Sami Abu Wardeh Hates You (Fringe review) 4 Stars ****

This hour, Sami Abu Wardeh declares, will be filled with pure, genuine stand-up comedy. And no clowning. Sort of. Maybe.

Sami Abu Wardeh Hates You is a sardonic stab at the stand-up comedy format, from a man who knows he does not fulfil the usual Netflix comedy special criteria. Is his lack of a streaming deal the result of too much clownery, his ‘anti-fascist’ humour, or because he looks too similar to Saddam Hussein? Probably a mix of all three. Yet it is his dry and this self-described anti-fascist humour that make him so appealing.

The hour mainly consists of Abu Wardeh recounting tales from his childhood growing up across some of the poorest parts of both London and Dubai as a mixed race Palestinian and British child. As you might expect when discussing the maturing of a teenage boy, there are a lot of jokes about masturbation. Emphasis on a lot. As you might not expect, there is also a song and dance routine of Will Smith’s ‘Men in Black’, which may be a slight deviation from his no clownery policy, but is definitely worth it. Abu Wardeh is entertaining and unexpected throughout

The comedian took the Fringe by storm last year with his show Palestine: Peace de Resistance, which covered similar themes of discrimination, politics, and the experience of being mixed race. However, this year Abu Wardeh doesn’t pack quite the same punch. The jokes are funny, but slightly shallower, with the central premise of ‘hate’ feeling more like an afterthought than the crux of the show. But if you watched his show last year, don’t worry, there are still hand puppets.

The show is not revolutionary, but then, does it have to be? Sometimes it’s enough to laugh about the absurdity of the world and the people running it together, and Abu Wardeh certainly delivers on this.

Sami Abu Wardeh Hates You, Beside at Pleasance Courtyard, 5th till 30th August, not 17th, 10pm