Jenan Younis is a surgeon with anger management issues. In her first stand up show she talks about doctor/nurse politics and the particular mind-set that makes a surgeon. But the main story is what finally threw her over the edge, forced her to go into anger management and propelled her into the world of ultimate therapy: stand up.
If you’re in any way connected to the National Health Service or have ever been in surgery, then you will probably find a fair amount to laugh about.
Half Iraqi and half Palestinian, Younis fits in some typically political humour and of course there’s a few good medical jokes and some healthy mocking of the current state of the NHS. But this never goes as far as it could. Instead, the main focus of the show revolves around a particularly bad day that landed Younis into a fair amount of trouble and forced her to go into anger management. It’s quite interesting and has some funny moments but won’t have you rolling on the floor. Younis needs to inject some volume and energy into her performance; even in the intimate space of the Paradise in The Vault Younis seems too quiet at times. What’s more for a show about anger management, Younis never gets that angry. Maybe the techniques from her anger management are working too well; a bit more energy and some angrier moments could go a long way to making a livelier show.
Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable show and it’s certainly not a bad effort, especially for someone who has one of the most demanding day jobs you can have. It’s rather short at just over half an hour which might be one of the reasons the show lacks depth. However, the short length of the show means it remains quite fun throughout and never drags.
If you’re in any way connected to the National Health Service or have ever been in surgery, then you will probably find a fair amount to laugh about. And like the NHS (for now, anyway) it’s free.
