Ismael Loufti produced a dynamic and engaging performance, exploring the difficulties (and rewards) of growing up as a devout Muslim – and then becoming a stand-up comedian.
His show examines how he has dealt with the effects of his upbringing in a redneck town in Florida with a Syrian-born immigrant and devout Muslim father, ‘Baba’, and a ‘very white’ mother. Running through the narrative is his attempt to portray the complex, contradictory nature of his late father. This is captured in the battered car on which Baba inscribed ideas drawn from his religious beliefs and his embrace of the world of conspiratorial gurus. The evolution of the car is used to illustrate the key themes that run through the show; religious belief, family tensions…and comedy (whether intentional or not).
Uncool to be Muslim
Ismael started confidently, quickly addressing the other attractions he was competing with (‘f*** Oasis’), and then the difficulties of properly pronouncing his name. The audience quickly felt they were in the hands of a charismatic and adept performer. That initial sense was confirmed during the remainder of the show which kept the audience fully engaged and entertained throughout. The audience was also made to think, though the show never turned into a lecture.
Ismael explained how it’s ‘always been uncool to be Muslim’ in the US, but particularly so during his teenage years, which coincided with 9/11 and its aftermath. This was not an easy time to proselytise about the Muslim faith, but that’s exactly what he attempted to do, not hiding his religion in any way. He soon became a pariah at school. As he put it “I didn’t even get bullied. If you are weird enough, no one will bully you”. He engagingly showed how a childhood obsession with maps led him to explore geography and politics and then how his faith led to a very early marriage. All this had had long-term impacts; things is still working through. This show was part of that process.
Relatable hyperbole
Central to his show was his internal battle against falling into Muslim based jokes (on terrorism etc) that get easy laughs but leave him feeling hollow. Towards the end he vividly recounted his experience of suffering from my full on panic attack after delivering an easy line to get some attention on a panel show. What stood behind it was trying to maintain authenticity in a world, stand-up comedy, which is based on ‘relatable hyperbole’.
The audience really got the sense that stand up was more than a job for him. As he related, stand up was “revelatory for me” as a younger man. He still “f***ing loves” stand-up. However, he spent many years struggling to make an impact (‘I went through years of bombing’). It took time to find his true voice and to perform the type of shows he wanted to. Shows such as this.
The show clearly illustrates the source of these tensions and then goes on to explore how he has dealt, or indeed not dealt with these. Throughout he was polished and technically very adept. His anecdotes told succinctly and with very effective changes of pace and rhythm. Every word felt well chosen. Ismael is, on top of his comedy work, a writer and actor. These additional ‘strings to his bow’ were evident, helping the performance reach a higher level than most stand ups in terms of the cohesiveness of the narrative and the delivery.
An art form
His narrative is clearly well polished but never comes over as bland or insincere. He is a man who has found, in stand up comedy, something he truly loves. As a result he takes the art form seriously, always feeling queasy if you feel he is being in any way glib or using predictable lines to get a laugh. In a sense, is working through how to remain true to his faith while still making audiences laugh and think. In this show he was successful in this aim.
Towards the end of the show he switched from pacing around the stage, to a seated position. From his seat he confided with his audience, letting them in on the deep concerns his life as a comedian had brought him. I could feel the audience switching from enjoyment and admiration to a deeper sense of connection.
Depth and pathos
His big fear was how he could make his rather unusual life relatable to those who had a very different background. By opening-up about the very mixed feelings he had about his late father, he provided that source of connection. Many in the audience will have had similar feelings about family members; that though they may find them very frustrating and perplexing at times, and root there is a deep love. This often only becomes clear once someone dies.
When he reveals his father’s secret, exposed only after his death, performance takes on a real depth and pathos. The secret reveals that they had more in common than Ismael had been aware of. With this, the show’s narrative ark is satisfyingly concluded. The show has a great sense of cohesion. This was a skilfully-crafted and brilliantly delivered show. Highly recommended.
[Note: the author thanks Eva Vaporidi for her assistance with this review]
