider status gives him some decent material on Melbourne’s foibles, despite being here only days. Unexpectedly, it was an advert for avocados that struck him as particularly odd. He’s also recently moved to London, inspiring some great material about urban foxes that again highlights absurdities that the British locals take for granted.

Seemingly not wanting to be stereotyped by talking only about African experiences, Gola has comments on the likes of golf, air travel and cookery shows – all mainstream, familiar subjects, though he usually finds a new angle, or a good way of expressing an old idea.

Most impressive, perhaps, is the way he rolls with some of the random interjections of the weekend audience, such as cheekily explaining the conventions of stand-up after his ragging on the residents of Sydney attracts a comment from the dark. 

He was slightly rattled, however by a heckler whose liberal hackles were raised by mere mention of Muslims – as if Gola was suddenly  going to reveal himself as a hate-filled Islamophobic firebrand. The ensuing routine about being an outsider at 99 per cent Muslim school in South Africa becomes a sincere call for understanding and tolerance (albeit with a punchline), but the tone is cautious, and, in fact, slightly patronising and preachy. It’s a rare misstep.

A sizeable star back home, Gola is clearly aiming for as large and as international a following as possible – taking fellow countryman Trevor Noah’s career as a template, perhaps. He could very well have the likeability and wit to pull that off.

Review date: 2 Apr 2017
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival