Mamoun Elagab: Why I Love White People is playing in Bunker One at 18.10pm at The Pleasance Courtyard during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival until the 27th of August.
Mamoun Elagab presents a fast paced and unrelenting 50 minutes of conversational comedy which dissects society, race, culture and touches on his unusual upbringing. Elagab riffs on the cultural contrasts between those of differing ethnicity in varied locations both around the UK and the wider world. As a multi-ethnic and culturally diverse performer himself, he is well within his comfort zone and has clearly had a wealth of experience in the area of cultural and racial transgressions, his take on which is delivered to us in a storytelling style with a mix of mischievous glee and deadpan payoffs.
He self-confesses that the title of the show Mamoun Elagab: Why I Love White People, bears little meaning on the meat of his material and this becomes apparent as we see that sown into the show is a through-line of his fond memories of his mother and reflections on loss. It is here that we really start to feel we may be treated to the bittersweet vulnerability that often underpins the best comedians of his style. However, it is too often glossed over and pushed to the side line to truly reel us in and help us really connect.
Mamoun Elagab: Why I Love White People is a solid set that often feels like it lands best with the audience members in their 20s and 30s, with pop culture references to the mental state of Kanye, the toxic masculinity that surrounds Drill music, how to unpack street slang and the ills of being abused whilst playing a PS5. There were laughs aplenty and it was good way to whet the appetite for a night at the Fringe.
