Russell Brand heads to Montecasino

On 16 and 17 November, the South African leg of Brand’s world tour is heading to Johannesburg, and is sure to raise a few eyebrows while having people in stitches.

Keeping in line with Brand’s comedic style, the tour, officially named Messiah Complex, will be a dissection of various social and religious figures and the reality of their lives through comparisons of each other. Messiah Complex is a mental disorder where you think you might be the messiah.

Did Jesus have it? What about Che Guevara, Gandhi, Malcolm X and Hitler? All these men have shaped our lives and influenced the way we think. Their images are used to represent ideas that often do not relate to them at all. Would Gandhi be into Apple? Would Che Guevara endorse Madonna? Would Jesus be into Christianity? All great people are flawed, all of us. Flawed people are capable of greatness and for every identifiable icon there is an anonymous mob of unrecognised bods doing all the admin and heavy lifting. This show looks at the importance of heroes in this age of atheistic disposability. Plus there’s sex. Obviously.

Brand states, “I am going to tour The World (our one Earth) with Messiah Complex, causing bother and excitement and offering opinions that have not been either solicited or thought through. Of course I’ll be in English speaking countries but also Scandinavia, Russia, Israel, Palestine; anywhere that will have me to be honest and that are relaxed about free speech. ”

“As well as theatres, I will be appearing in prisons, drug rehabs, social network HQs, universities, nationalist organisations, mosques, foreclosed houses, protest sites, synagogues and in people’s private homes. I dedicate this Messiah Complex tour to the four men that are it’s subject including Che Guevara, Gandhi, Malcolm X and Jesus – I know this is what they would have wanted. If this is the end of the world I’m going to go out laughing with an erection.”

Details: www.computicket.com or call 0861-813-9000.