An UnShappi Evening

Shappi Khorsandi

Me and my brother in our pants, holding hands

Blackheath Halls, Saturday October 22 2011

Stand-up comedians are not short of courage. With no props to hide behind, they must engage with their audience, deliver with aplomb and close with panache, all of which Shappi Khorsandi seemed to forget on the latest leg of her UK tour - My Brother and me in our pants, holding hands - at the Blackheath Halls last Saturday night. We were shown two different women and frankly both of them fell flat.

Shappi, playing to a disappointingly low turnout, divided her show into two, unequal parts with raw, inexperienced, “Bad Shappi” up first – “I can’t afford a support act so I do it myself” with the warmer, professional, “Good Shappi” to follow.
It didn’t start well with “Hello Blackheath”, as unoriginal as you get and her material limited to working the front row. Unusually for her profession, she does this with tact. Unfortunately for Shappi, there was little to work with; an elderly couple, a family of farmers and an Iranian family reluctantly moved up to front, while telling their daughter that "GCSEs don't really matter". Sadly, her interactions lacked sparkle, her delivery was disjointed and it was only her charisma that got us through to the break, barely thirty minutes through.

Refreshed from our drinks, we returned ever hopeful, eager to re-discover the talented comedienne who hosts her own show (Shappi Talk on Radio 4) and who has penned a new novel (A Beginners Guide to Acting English).Shappi’s at her best when she speaks from the heart; the death threats to her father stating that the children not be harmed-“how sweet is that", – the divorce from her partner – “I’ve forgotten how to date” and the rearing of a toddler whom, she rages, “simply can’t colour neatly”. Ultimately however, she fell flat, no amount of personality disguising the flaws; not connecting with her audience, nor refreshing her material – her relationship with her brother not unusual in any way -, over-indulging in the personal - there are only so many toddler stories one can take - and unforgivably, struggling with her flow.

If Shappi is to last, then she clearly needs to grow, rediscover why she stands there and reinvent just what she says. An off-night for Shappi or the beginning of the end? 3/10.

Dick Morgan
October 2011