Thought I'd finally write about something other then comics, so I ventured outside my house to see some world class stand-up. I enjoyed it so much I decided to write this article. Enjoy!
On Friday night I had the wonderful experience of seeing comedian Aziz Ansari perform at the Sydney Opera house. Aziz is probably best know for his role as Tom Haverford in NBC’S Parks and Recreation, but even if you haven’t seen the show he has a certain familiarity to him. His comedy is equal parts observation, overreaction and absurdity, with a large emphasis on the delivery. In particular his angry rants about trivial things, such as sheet thread count, are a delight to watch.
The first thing you notice about Aziz is his natural charisma and ability to instantly engage the crowd. Perhaps it’s the weird aura of familiarity or just his charismatic personality, but he has an undeniable warmth. Only a few minutes into the show something else becomes very apparent. Aziz is not Tom Haverford and is very deliberate about distinguishing his stand up from his television work. Not once during the gig does he mention Parks and Recreation and whenever anyone yells a show reference at him he's quick to shut them down, and who can blame him? There’s nothing worse for an actor or comedian's career then being typecast (something that Jim Parsons will discover when he tries to land a major role that isn't Sheldon Cooper). It's this level of professionalism and eagerness to keep his stand up as it's own entity that I really admire in Aziz. As for the actual content of the show, 'Buried Alive' deals with getting married and settling down, something that Aziz apparently finds terrifying. But kudos to him for beginning to take on every comedians worst enemy: growing up. Its all well and fine to talk about getting going to clubs, getting drunk and getting laid when your in your 20’s and maybe even 30’s but eventually things change. There's nothing worse then a middle aged comedian delivering jokes written for a 25 year old. No-one likes a try hard comedian. With this in mind I was both surprised and impressed to hear jokes about the daunting nature of marriage, having kids, dating and the abysmal club scene. The show felt a lot more mature then his previous material in which going clubbing with Kanye and Jay-Z feature heavily. That said the show still has that fun sense of immaturity iconic to Aziz, as proven by his 15 minute rant about men sending women pictures of their penis!I went into the show with high expectations and came out feeling genuinely impressed with Aziz's mastery of the comedic craft. Plus he didn't have to resort to any cheap comedic tactics such as religion bashing or shock comedy to keep the crowd in stitches, which is always a plus in my book.
You can download Aziz Ansari's comedy special Dangerously Delicious here for the low, low price of $5.
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