Papa CJ came out swinging. During the show’s first few bars, he deemed America “a mistake, motherfucker” and mocked various audience members that showed rough signs of aging and a seeming lack of libido. The room filled with uproarious laughter, along with a tinge of shock, as it dawned upon us that CJ mightn’t be the innocuous Indian comedian we’d naively envisioned.
Following this bout of “friendly fire”, CJ explained that, having been a comedian for ten years, he wanted to tell his life story. Given the show’s macho opening, one feared that a smug account of personal milestones could well ensue. Yet, while he did express pride at his success in stand-up (a particularly unlikely feat considering his working class upbringing, prior career in business and the non-existence of stand-up comedy in India) it wasn’t an hour of ostentatious reminiscence.
Starting by reflecting on the small joys of his working class, pre-digital childhood, CJ didn’t hesitate to examine the more delicate aspects of his life. As the performance progressed, he demonstrated the emotional agility of an excellent character actor. Despite the fact that this was probably the 15th consecutive night he’d talked publicly about his divorce and estrangement from his three-year-old son, the welling emotion in his speech and facial expressions wasn’t artificial.
To be sure, Naked was very funny. However, to ease us through the show’s less comic segments, CJ did dish out some fairly juvenile asides. Fortunately, in spite of these lowbrow missteps, he didn’t attempt to cover up his vulnerability. Impressively, Naked didn’t ingratiate, nor lead to a happy-ever-after conclusion.
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
