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Fringe Review: Akmal

Nothing is sacred to Egyptian/Australian comedian Akmal Saleh including the fact that all his family are doctors, with him being the lowest of low on their success scale.

Fringe2015-AkmalSalehPresented by A-List Entertainment
Reviewed 14 February 2015

Egyptian/Australian comedian Akmal Saleh would be familiar to audiences for his many radio spots and television appearances on shows such as Thank God You’re Here, Rove Live, The Footy Show, and as a regular on Good News Week.

What works brilliantly for Saleh is that he comes across as the quintessential ‘Little Aussie Battler’ (of whom it has been suggested should go back where he came from – Punchbowl) – and he is very, very funny.

Whilst the main thrust of the show is the fact that all his family are doctors, with him being the lowest of low on the success scale – a stand-up comic – nothing is sacred to Saleh, including his Egyptian background, his disastrous 2014 television appearances and Tony Abbott (of course!).

He has the knack of making his show seem completely off the cuff and unrehearsed and utilises his audience extremely well soliciting an almost controlled heckle from them (to which he has some great comebacks). It’s almost as if we write the setup material for him.

There is a boundless, endless energy to this comedian that certainly has to be admired. His opening night was performed in 40 degree heat and he did not slow down.

Akmal is certainly a comic for the masses, and we love him for it. May he never get a medical degree and keep on doing what he does so well: makes us laugh at ourselves.

Reviewed by Brian Godfrey
Twitter: @briangods

Rating out of 5:  4

Venue: Royalty Theatre, 65 Angas Street, Adelaide
Season: 13 February – 14 March 2015
Duration: 60 mins
Tickets: $39
Bookings: Book through FringeTix online or at a FringeTix box office (booking fees apply)

 

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