Shappi Khorsandi: Dirty Looks and Hopscotch

Shappi is in the mood for sharing. Perhaps too much, she worries aloud once or twice. It’s a rewarding kind of honesty though, which colours parts of her show with a unexpected poignancy. Khorsandi talks candidly about her unhealthy relationship with an unnamed 90s rock star, and how she was pressed into compromising situations by his overbearing charm. It’s surprisingly frank, as she analyses not only her own emotional shortcomings but those of a culture which sells children skewed fairytale romances. This is tied neatly into concerns for her son and stories of her own sexual experiences growing up.

It’s a very well rounded whole this show, with a clear through line which leads to a satisfying enough payoff. There is some filler towards the end, most notably recital of some text message exchanges which seem neither thematically important nor funny enough to warrant inclusion. Laughs are the main issue though, there are plenty of chuckles to be had here but it lacks any kind of set piece moments or proper big laughs. On the whole it's still a pleasurable hour in the company of a natural performer who seems to be making a positive push towards shows which are more than the sum of their parts.