“Probably,” concedes Nish Kumar. The up-and-coming British comedian, is responding to a thought bubble I emailed him, postulating whether anyone would be silly enough to let the UK TV classic The Kumars At No. 42 influence their expectation of his act. “Some people are pretty stupid.”
Kumar, seen previously with Tom Neenan as The Gentlemen of Leisure, is bringing his hit solo show Is A Comedian to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival after sell-out seasons in London and Edinburgh. Although not sure how the show would be received in Australia, the response has been good, a great relief to Kumar. “I’d never performed outside the UK before my first show here,” he tells me. “It would have been pretty embarrassing to come halfway around the world and find out I’m awful.”
Performing solo has challenges distinct from his work with Neenan. “There are 50 per cent more words to learn, so it’s 50 per cent harder,” states Kumar. “The positive side is if I totally mess it up I won’t have let anyone down other than myself. That was a very serious answer. I’ll be more frivolous from now on.”
Like many comedians whose career started in earnest as part of a group or partnership, Kumar believes that his collaborations with Neenan have been greatly beneficial to his growth as a performer. “He’s a terrific comedian,” says Kumar. “Being around him has definitely made me a better comic. If we had never worked together I would probably be doing exactly what I’m doing right now but much worse.”
It’s not just the act of performing which is different when working solo; writing takes on a different edge too. “You always have the audience,” Kumar reflects. “I can’t really write just sat down churning out pages of text. I need to constantly drop in at new material nights and add a little bit more to each routine as I go along. The audience at those nights end up being your writing partner. It also helps to have friends who are also comics who can give you feedback on your sets in the room.”
Through our correspondence I remind Kumar that he’s been described as, among many other flattering terms, ‘ludicrously charming’ by professional reviewers. I wonder how a sixteen year old Nish Kumar might have reacted to that feedback, and Kumar tells me that “he’d be hoping Sarah Michelle Gellar would read that review and subsequently marry him.”
Kumar, as it turns out, is still a huge fan of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. “It’s a great show that,” he proclaims. “Some ropey special effects and late ’90s sartorial disasters aside…still stands the test of time.” And his favourite episode? “There’s an episode called “School Hard” which manages to be funny, exciting, and a significant development of the story and the characters all at the same time. I love Buffy.”
Is A Comedian is primarily a show about identity. Many ’90s teenagers had their sense of identity influence by Buffy, and like so many others in his generation, Kumar also lists The Simpsons as a major cultural influence, one which he describes as “profound”. “I saw it when I was about six-years-old,” recounts Kumar. “So I have no idea what my personality our outlook would be like without it.”
One gets the sense that through exploring the world of comedy outside the UK, Kumar is continuing to explore and reflect on his identity as a comedian. He seems to be enjoying the journey, but this great country, beyond Baz Luhrmann’s Australia, remains a bit of a mystery. “I didn’t see it,” adds Kumar. “But it had Nicole Kidman and Wolverine in it so I’m guessing it must have been a pretty good story about Australia.”
BY JOSH FERGEUS
Venue: Melbourne Town Hall – Powder Room, Cnr Swanston & Collins St, CBD
Dates: Currently playing until April 20 (except Monday)
Times: 9.45pm (Sundays 8.45pm)
Tickets: $25.50-$33
