Review by Steve Bennett

There’s very little doubt that you will  hear about Kumail Nanjiani sooner or later, so you might as well do yourself a favour and see him now before the buzz gets too deafening.

In a festival awash with high-concept ideas, he’s more of a purist stand-up, who ‘simply’ entertains for an hour with stories from his life as a rather fretful beta male. His only gimmick is his background – he was born and raised in Pakistan before emigrating to the States – but while that provides a couple of his best routines, it is far from the only thing that defines him.

Indeed, after a bit of playful banter with the Brits, he starts with a routine about films, describing how he was mentally scarred for life after seeing the Elephant Man at a young man and explaining how even  child-murdering Freddie Kruger can go down in people’s estimation.

Horror films are something of theme, and perhaps explains something of the scaredy-cattery that haunts him today. That or the absolutely horrific birthday party he remembers from his Karachi childhood, vividly told with a comic incredulity what nightmares were inflicted on boys so young. He was also brought up to be terrified of girls, thanks to the strict Muslim teaching that even a ‘lustful gaze’ is morally equivalent to stabbing the Prophet’s nephew in the back while praying. Don’t think the Catholics have a monopoly on guilt.

In adult life, he’s terrified of rickety roller-coasters, the Brooklyn neighbourhood where he once lived, and noises in the attic. The endearingly self-deprecating description of him venturing into the Roof to investigate projects a beautiful image of a petrified child trying to act the big man, entirely unconvincingly.

But if he’s timid in real life, he’s confident on the stage. His gait is relaxed, his delivery disarmingly open and good-humoured. He clearly cares about his craft, and every story is lovingly constructed, but the slickness is tempered by a lightness of touch that will engage any audience.

There’s always the urge in a Fringe show, however good, to take a glance at your watch to see how much longer the performance has to run. I only checked mine once, right at the end, because it seemed inconceivable that he had done a full hour. He had, so quickly had time passed in his charming, witty company.

Review date: 17 Aug 2012
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Assembly Roxy