It was more demanding than boot camp, he said, and he should know.

The United States comedian flitted between 23 different personas at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre last night when his autobiographical stage comedy Basic Training began its Australian tour.

For Ashanti it ended, as always, with being famished.

"I'm so hungry after the show - it's absolutely exhausting," he said.

"I think the air force should adopt this show and teach it to everyone in order for them to join the military."

The one-time US Air Force recruit got much of last night's material from the four years he spent touring the world on active service, most of it as a comedian and breakdancer with in-house entertainment troupe Tops in Blue.

"It was such a high-visibility group - we would perform to heads of state so you couldn't curse, and you couldn't tell any off-colour jokes. It was very clean," he said.

"We did 27 countries in 46 days every year for almost three years.

"I had my 21st birthday in Greenland and we did Christmas in Kunsan, Korea, for the troops."

Generations of Ashanti's forebears were military men, though he was the first to opt for the air force.

His service was a way to escape his abusive childhood, explored between the laughs of Basic Training.

The story pivots on a shocking secret his mother reveals as he leaves for boot camp.

"It's comedy with a heart. You laugh and then it kind of punches you in the chest in some parts," Ashanti said.

The work was the New York Times Critics' Pick of 2008 and has won awards at fringe festivals in Edinburgh, Melbourne, Montreal and Vancouver.

It is now in development as a book, TV series and feature film with Josephson/20th Century Fox.

Merrigong Theatre Company's artistic director Simon Hinton saw Ashanti in Edinburgh in 2007 and was so impressed he brought him to Australia. Basic Training will play in 14 Australian destinations, making it the first show toured by the Wollongong-based theatre company nationally.

Basic Training is at Illawarra Performing Arts Centre until June 6. Phone 4226 3366 to book.