Razor-sharp satire is the trademark of comedian, writer, actor and humourist, Casper De Vries, one of the most cuttingly humourous Roasters at the 2012 Comedy Central Roast of Steve Hofmeyr. An Afrikaans comedian who is turning his gaze towards English speaking audiences, De Vries’ powerful stage presence, inventive humour and outspoken views combine into one comic tour de force that has held audiences transfixed from Pretoria to the London Palladium.

Humanity, religion, the absurdity of human existence and the crazy world we live in – nothing is safe from De Vries’ piercing gaze. Not afraid to send up any subject under the sun, De Vries happily tramples over taboos, ensuring that no holy cow escapes his scrutiny.

Colin Moss is a South African actor and television personality best known for presenting Fear Factor and Idols, and various film and television roles including The World Unseen - in which he plays an apartheid-era psycho cop - the lead in No 10 as well as his comedic roles in Crazy Monkey’s Straight Outta Benoni and Big Fellas. Moss started his career as a standup comic. It was while he was living on fruit from the garden of his commune in Johannesburg that Moss first started performing comedy, originally in order to make enough money for toothpaste, beer and petrol. Comedy is a lifelong passion for Moss and he continually goes back to his roots and regularly works the comedy circuit - both in South Africa and in the UK and Ireland.

De Vries’ alter ego and comic creation, Hanno Gelderblom also plays a starring role at this month’s Comedy Central Presents ... Live at Parker’s. As played by De Vries, Gelderblom is an unreconstructed and unrefined old skool Afrikaaner from Kempton Park, a straight-talking whisky drinker who tells it as he sees it - from the bottom of a bottle of Klipdrift. Gelderblom first made his debut on the Casper Rasper Show as the manager of a fictional old-age girl group called Die Jerry-Hattricks, and is the fictional father to one of De Vries’ other personas, Orpa Gelderblom, who sang a duet with him on a celebrated episode of SABC’s Noot vir Noot.

Gareth Woods was born in 1984 in the “bustling metropolis” of Klerksdorp. Son to a preacher and an English teacher, Woods struggled to fit in, beset by preconceived ideas about “preacher’s kids” in the strict Afrikaans town. This was when he realised that he saw things a little differently to other people. Woods’ style is one of witty and anecdotal analysis of life’s everyday occurrences and is sure to put a fresh lens on the ordinary, via dry one-liners, quirky observations and maybe a song or two. Woods was also part of the Durban Comedy Invasion which debuted at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown in 2011 to glowing reviews.

Launched just over 12 months ago, Comedy Central, channel 122 on DStv, has lured the nation’s top comics into hosting its regular monthly stand-up gig, held the last Wednesday of every month. Among the many brilliant funnymen and women to grace the stage at Parker’s Comedy & Jive, Montecasino, Johannesburg have been Chris Forrest, Kurt Schoonraad, Tumi Morake, Al Prodgers, Joey Rasdien, Barry Hilton, Loyiso Gola, Tats Nkonzo and Stuart Taylor. Nigerian comic, Basketmouth helms the show on Wednesday, 24 April and Kagiso Lediga takes over the reins on Monday, 29 May.

Tickets for Comedy Central Presents Casper De Vries Live at Parker’s are available at www.parkerscomedy.com, direct from Computicket, or at the door at Parker’s Comedy & Jive, Montecasino, priced at R120.

For further information about Comedy Central Presents … Live at Parker's, visit www.comedycentralafrica.com. Alternatively, 'Like' the Facebook page or follow @comedycentralAF.