Shappi Khorsandi  –  Asylum Speaker
There are not too many top name female comedians on the comedy circuit. The are probably even less Iranian comedians around, so to get both in one act then ,it has to be Shappi Khorsandi. In this years offering, Asylum Speaker, Ms Khorsandi does play heavily on her Middle Eastern heritage, even though she had a fairly liberal upbringing in London. Her material, although some is born out of serious events, is certainly very funny, covering upbringing, her father’s troubles in Iran and their subsequent resettling in the UK, even having to leave their home for a while due to threats to her fathers life and had the packed audience beguiled for the duration of her set. For such a petite lady, she has such an enormous charisma that it engulfs her venue. Shappi seems to be the subject of much pre-Fringe media coverage this year, a lot of attention on her dress.  I’m sure it will continue, but this time for her undoubted talent. ****