This debut moves at a frantic, almost dizzying pace, so much so that you could easily miss a few details in a show that zooms in and out of the time he was accidentally caught in the middle of a Tommy Robinson march while en route to a fancy dress party. But with writing this sharp, does it matter? You can see why SNL: UK came calling.
The Cambridge-raised Badawy lays out his identity conundrum: he’s an Anglo-Egyptian Muslim who, as a pupil at a Christian school, was teased for his background. Differences surfaced during Nativity plays, where his culturally accurate interpretations of innkeepers and wise men’s assistants weren’t quite what his teachers had in mind. He also knows his well-spoken accent makes it easier to assimilate.
Because of all this, Badawy often feels stuck in the middle. Once, a stranger even asked his ethnicity because he wanted to call him his “correct racial slur”. Perhaps this state of limbo is also why he has a severe case of decision paralysis.
He’d rather be pulled into things than actually have to choose a side. But, at university, he started going out with the only Arab girl, and now he’s got a big choice to make. Using the march as the linking framing device feels too neat, but it also gives Badawy a heart-tugging, romcom-style ending.
With his delivery veering towards the shrill and over-astounded, he doesn’t yet look totally at ease on stage. The more he tells us he hates leaving the house, the more you start to actually believe him. And yet Badawy possesses a budding star quality and the hour with him is a joy.
His voice is unique, emotionally intelligent and generous. He shoves a hell of a lot of jokes in along the way – from having to police his divorced mother’s suitor list to using football chat to placate angry men. It’s an hour about detours, but there’s no question Badawy is going places.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
