I know as a female I really shouldn’t say what I’m about to
say… but sometimes female comedians are just not that funny. Sorry. They can be
a bit hit or miss, mainly because they’re trying too hard. Excluding the genius
that was Victoria Wood! I saw Jenny Eclair a few years ago, who based her
entire show around the menopause & made crude jokes throughout that a 57
year old just shouldn’t be making. Maybe I just wasn’t her target audience.
When I spotted Shappi Khorsandi advertised in the Dorchester
Arts Centre booklet I let my friend decide between Shappi & Russell Kane who was performing at the Electric Palace in
Bridport. We’d seen Russell who was hilarious last year at the Octagon in Yeovil &
so the decision was made to pay Shappi a visit at the Corn Exchange in Dorchester & best of all it was only 5
minutes from where we lived.
And Shappi didn’t disappoint. To start with, she was her
very own warm up act, with a raw & laid back approach, as if you were in a sitting room having a cup of tea & a good old chin wag. Which instantly
made you warm to her ditsy charm. Thankfully, we didn’t sit in the front row,
as pretty much everyone got picked on! Surely, that’s the number one rule of
attending a comedy show, especially when you can choose where to sit?!
After the interval, ‘professional Shappi’ came back with her
show ‘Oh My Country’- a celebration of living in England for 40 years after
moving from Iran as a refuge. It’s pretty disturbing to hear some of the
torment she’s been through over the years & even more recently on Twitter.
Mainly because she’s a POC – person of colour & wasn’t born in England. & cringeworthy to hear some of
the stories & things people are still saying in this day & age. The highlight had to
be when her 9 year old son Cassius made an appearance on stage. Without giving
too much away, he’s definitely a comedian in the making & Shappi’s show will most
definitely make you feel happy!!
Shappi is currently on tour across the UK – with lots more
dates coming up in June & the autumn.
Aw Shappi sounds brilliant and so inspirational! It's so sad that people are still so prejudiced, it causes so much unnecessary friction and I feel very sad they can't appreciate talents of people different to them, your blog is so beautiful! 😀 xxelizabeth ♡ ”Ice Cream” whispers Clara(lets follow each other on bloglovin or instagram)
Hi Elizabeth, she was great, really refreshing & upfront. Very thought provoking. & thank you for your kind words about my blog. I'll check yours out too! 🙂