Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Emo Majok is a convivial, easy-going comedian who proves good company for the 55 minutes he’s on stage, even if the material in Black Santa Returns never takes full flight.

Black Santa is a red herring, by the way. There’s no explicit theme to the show, let alone a Christmas one, but you’ve got to have a title, haven’t you?

If there is a recurring motif, it is the casual racism he encounters, from the neighbours who are instinctively afraid of him to the man who thinks he must be an expert on African gangs – though he hardly fits the stereotype of a hardened criminal. Such experiences are sadly familiar, so plenty of other black comics have covered this territory. But at least it’s not another white millennial talking about online dating profiles…

Some of his shorter gags are a bit cliched: from glow-in-the-dark condoms to not wearing trousers for Zoom meetings, while the joke about wanting his partner to have a C-section so as not to spoil his sexual pleasure is definitely from a bygone era – or at least you might have hoped.

Majok is better with longer stories, such as his anecdote about being challenged for ID when buying booze, where his relaxed demeanour can draw the audience in. Similarly, he charms with some good-natured crowd work, especially when gently teasing the white punters.

Such charisma and the unhurried rhythm of his delivery suggest he’ll make a fine storytelling comedian one day – even if his relative inexperience shows today. And I’d wager he has the tale to tell about his journey from an East African refugee camp to the sanctuary Australia when he’s ready to do so.

• Emo Majok as Black Santa Returns is at Fad Gallery at 7pm until April 23, except Monday.

Review date: 15 Apr 2022
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival