Glasgow Comedy Festival
Romesh Ranganathan
Garage, Glasgow
Marianne Gunn
Four stars
FILMING commitments for his BBC Three series Asian Provocateur meant that Romesh Ranganathan missed last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, resulting in the fact that his show Irrational is one of the original offerings at this year’s Glasgow International Comedy Festival; in fact, his almost sold-out tour will even return to Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre later in the year.
Ranganathan admits he is irrationally judgmental about many things, perhaps more so now due to the fact his Sri Lankan mum has become an unlikely star thanks to his family-centric TV show exploring his “culture”. He jokes that the series will return and will feature the imminent deportation of Mrs Ranganathan, before she is offered her own slot on BBC Asian Network – his humour-fuelled bitterness a source of comedy gold. It is his outrageous use of cultural appropriation where he gets the most laughs: anyone else calling him a coconut (brown on the outside, white on the inside) would be hauled over the coals, but his mum can, and apparently does.
Rants abound about the modern condition: names on Starbucks cups, Wagamama service (or lack thereof) and the incremental price policy of popcorn being top of his hit-list. His three young children don’t get off lightly either – his second born getting a particularly raw assessment from his acerbic father. Gogglebox is another a target for his vitriol, and don’t get him started on Donald Trump or Iggy Azalea. What has continued to improve about his act is the way in which he weaves audience interaction into his content, although the encore question and answer session should maybe be self-edited in the future. An assured show from a continually-rising comedy star.
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