Outrageous! boasts a who’s who heavyweight comedy team of stand-ups including: John Vlismas, Barry Hilton, Joey Rasdien, Krijay Govender, Loyiso Gola, Mark Banks and Riaad Moosa. Imagine the scene from Tombstone as the sharp-shooters wander into town, ready to do the Riverdance, armed with guns and handlebar moustaches… they mean business!

Now the cast from Outrageous! aren’t as camp… but they do have John Vlismas, whose obsession with the misadventures of his own man salami could easily rival the androgynous air-sex antics of Russell Brand. Now it’s filmed like a cockumentary (comedy + documentary), so naturally the budget all went into make up and security making Outrageous! all about the meat of the production… which is quite rare and well done!

Catch the rest of the review and the trailer after the jump…

Outrageous! is a no-holes barred comedy experience taking the popular dinner table threesome of sex, religion and politics and twisting them with the minds of SA’s finest stand-ups. The material is fresh and taken from The Comedy Heavies, a down-and-dirty gig at Da Comedy Underground at Cool Runnings in Mellville and from the Big Top at Sun International’s Carnival City.

Outageous! is produced by Anant Singh and Helena Spring with Bevan Cullinan in the director’s chair. The live-wire editing, behind-the-scenes footage and highlights comedy reel format deliver top quality stand-up comedy entertainment with no shortage of laughs. Outrageous! has been cleverly edited to blend and categorise stand-up performance clips from all the comedians – keeping a good pace and eliminating any dead or pungent air.

Vlismas seems to be the main coordinator, rallying the troops, presenting the line-up and cracking the comic whip as a lubricious ringmaster – minus the gimp suit. He’s basically there for the foreplay, to warm the crowd up, set the mood and build a rapport with the audience – he doesn’t disappoint. Then there’s Barry Hilton, the cousin, whose perfect balance of top draw South African comedy, facial expressions and brow gymnastics give the team some real fire power. Joey Rasdien and his comic foil (aka hair) are funny and engaging, leading to some creative, versatile and “interesting” crowd-pleasing microphone moments.

Team Outrageous! – A Heady Mix

Krijay Govender is the sole sister in the comedy line-up and earns her place by turning insight and social commentary into a blistering set with some big laughs. Loyiso Gola’s chilled comic approach features more strongly in the behind-the-scenes footage and it would’ve been great to have seen some more from him, given the strength of the quick bursts from his 8 minute set. Mark Banks delivers a solid dose of mad hatter hysteria with his irreverent and risque brand of comedy as he clamors around the stage like a legless flamingo. Then Riaad Moosa’s stand-up “insert” (see picture) is taken from Da Comedy Underground, which is both street smart and hilarious as he blends news from around the world with a range of accents and sharp punch lines.

Overall, it’s a real treat for fans of stand-up comedy and sets the bar really high for Bafunny Bafunny, scheduled for June this year. Outrageous! leaves no sacred cow unturned and remains laugh-out-loud funny at the same time. It’s a behind-the-scenes “documentary” comedy tour that you’ll get if you’re South African, probably only get if you ever move to South Africa or watch it on DVD years from now…

Even those who cringe at the very thought of sitting below a vindictive comedian with halitosis will find it enjoyable, apart from finding small specks of popcorn in your hair after the show (better than spittle). The content is mildly explicit with enough f-bombs to sink an iceberg. So if you’re easily offended by regular stand-up comedy, curse words or the news, you’d better nut up or move to Australia… crikey!

The bottom line: Quality.

Release Date: 9 April, 2010

Watch the Outrageous! Trailer
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