Akmal
Athenaeum Theatre, March 28 to April 22, 2012
Reviewer: Kate Herbert on March 29, 2012
Stars: ***1/2
Jumps the fence between offensive and amiable with peculiar ease.
Akmal is not everyone’s cup of tea, which he proves in his story about his disastrous corporate gig in Rockhampton that saw him punched in the face by a woman and vilified on the front pages.
His voice is strident, he litters his material with expletives and he jumps the fence between offensive and amiable with peculiar ease.
He targets particular audience members, lulling them into a false sense of security with his warm banter, only to turn to teasing and taunting, then a swift apology.
Akmal is never subtle as he wanders from topic to topic, using half-sentences, interruptions, repetitions and scattered thoughts.
Tony Abbott gets a serve for confusing church and state, teenagers should get back into the playground for some real bullying, and Jesus looked like Bjorn Borg in his family’s religious pictures.
From what he describes of his own petty criminal antics as a teenager, he may be right about being ADHD.
By Kate Herbert
Newsy tip: He calls for questions from the crowd at the end, so be prepared.
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