Comedian Aaron McIlroy’s latest musical comedy, The Ranga, opens on the 2015 National Arts Festival Fringe in Grahamstown next week.

Well-known for his many live comedy shows and as Spud’s dad in all the Spud movies,The Ranga was originally directed by Steven Stead for the 2014 Hilton Arts Festival. This musical comedy takes a tongue-in-cheek look at prejudice as seen through the eyes of a man tormented with pigmentation issues.

The word ‘Ranga’ is derived from ‘Orangutang’ (red-haired monkeys) and is a derogatory term used to describe people with varying shades of red hair, from strawberry blond to auburn. McIlroy, in his inimitably whacky style, takes the scalpel to the preconceived ideas around ‘ranga-ism’ – highlighting how this recessive gene is the primary cause of most the world’s woes! Inspired by the Australian sitcom, Summer Heights High, McIlroy descends into the gritty underbelly of ginger prejudice with hilarious results.

“For many years, we tried to blend in with other people and pretend we weren’t Rangas,” quips McIlroy. “We even tried to disguise ourselves with the use of hair dye and sunscreen, and by taking the mac out of our names. This made Rangas harder and harder to identify.”

Durban’s multi-award-winning comic appears alongside well-known Durban muso, Andy Turrell, on musical accompaniment. Hit songs to be heard in the show include, among others, parodies of Duelling Banjos (Deliverance), Hey Brother (Avicii), Money’s Too Tight To Mention (Simply Red) and Moves Like Jagger (Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera).

The Ranga will be performed at the National Arts Festival in the Scout Hall in Grahamstown with daily shows running between July 2 and 6

. For bookings and performance times, visit www.nationalartsfestival.co.za