Urzila Carlson
We’ve been waiting a long time for this. Award-winning Kiwi-South African comedian Urzila Carlson returns to the Top End with her hilarious new show, It’s Personal. Tierney Seccull caught up with her for a chat about her new show, how hot it is in Darwin, and something else we will let you find out as the conversation unfolds.
Tell us about It’s Personal – what inspired it?
I spent so much time in quarantine, so that’s kind of where it came from. There were so many thoughts in my head, and I read an article where there are basically two types of people in the world – the type who have that internal voice that they communicate with the whole day, and the type that doesn’t have it at all. And I just thought, ‘wow – how quiet would that be?’
But also, everyone’s on social media and TikTok and people are sharing everything. I’m not an over-sharer on socials; I’ve never even put a pic of my family up. I just think we live in a time where we share everything online, but no one can actually ask you or comment on anything private … It’s like we’re not allowed to say a thing anymore, yet we can share our private sh-t online.
I just thought, with 10 weeks in quarantine, there’s so much stuff I was thinking about and wondering if other people were thinking about it, too. So I wrote this show about it. I didn’t know how it was gonna go, but it’s amazing how the audience comes on a journey and they go, ‘yep – I’ve had that thought, too’, which is f--king’ strange. People have loved it, and I’ve loved it – I wish I could tour it for another couple of years, actually.
Do you do any over-sharing in the show?
I do. All is revealed in the show, but I tell ya what, when I tell people at the end, it has just been blowing up…
You’ve tried a few times to return to Darwin, your last appearance at the 2018 Darwin Festival. Can you even believe this is happening?
Being on tour at the moment … I can’t believe I’m on the road. I did a show in Sydney to 6,000 people – that’s 6,000 people sitting shoulder-to-shoulder in a theatre, and I honestly didn’t think that would ever happen again. I was blown away.
Your Darwin show has been a long time coming, and we’re the last stop on your tour – any plans while you’re in town?
Yes, you are, end it on a bang! I looked it up yesterday and you guys have 32 degrees when we are sitting at 16 in New Zealand, so I thought yep – that’s why I struggle in Darwin. I will need to sit in a pool to get my core temperature down and keep things manageable. I’m actually coming three days early so I can hang out a bit. I’ve never actually seen anything of Darwin, so I thought I should come and check it out!
My tour manager lived in Darwin, so he’s got a schedule planned of all the things I need to see while I’m there, so I’m just going to follow his lead, I mean I usually do, I don’t do a lot of planning. I’ve done two gigs in Darwin, and I said I’m not doing gigs in Darwin again, it’s too f--king hot! At the Festival in the park at night there were these giant moths flying into my head, and I thought, ‘this is bulls--t, I’m never coming back’.
But he said ‘you should go back, it’s amazing, it’s beautiful’, so he’s determined to make me love it.
The past couple of years have seen us in and out of lockdowns, some nailing the craft of baking sourdough – did you form any skills or hobbies during your quiet time at home?
I managed to finish porn.
You did what, sorry?
I finished porn. Yeah. All of it. I watched all of it.
So, the special skill you picked up while in lockdown was watching all of the porn? [laughs]
Yes, I watched all of it, to make sure I knew what was going on. I remember a lot of stuff from it, you know. I wanted to learn a new language, but then I remembered I’m already talented in the language department, so I just finished the porn.
[laughs] This all ties back to your show, doesn’t it – we can just say what we like these days?
[laughs] I didn’t think I should lie to you!
Urzila Carlson – It’s Personal
WHEN SAT 11 JUN | 7.30PM
AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
COST $62
INFO yourcentre.com.au
