![Comedian Trevor Noah is currently touring the UK with his show 'The Racist']()
Comedian Trevor Noah is currently touring the UK with his stand-up show ‘The Racist’. Photograph: Supplied
In just six years, Trevor Noah has risen from never having taken the stage before to being South Africa’s biggest comedian.
Still just 29, Trevor has sold more DVDs than any other stand-up in Africa. Fans quote his performances verbatim, share his clips globally and have “friended” him in their thousands on Facebook and Twitter. His ascent has been nothing short of meteoric.
Trevor has fronted many TV shows in South Africa, including the country’s music, television and film awards. He has hosted the South African Comedy Festival and two seasons of his own late-night talk show, Tonight with Trevor Noah, on the MNet network.
The comic, who grew up in Soweto, has also been the subject of the award-winning film, Township to the Stage, which recounts the story of his astonishing career in post-apartheid South Africa.
In the US, Trevor has appeared on both The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (the first South African comedian ever to do so) and The David Letterman Show, and become the only South African comedian ever to made it to the international audition for NBC’s programme, Last Comic Standing.
Known for his razor-sharp wit, thought-provoking commentary and winning charm, Trevor has also opened for international superstar stand-up Russell Peters and legendary singer Julio Iglesias. It is no exaggeration to say that he is the most successful stand-up ever to come out of South Africa.
The critics agree. Time Out calls Trevor, “Slick, intelligent, blissfully funny. This is insightful, warm, classy comedy.”
The Observer describes him as, “An immensely likeable performer – warm, upbeat, with an enquiring, irreverent approach to other people’s prejudices. We can expect to see a lot more of him over here.”
The Scotsman, meanwhile, says he is, “A handsome, effortlessly engaging polyglot, fascinating and frequently hilarious. For someone so persecuted by languages, prejudices and limitations, Noah demonstrates a mastery of it, standing out chiefly for his considerable talent.”
Finally, The Times declares that, “He performs with remarkable poise, scoring plenty of hits. A great entertainer.”
The good news is that now you have the chance to see what all the fuss is about.
Trevor, who has a black South African mother and a white Swiss father,has emabrked on a pioneering tour of the UK, which includes a performance at Wolverhampton’s Wulfrun Hall. He will be performing his dazzling show, The Racist, which recently sold-out a 40-date residency at London’s Solo Theatre, making Trevor the most popular comedian ever to have appeared at that venue.
Trevor and I are chatting over lunch at a central London restaurant in the run-up to the tour. You’ll be delighted to learn that his stage charisma is no act; he is just as magnetic – and as hilarious – face-to-face. Our conversation is punctuated with gales of laughter.
A comedian who enjoys a marvellous connection with his audiences, Trevor is the first South African stand-up to mount a major tour of this country.
He begins by underlining how much he is looking forward to the experience. “I’m so delighted to be touring the UK. I can’t wait to visit every part of this wonderful country.”
He is breaking new ground with this tour. “I never thought this was possible. As a boy, I’d watch Poirot, but I didn’t think this was attainable. No African comedian had done it before. I didn’t have a role model. I couldn’t say, ‘I’ll do what he did’.
“Any time in the past that a comedian came here, he had been sanctioned by the South African government. I had never seen a success story where a South African stand-up had gone to the UK with a bag on a shoulder and said, ‘I’m here to tour’.”
Trevor, who made a huge impact at the Edinburgh Festival last summer, clearly has a particular bond with British audiences. The comedian affirms that, “I really connect with audiences in the UK. I’ve always had a fantastic relationship with people here because all South Africans are children of Britain.
“The influence of the English language is also immeasurable. I have a great love of language. In South Africa, we have 11 different languages, but English is unique. It’s completely humour-filled. It naturally lends itself to comedy. African languages might rely for humour on alliteration or funny sounds rather than puns or sarcasm. But English has humorous tools that are just not available in any other language.”
![Trevor was "discovered" in the UK by Eddie Izzard, both shown here during their performance on 'Live at the Apollo'. Photo: Ellis O'Brien/BBC]()
Trevor Noah was “discovered” in the UK by veteran comedian Eddie Izzard, both shown here during their performance on ‘Live at the Apollo’. Photograph: Ellis O’Brien/BBC
Trevor, who was discovered in this country a couple of years ago when the great comedian Eddie Izzard quite by chance saw him doing an open spot at the Comedy Store in London, carries on that, “People in the UK are also much more advanced in their race relations than many other countries. They are very interested in having a conversation about the new South Africa.
“The UK was one of the biggest countries actively involved in opposing apartheid. Audiences come to my show saying, ‘When we were at university, we demonstrated for Nelson Mandela. Mary, remember that thing we fought against 20 years ago? Let’s go to Trevor Noah’s show and see if all that demonstrating worked!’”
He proceeds to underscore just how much he loves performing live. “The rapport with the audience is everything to me. I love the buzz of stand-up. It’s the sheer immediacy of it – I really like the fact that I instantly know how you’re feeling.
“When you’re working on television, you can hope it’s funny, but you have no way of really knowing. But every night on stage, you can see the audience reaction. It’s incredible. It gives you immediate gratification – or immediate disappointment! You can fix it on the spot.”
