The criticism likely to be levelled at Shappi Khorsandi following her Fringe show this year will be that she is another comedian that has taken ‘talk about what you know’ and doggedly committed to it. Her thoughts on her recent divorce, which undid her fantasy of the perfect career and home life, have replaced the captivating reflections on her experiences as a British Iranian.
It is said that tragedy plus time equals comedy and from the content and delivery of her material this summer it appears that there has not been the time between separation and show to realise heartfelt hilarity.
Her closing tale remarks upon having a bath with her son in which he asked, “Where’s your willy, mummy?” To which she quips, “Mummy doesn’t have a willy. But she has more balls than daddy.” This is characteristic of a show in which Khorsandi is as intelligent and affable as ever but raw point-scoring detracts from her performance.
Her interactions with the audience were brief and bland and, whilst taking into account that the Fringe is the first, full foray into new material, Khorsandi bumbled through her lines at times. She lacked the air of spontaneity and crispness that is crucial to the success of a touring comedian.
What frustrates is the abiding sense that Khorsandi is capable of more; wider-ranging themes and snappier delivery. It is a shame to simply attribute the weaknesses to her domestic strains but she’s put them on show and named the show after them so it’s more than convenient to do so.
3/5
By Daniel Baird
