Review by Michelle Fisher
As a fan of stand up comedy, I am always interested in seeing new talent and discovering more comedians. After umpteen hours on YouTube watching stand up acts from around the world, I often find that it is South East Asian comedy that has me in stitches. So, when going through the Adelaide Fringe program and finding 101 Visas Rejected - Indians Strike Back, it was in fact one of the first shows that I booked and one that I was most looking forward to seeing.
With any line up show, particularly those that don’t announce their performers ahead of time, you take a risk and hope that the experience will lead you to new performers that you are so interested in, you simply have to see their full solo hour. Sometimes with line up shows, you really win, and other times, the evening falls short of the premise. Disappointingly, that is what happened here.
Three of the four comedians proudly spoke of their Indian heritage and made jokes out of stereotypes held of the Indian community. Often self-deprecating, the big laughs came in response to those jokes that you knew were only funny because it was someone of the community saying it. Jokes were made about the course offerings for study that would lead to Australian citizenship, running water, Uber, and more. There was crowd work, strong anecdotes and some great jokes.
Without a doubt, the show was stolen by the third comedian in the hour lineup, Aditya Gautam, whose set was fabulous and tight - you can tell he is a seasoned professional. Gautam spoke about his experience coming to Australia and how he abandoned his original dreams in India to instead complete 600 hours of in-kitchen experience to become a chef…one of the professions that will earn you citizenship to Australia. What did 600…well 200…well maybe even less hours in a kitchen teach him? That this aint for him…even though the country is!
He also told another hilarious story of strangers getting into his Camry, expecting it to be an Uber. Some context - almost every Uber in Adelaide is a white or silver Toyota Camry and so the joke here was apparent instantly. Whilst at first offended by the racial (and car type) profiling and indignant, he quickly reconciled, feeling that he needed to apologise for not having water for his passenger. Perhaps the funniest moment was that he said he then rang his cousin in India to have a conversation in whispers - even though he barely ever speaks to this cousin. This had the audience roaring…a stereotype, yes but in the Adelaide context, just so funny.
Whilst first and last up in the line up were also entertaining, unfortunately it was the second in the lineup, a guest star of Kenyan background, that really let down the evening. Coming in with an improvised Hitler joke, his entry to the stage went down like a led balloon and as he proceeded to offend the audience (even commenting on the weight of an audience member - so uncomfortable!), the laughs did not come. Perhaps the funniest part of his set was that he said he was the ‘diversity hire’ for the Indian comedy line up. This lack of rapport and not enough comedic clout to pivot in the face of a failed joke, made this set really drag. Whilst I appreciate that it is Fringe and a chance for everyone to have a crack, there does need to be some decency level and this was a cross between offensive and poorly executed. I don’t like comedians who cross that line and then can’t pull themselves out.
So, overall where does this show stand? With so much to see in the festival it definitely wouldn’t be at the top of the list but having said that there were still some funny moments. I also always enjoy witnessing comedians interaction with audience – a perfect way to see how good they are at their craft. Maybe if you have a lot of time and want to shake up your line up with a laugh, this will hold appeal. Otherwise, hopefully in the future the line up will be advertised ahead of arrival and then I would recommend doing your research first.
