It's not easy to make me laugh. It's not because I'm super serious or don't have a sense of humour, but probably because I don't find vulgarity very funny. What I do find laugh-out-loud hilarious though is 'situational funny'.

And Carl Barron is all about 'situational funny'.

He's Australia's number-one-selling theatre comedian, you might remember him headlining the 2007 Cape Town Comedy Festival. And now he's back in South Africa performing at the Baxter Theatre as part of his world tour.

The evening I went to his show, he slid onto stage in that relaxed, make-yourself-at-home kind of way and I think I was already sold.

Under observation

He had me in stitches when he mimicked the way you sometimes forget something at home and start heading back to fetch it, only to then think to yourself, 'oh I'll get it later', which makes you swiftly change direction again. Meanwhile whoever is watching you is thinking — 'what a looney!'

Barron also seems to understand the dexterity of universal humour, so there were no sheep jokes, black versus white jokes, Aboriginal jokes… but instead a few fart, burp and sneeze jokes which, if you identify with, will have you rolling on the floor.

I don't doubt that Carl's most likely a little barmy — not so much in that 'runaway from the local mental asylum' way, but more in that natural way that many of us are — which is why you'll probably be laughing out loud, just because we've all been in there before.

» Barron performs at Cape Town's Baxter Theatre from 14 to 19 July 2008. Tickets are available from Computicket outlets or online at www.computicket.com