Imran Yusuf
Finalist in the 2008 Laughing Horse new act competition
Read More
Imran Yusuf: Saint, Sinner, Sufi
Note: This review is from 2018
Edinburgh Fringe review by Sophie Cartman
Imran Yusuf states he is a veteran comic, this we know because he tells us: ‘I’ve been doing this 13 years’. It is also obvious in the confident and passionate style evident from the first story about finding a frightening lump ‘down there’.
Yusuf gets the audience’s focus instantly, creating silence in the room as they listen intently. He has a knack for creating drama and truth within the comedy and evenly balancing his set with extensive dramatic stories that culminate in a short, sometimes cheap or juvenile gag, some more amusing than others.
His strong, open and charismatic nature gets the audience on his side. He doesn’t want to be seen as threatening, not least because he doesn’t want to feed society’s relentless racist prejudices. reassuring the audience that when it comes to brown people, ‘I’m one of the good ones.’
For those new to him, Yusuf sets out that Saint, Sinner, Sufi is going to cover racism, religion and right-wing views But it’s soon clear that the show is more than that, turning into an honest, autobiographical expression of his life and the advice he’s received.
It’s easy to tell Yusuf is extremely well-read in politics and world history. Indeed he brags: ’I read books.’ This could be interpreted as little patronising but we understand that's not his intention. He consistently drops nuggets of knowledge at such a speed, it is sometimes easy to miss what he’s said as you intellectually process his previous fact. It’s not a bad thing, he just requires the audience to keep up.
Yusuf has lived abroad and travelled the world, helping him put his life in perspective, as he realises that he has had it so much easier then plenty of other people in Third World countries. That seems obvious. He also embarked on a psychedelic journey, with the hallucinogens he took to combat depression giving him powerful visions that allowed him to deal with harsh memories such as his difficult upbringing from his father.
It was great to hear his positive and passionate voice on what matters to him throughout his journey of life. Yet Yusuf spent the majority of the set creating a slight distance from his audience, not always looking at them directly. It felt at times like a monologue delivered literally over the audience’s heads. Maybe if he made more eye contact, he could have kept everyone more captivated during long stories which need our utmost attention.
He closed full circle with his most physical bit demonstrating his experience at the doctor’s surgery, telling us about his examination and throwing in an unexpected wry gag about finding someone who would make him a suitable partner in his parents’ eyes.
Really, his main point is that he is grateful for his life so far, to have freedom of speech and to enjoy exploiting it. In that, Yusuf is an inspiration.
Published: 4 Aug 2018
The Boy With Tape On His Face: Cornucopia
Possibly the first silent compere, The Boy With Tape…
17/12/2013
Meera Syal’s Asian Comedy Night
In one of their sketches, comedy duo Asians Provocateurs…
1/05/2012
Imran Yusuf: Bring The Thunder
Like Jack Whitehall before him, Imran Yusuf has mastered…
9/08/2011
New Variety Lives! at the Barbican
The definition of the term ‘new variety’ might…
10/09/2010
Bounding on stage for his first ever solo show at Edinburgh,…
17/08/2010
Comic Voice Management Showcase
Not so much a comedy night, this, as a talent market,…
14/06/2010
Amused Moose Comedy's Hot Starlets 2000-2008 Showcase
Tough crowd. Performing to an audience that’s full…
1/01/2009
Whippet-thin Imran Yusuf is almost cartoon-like in…
19/05/2008
Hackney Empire New Act Final 2008
This must be the most passionately attended New Act…
1/01/2008
Laughing Horse New Act Final 2008
Anyone considering becoming a stand-up be warned: the…
1/01/2008
Past Shows
Agent
We do not currently hold contact details for Imran Yusuf's agent. If you are a comic or agent wanting your details to appear here, for a one-off fee of £59, email steve@chortle.co.uk.