Casper De Vries – That moment he fell off the stage

Standup comedian Casper de Vries was bitten by an African tick and rushed to the doctor for treatment. This painful encounter made him write a show “Semi-Lewendig” (Barely Alive) that he plans to travel the country with. GAVIN PRINS had a brief chat with him about that painful bite.

WHAT IS THE SHOW ABOUT?

The show is about my encounter with a bush tick that bit me. It caused a lot of pain. I am on medication for the rest of my life because of this little thing. Oh, the wonders of nature! I am touring the country telling the people about bush tick fever.

ARE ANY OF YOUR FAMOUS CHARACTERS MAKING AN APPEARANCE?

Of course. Giselle Serfortein who talks about sex; Oom Kalamari who likes to talk about the past; Blertsie, who has one chromesome less than a camel; Geertjie Appelmoes who is based on my mother; Montelle Janse van Vuuren who used to work for South African Airways and who is now a country singer.

ANY FAVOURITE CHARACTER?

I think for sentimental reasons I would choose Greetje Appelmoes. She is typically Dutch with the cap and the long blonde braids. She is like my mother (Henriette). Whatever she says about the world  it will make you laugh. After each sentence, she would say “Ja”. That is typical Dutch.

HAVE YOU EVER HAD AN EMBARRASSING MOMENT ON STAGE?

Yes. At a festival gig, I was on stage performing with another actor and  I couldn’t see where the stage ends because it was so dark. I turned around to walk off, but I misjudged the distance  and fell off the stage. The people laughed and thought it was very funny. At least it had an effect. Also just recently, I interviewed for the position of a tour manager. That day, I increased my medication for this insect bite. As I was speaking to her, I could feel a commotion going on in my stomach and  hear a grumbling noise. I literally ran for the toilet.

YOU ARE WELL-TRAVELLED. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE CITY?

Every city has its charm. Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, all those Scandinavian cities are amazing, and so well run. But I have to say, despite the glitz, glamour and sparkling lights of Las Vegas, where I have seen some amazing shows, despite the warm, welcoming  lights of Amsterdam where my mother came from, despite even the childish charm of Disneyworld, nothing  can beat the pulse and rhythm of New York City. When you walk around in the city, you feel like you’ve just had a Vitamin B12 injection. There’s always something happening. You feel the pulsating creativity of the people and how they create these shows that run for years. Their brains are certainly wired the right way!  I would really like  to be part of it, but unfortunately I can’t. But that hasn’t stopped me from going there more times than anyone I know. IB