Kanan Gill is not a comedian to be trifled with. Whether your crime is not laughing like thinks you should be, or making any noise which could be construed as talking during the show, Kanan will call you out on it.
He’s a star back in India and you can tell he’s not being used to crowds not going crazy for him. I know this because he tells us, after he gets the light technician to dim the lights again. You see, when he suspects someone had been talking while he was telling a joke, he gets said technician to turn on all the lights to prison interrogation room levels of uncomfortably bright, to shame whoever had dared speak. Shockingly, they’re not then inclined to reveal themselves in this harsh light of shame, and thankfully the show is allowed to go on.
It’s probably pretty obvious by now, but I really don’t like when comedians comment on how much the audience are laughing. Personally, I’ve never felt that being told off is conducive to a fun atmosphere. I just find it awkward and it always damages the veneer of bravado a lot of the cockier comics rely on.
It colours my memory of the show, which is a shame because when he concentrates on the jokes, I think his routineis pretty funny. The theme of the show, which considers how best to live in the present and achieve personal growth is explored well and has some parts which I do think are gems. He has a linguistic precision to his material which I like. I just wish he’d calm down and let me enjoy it at my own pace.
Kanan Gill: What Is This?, Pleasance Courtyard, 17:40, until August 25.
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/kanan-gill-what-is-this
