THE Indian stand-up comedian presented his show Who Are You? in London before taking it to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe throughout August.
It didn’t seem as if his show at the iconic Soho Theatre was a warm-up because the performance was self-assured and filled with laughter.
The clearly confident comic started off with a hilarious bit about traffic jams being different between London and Mumbai, before powering on towards material charting his journey from being an engineering student to a career in stand-up.
Each section had hilarious observations, great jokes and stories containing characters that he brilliantly brought to life, including a hapless life insurance salesman, and someone who has more money than actual sense.
Another memorable portion was him detailing the time he got death threats from DJs and making observations about them that had audiences roaring with laughter.
A similarly funny bit revolved around a motivational speaker, who instead of uplifting his audiences, inspired thoughts of them wanting to murder him. Although, much of the material was based around his experiences living in India, Subramanian had more than enough skills to make it relatable to a diverse audience.
Each section was elevated to a higher level by Subramanian’s impressive stage presence and confident delivery during an effortlessly funny set that maintained momentum from start to finish. The only thing that was really missing was any kind of crowd work, which could have added another layer to the performance and cemented that audience connection.
The material and delivery was so strong that his lack interaction didn’t harm the show in any way. In fact, his momentum was so impressive that the show carried on 10-15 minutes past the scheduled finish.
This fast-rising star showed that he is perhaps one of the best kept secrets in Indian stand-up comedy and someone who is destined to reach even great heights. Audiences will find out who he is in a good way.