He continues that, “I feel like I’m at my funniest with people I know. So the best shows are where I really get to know an audience and have a relationship with them. Then it seems as if the magic will never end. If I can make friends with an audience, I hope we can have a never-ending relationship!”
A comedian gifted with a wonderful use of language, Trevor observes that, “I love the fact that every night on tour is unique. I like to think of my show as like a lava lamp. The wax will always move around inside. People will always see it floating, but the shapes they see will be different every single night.”
Trevor felt that strong relationship with the audience the very first time he ever stepped on stage. He recalls that, “I never dreamt I could become a stand-up. I simply fell into comedy. Originally, I wanted to be a traffic cop. I loved the idea of shouting into a microphone – which I did end up doing!
“But six years ago, I was out one night at a dingy bar in Johannesburg. The guys on stage were doing an open mike night. It was a horrible, horrible show. It had no structure, rhyme or reason. One of my companions said to me, ‘You should be doing this’. I’d always loved making people laugh, so he managed to convince me.”
Recollecting the occasion like it was yesterday, Trevor goes on, “The moment I got on stage, it just worked. I didn’t know beforehand that I was going to do it, but people were immediately cheering me. It was insane. I felt instantly at home. I felt like I understood it. Everything else – even video games, which I love – I feel like I’ve learnt. Stand-up is the one thing I have never been taught. It’s the one area where I intuitively knew what to do.”
The comedian, who has hosted his own South African radio programme, Noah’s Ark, is happy to discuss the title of his new show, ‘The Racist’. “I chose that provocative title because I knew that that’s what the show isn’t. I also knew that anyone brave enough to come to a show with that title would be the sort of people I’d want in the audience.”
Trevor explains that, “I’m not at all an abrasive person. Growing up in South Africa, many people on both sides had a huge amount of anger. Many black people have never learnt to trust white people in any shape or form, and many young white people are getting angry about black people hating them.
“But my father was white. So when I see a white person, I don’t automatically think, ‘bad guy’. I think, ‘He looks like my dad. Maybe he’ll buy me a bike!’ My mum is the love of my life. So I’ve lived in both worlds, and I’m in touch with both worlds.”
Trevor goes on to emphasise that, “The show is about more than just race. It’s about identity. It asks: who are we? The issue of identity comes up repeatedly all over the world, regardless of race. In the show, I’m just playing with that.”
Does Trevor believe that any subjects should be off-limits to comedians?
“No. My goal is never to shock or offend people. That’s too easy. It’s far more challenging to go into the realm of things that might offend people without actually offending them.”
He is perfectly happy, for instance, to tackle the subject of apartheid.
Trevor smiles that, “I love talking about apartheid. It’s a terrible, ridiculous system and perfect fodder for comedy. Apartheid was pro-stupidity. They took an idea that was ludicrous and said, ‘Let’s make it official’. It was a sad time, but looking back, it’s ridiculous.
“For example, prisoners were given different food according to their race. White prisoners got meat three times a week, while black prisoners got it just once a week. That’s so crazy. Even in the smallest things, they never let you forget your race. Even as criminals, you weren’t equal.”
Trevor, a fascinating, well-informed man, contemplates whether you can change anything through comedy. “All I see of South Africa on the news in the UK is horrible. They make it look like a war zone. Does that depress me? No, it inspires me to challenge that view.
“Simply by being here, I’m overcoming those stereotypes. By engaging people in a subject that they think they’re familiar with, you can make them think, ‘I guess I didn’t know everything about South Africa’. You can help to change their perception.”
He carries on that, “It’s not my goal to change people’s minds. It’s my goal to give people the option to change their mind. I want you to think, ‘Next time I consider that subject, I know there is an alternative’. The first time you step into a swimming pool, you do it with trepidation. Only when you see someone else diving in do you see that there’s another option. I’m not saying my way is the only way. I’m saying it’s another way.
“I’m not going to change racists through my act. But I can plant a seed in their minds, so maybe they’ll think, ‘They’re not all bad. Damn him!’ You don’t achieve that through shock – they just go away hating you even more. You achieve it through stealth.”
Trevor adds that, “Most abrasive forms of invasion never work because people fight against it. Look at the places where the Americans have tried to impose democracy by force – it always fails. But when they say, ‘here are our movies, our music and our burgers,’ those places soon become more American than anywhere else. You can achieve so much more in a non-abrasive way.”
Now Trevor is particularly looking forward to playing Edinburgh once more.
“When I first performed there, it had always been my dream. Edinburgh is where every comedian is equal. A comedian in a 12-seat venue can get as many accolades as one in 1000-seater. When I arrived there, I immediately thought, ‘This is where I need to be’.”
He is also relishing the prospect of playing the Apollo, Hammersmith. “It’s just ‘Wow!’ It’s such an iconic venue. As a comedian, you can’t aspire to much. There are not many awards or distinctions you can achieve. So you have to measure success in different ways, and performing in a prestigious venue like the Hammersmith Apollo is one. It’s steeped in comedy history. You feel like half the work is being done for you, and some of the laughter from previous comedians has stuck to the walls.”
Just as he is about to leave, I ask Trevor what he thinks of the South African President, Jacob Zuma. The comedian comes up with a typically brilliant answer:
“Single-handedly, Zuma has been the most fantastic thing for my comedy. I’m really hoping he carries on as President!”
And the room echoes one last time with laughter.
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