Schalk Bezuidenhout
(Picture: handout)Ten years ago a young comic from South Africa named Trevor Noah became an international superstar after appearing in the UK. A decade on another South African, Schalk Bezuidenhout, is in London before heading to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, and he’s certainly a name to watch as well as spell correctly.
His current show, Feeling Good, is an effective calling card, showcasing impressive skills as a crowdworker, storyteller and observational stand-up. The moustachioed entertainer occasionally dips into Afrikaans, though apart from occasional lines that prompted larger laughs from ex-pat fans this was no more problematic than the late Jackie Mason peppering his schtick with Yiddish.
Bezuidenhout does not have as striking a back story as Noah, who grew up under apartheid with a black mother and white father. What he does have is funny bones and stories that are universal. Much of his performance homed in on his childhood in Kempton Park near Johannesburg, but his experiences could just as easily have happened to teenagers in Romford or Slough.
His set, written during lockdown when he was unable to gig, is a livewire mix of the familiar, the relatable and the unexpected. He’s very strong on nostalgia, recalling the cement tunnels he and his contemporaries used to play about in and precisely mimicking the way eager pupils used to put their hands up.
Yet just when you think you are looking at South Africa’s answer to Peter Kay he delivers a distinctive curveball. Bezuidenhout, who recently turned thirty, is probably the first-ever comedian to come up with a routine based around legendary Finnish long-distance athlete Lasse Virén. Literally a running gag.
Elsewhere he compared Tik Tok pranks to the violent wrestling moves his gang copied from television, joking that his playground smackdowns were far more brutal. He is not particularly political, not in this show anyway, He is more of a traditional stand-up here, devoting more time to mocking old MTV makeover show Pimp My Ride than the riots in South Africa last summer.
As the title suggests, Bezuidenhout prefers to linger on life’s positives. And he has a sharp eye for spotting them. Certainly better than his eye for fashion. One thing that might hold him back is his dress sense. His dungarees make him look more 1970s children’s TV presenter than global sensation. But that is easily remedied. A serviceable suit and who knows where he might be in another decade.
