Bilal Zafar is trying to tell us about how impressive he is, and he has proof to back it up. He once performed a stand-up comedy show in front of 200 priests so surely,
he’s good enough for us, right?
He starts the show by introducing himself and exposing the fact that he was hiding in the back, behind a curtain as the audience filled the auditorium, listening to their conversations.
In the most deadpan way possible, he shows us clips of him as an extra on various sitcoms and tv shows to show us just how cool he really is. He goes even further with this idea by explaining an email conversation he had between him and a Harrods sales assistant who was trying to help him buy an £80,000 vase but was somewhat unsuccessful as he didn’t have the right Rubicon flavour.
While at the start of the show he promises to stay away from any audience interaction, he completely backtracks on this by asking an audience member to come on stage with him and endure ‘small talk’ – a fairly awkward interaction – the kind of thing that is funny because you don’t know what other emotion to feel.
Bilal is a superhero at turning on a persona and sticking with it. For most of the show I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or serious and that’s what makes him good, you never know what’s coming next. While slightly different to your usual stand-up comedy this show is definitely a given if you’re looking for something new.
Just don’t talk with your friends during it as he will get mad at you.
Bilal Zafar: Rubicon, 20:30, Jersey at Underbelly, Bristo Square, until August 30
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/bilal-zafar-rubicon
