Shazia Mirza: Coconut at Soho Theatre - this fearless comedian deserves more fame

This sharp show should push Mirza to another level
SHAZIA MIRZA FREE PRESS SHOT -
Shazia Mirza
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Bruce Dessau30 September 2021

Shazia Mirza made her name in comedy with an audacious, topical joke shortly after 9/11: “My name is Shazia Mirza – at least, that’s what it says on my pilot’s licence.” Two decades on she is still a fearless comedian and deserves to be famous for much more than that one-liner.

Perhaps her new show Coconut will help her push through to the next level. The Muslim ex-teacher explains in her trademark deadpan style that due to frequent rescheduling she has rewritten her set about 11 times. The hard work has been worth it though. This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking piece about identity peppered with winning gags.

Her own identity is certainly evolving. Mirza once performed in a burka, now she is in glam black blouse and trousers. She has always been good at finding the humour in her strict Birmingham upbringing and Covid has given her a fresh perspective on her childhood. Lockdown was a doddle, she was used to not being allowed out.

At the centre of Coconut is an anecdote about appearing on Bear Grylls’ TV show The Island. Her reflections on taking part are funny and illuminating. Was she approached to tick diversity boxes? How would the middle class, white male competitors cope away from their cosy privileged lives at home?

SHAZIA MIRZA FREE PRESS SHOT -
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The monologue covers other comedically fruitful terrain too, from being unjustly accused of joke theft to meeting the Queen. The title alludes to the phrase “brown on the outside, white on the inside”. Mirza initially suggests this is the case with certain high-profile British Asians, before adding that things are never that simple. Nobody can be reduced to a simple soundbite.

This is certainly no preachy Ted Talk. Laughs ripple through the room as Mirza ruminates on her life. She says that she cannot find a partner but it is her relationship with broadcasting that seems more problematic. At one point she quips that on TV muslim women are either cooks or terrorists.

Her conclusion is that we are all labelled and usually incorrectly. What do we mean when we call a woman like Tina Turner strong, she asks. Mirza suggests it makes Turner sound good at the shot put. As for the comedian, she is known as that stand-up who made the controversial joke about 9/11. Hopefully Coconut will help her to cement a new identity.

Soho Theatre, until Saturday (020 7478 0100, sohotheatre.com)

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