Review: EDINBURGH 2024: ALOK: HAIRY SITUATION, Bristo Square

After a sold-out 2022 show at the Traverse, celebrated comedian ALOK returns to Edinburgh with an introspective solo show challenging traditional ideas of beauty, gender and identity. 

The piece is certainly well-written. ALOK cleverly intertwines humour with dark topics including racism, transphobia, homophobia and online trolls. The piece interweaves amusing light anecdotes (like living with cockroaches in New York) with deeper moments of vulnerability. They are a skilled wordsmith, seamlessly incorporating sharp, incisive observations including the hypocrisy of "the dudebro community". 

While their slightly deadpan delivery enhances their sarcastic sense of humour, at times it feels more like an over-rehearsed recital than a natural performance. The jokes are fired rapidly, and I often found myself needing a moment longer to fully absorb one before being hit with the next. Nevertheless, their endearing playfulness becomes more prevalent as the performance progresses.

Overall, Alok's willingness to delve beyond surface-level comedy and explore complex and often uncomfortable topics onstage is both refreshing and crucial. Their ability to seamlessly intermix humour with advocacy makes their performances not just entertaining, but deeply thought-provoking. 

ALOK: Hairy Situation is at Bristo Square until 25 August

Photo Credit: ALOK Hairy Situation

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