Contrary to the show’s title, I could definitely see why white people would struggle to relax during Dahn’s set. I mean I’m brown, and even I was bricking it a little. Far from being your typical comedic set, Dahn gives you a feeling quite similar to riding in the passenger seat of your speed demon mate. You’re preparing yourself for some worst-case scenarios, but you also have a sixth sense you’ll get to where you’re going in the end. This either thrills you or makes you opt for your standard, good old uber (or bus if you’re wise with your money).
If you’re one of the thrill seekers, there’s not much I can prepare you with before an hour with Dahn. Comedians typically have a set that meanders every so often with a little audience interaction here and there that normally plays into their material. But as I said, Dahn’s not your typical comedian. Though he’s up on stage, he might as well be sitting in the audience in the way he converses with what seems like everyone in the room. It’s not audience interaction, it’s outright interaction. Forget the fourth wall, I have a suspicion every show is different depending on where the audience takes him. I also suspect he maintains his chilled-out yet slightly crazed demeanour no matter what, and it’s pretty hilarious. So in the end, he is funny, really funny. But he’s funny in a completely intangible sense. Through tempo switches and subtle idiosyncrasies. He’s a funny guy but you don’t know why. Nonetheless, controversial and you know exactly why.
Since it was a more intimate Monday night, there was not a chance you were slipping through his fingers. So after taking the piss out of everyone and their mum, Dahn spoke about himself, growing up as a “super Indian” immigrant in Australia. He was beaten into submission, changing his accent and parts of himself to be “invisible”. Don’t get me wrong, the stories that follow this innocent beginning were extremely vulgar and proper edgy. Not like the pseudo-edge some comedians pull out after warning you for half the show that they’re not PC.
Dahn had no warning for his seriously risque content that would most likely offend a large majority. But sandwiched between the shock and horror are moments of real poignancy. Perhaps it was because I too am brown and could understand where Dahn was coming from, but he made some hard-hitting points about the sexuality of brown people. All his life he felt undesirable, despite having needs and wants like anyone else. It wasn’t until he was older that he learned his clout was a chick-magnet. One moment he sees “no Indian guys” on Tinder, and the next he encounters white girls who say they’ve always wanted to get with an Indian guy.
So “making it” and the sexual pros that came with it were bitter-sweet. He could tell his horned up younger self he finally made it, but he couldn’t reconcile that the people who rejected him suddenly decided it was time to be woke and consider him desirable. I related completely. He wants to call out the things he saw unfold, and he wants to do it with no regard to offending anyone— just like others did, when he was growing up. There is merit in the show, and with refinement, it’s on its way to saying something quite important.
I stress this point: don’t come to the show if you have a suspicion you’d get offended, because you probably will. It’s definitely the lewd comments about women’s bodies that got me. But I will say that if you’re willing to get in the passenger seat, you’ll witness an unfiltered expression of working through racial dynamics that remain sketchy even in the age of “wokeness”. Just don’t forget your seat-belt, there’s a reason why the show’s on at twenty past ten.
Dahn Rozario: White People Need to Relax
22:20 @ Assembly George Square – The Crate
Aug 14, 16-27
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/dahn-rozario-white-people-need-to-relax
