Comedy: Shappi Khorsandi – The Distracted Activist

Date: August 30th, 2009 Author: Martin Walker
Category(s): Comedy: Shappi Khorsandi – The Distracted Activist
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Comedy
****
Shappi Khorsandi – The Distracted Activist
Pleasance Courtyard

Shappi Khorsandi’s amiable, bumbling set strikes the balance between political comedy and light entertainment perfectly.  This is a satirical show for the middle classes that don’t do politics or, as Khorsandi puts it, “people who aren’t really politics-ey.”

This gentle approach to injustice really works for her.  The audience lap it up, even when she’s fumbling from one unrelated subject to the next.  It’s only when she raises the issue of the recent election rigging in her native Iran that her inner activist emerges.

Tonight she deals with several over chatty audience members who, in lesser hands, could have derailed the show completely.  Rather than simply shut them up, she skilfully turns their talk to her advantage.

This is a very funny set, which is much more intelligent than it feels.  Only on reflection will you realise how much you have learned as well as laughed in this hour.

MW