Nish Kumar is being billed as one of the most exciting political comedians of his generation, which is at least partly true. His ideas are often sharp, relevant and challenging. He’ll dissect the mores of capitalism, by dissecting what we learn from playing Monopoly. He’ll address his mother’s view, which dismisses him as just another “left-wing comedian”, and give a lucid account of privatisation and the NHS, via an encounter he had with its non-emergency helpline.
There are two problems. Firstly, some sections aren’t as strongly argued. As he calls for a black James Bond, for example, there’s padding that takes away from the punch. Mainly, though, while there’s heat in his ideas, there’s something a bit chilly about his delivery. His title, Long Word . . . Long Word . . . Blah Blah Blah . . . I’m So Clever is meant to be a joke but in his set he does indeed feel rather distanced from the people he’s talking to, rather in his own bubble as he expresses his righteous fury. If he can find a way of being more connected with his audience, Kumar will be a force indeed.
On the flipside, Canadian comic John Hastings is utterly at one with his crowd in Marked from the Start (four stars, Pleasance Courtyard), in which he playfully controls a buzzing room. His story is about how being born prematurely has had lifelong effects: including being malcoordinated, mollycoddled and suffering from dyspraxia, which occasionally affects his speech. No matter: Hastings is the definition of fluid in his stand-up. As he recounts tales from his childhood, he is intimate, enveloping and adept at nailing the awkwardness of family dynamics. Always within touching distance of a punchline, and often in literal touching distance of his audience, this fast-growing comic is a pleasure to watch.
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