Ali Shahrukhi ‘s show Leaves on the Line is pretty much a very long series of one-liners. Almost every sentence had a punch line, whether it was about Bono house-sitting the entirety of Dublin or about the coalition having cabinet meetings in Shahrukhi’s fridge. At first I worried that this style would become annoying quite quickly but the delivery was so snappy and the jokes of such a high standard throughout that he got away with it.
There was a moment towards the middle when he seemed to really hit his stride and let the flow of the humour carry him along. Although the subject changes were rapid they all followed on neatly from one another, giving smooth transitions. The one time his style became too erratic waswhen we suddenly jumped from Facebook to the Battle of Marathon, but in general he managed to keep control of the narrative.
Throughout the gig there was a lovely feeling of there being a real reciprocal relationship between audience and comedian - he did not laugh at his own jokes, but when we laughed there was a subtle smile and likewise when a joke fell flat he would merely acknowledge it with one eyebrow. Admittedly, there were affair number of lines that met with little laughter and even one or two groans, mostly after jokes which involved the coalition government.
Apart from these few flat moments, what Shahrukhi needs to work on is his stage presence. He is very funny but does not seem convinced of this himself. It felt as though he were hugging his script to him for protection and there was no need. The content and delivery of the act is strong enough to allow him to deviate slightly and engage a little more with his audience. With an injection of confidence Ali Shahrukhi has the potential to become a class act.