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Bruce Dessau's rating
Eddie Kadi's stand-up dream could become a reality
By
Bruce Dessau
6 Sep 2010
When Congo-born, Fulham-bred stand-up Eddie Kadi announced that he had booked the 16,000-seater O2 Arena, the cynics laughed.
It was only half-full on Saturday night but a respectable crowd certainly had broad smiles on their faces during a show that suggested that the 27-year-old has a bright future in entertainment as well as in self-promotion. “Is it a dream?” he asked from his onstage bed. It was definitely no nightmare.
Kadi’s set sensibly pandered to a predominantly black audience but also boasted plenty of universal observations.
On dating he compared uptight Brits, whose idea of romance is a joint trip to Tesco, with laid-back Jamaicans and authoritarian Africans. He was at his best riffing on his Congolese childhood, where a goat might be a pet and also dinner.
Guests helped out too. Tinie Tempah and N-Dubz got the audience on their feet. The format was often sprawling but the bouncy, perma-grinning star pulled it off, with quickfire gags and some versatile physical clowning.
If the comedy flops he could probably be a dancer. But judging by this audacious move his stand-up dream could become a reality.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
