Isma Almas Bombs Review by Sarah Clark

Confronting Islamophobia constructively is something that isn't often attempted at a comedy club, but debut Fringe performer Isma Almas does it with flair. Beginning her act by poking fun at the burqa she dons, she sets the theme for a thoughtfully written set. Almas’ life experiences provide plenty of fodder for the show’s material. Born in Pakistan and raised in Bradford at the time of the Yorkshire Ripper; her family was the only Asian one on a completely white estate. Recalling the difficulties of growing up and fitting in, Almas adopts a warm, engaging manner that makes her comedy very accessible.

Skilfully juxtaposing her light, cheerful tone with the controversial and at times shocking subject matter, results in well-timed ‘metaphoric bombshells’. Almas’ cultural background allows her to simultaneously ridicule the ‘oppressive cultural practices’ of purdah - which include her father keeping her mother ‘hostage’ in their British home - and criticise inane barriers erected as a consequence of living in a racist community. Hence Almas’ light, two-fold approach to Islamic fundamentalism is delivered without the heavy-handedness of soapbox preaching.

Fortunately, Almas’ act is not restricted to issues concerning race; as a mother and social worker she interweaves opinions and anecdotes from diverse encounters. This approach sometimes leads to a lack of cohesion, as irrelevant digressions break up the fluidity of an otherwise neatly constructed routine. An intimately personal performance, Isma Almas Bombs succeeds as a comedy set because of its dialogism. With humour and wit, she provides an insight into a once difficult but now very different British-Asian culture.

Read Ariadne Cass-Maran's review of Isma Almas Bombs