Liberated from sketch group WitTank, English-Turkish comedian and Naz Osmanoglu (a self-monikered ‘posh twat’) airs his own dirty linen in a no-holds-barred solo show around the theme of frankness and self-exposure (he likens it to a therapy session). Taking us through the turbulent months since being sent reeling from a shattering breakup- the crying, the isolation, the ‘medieval bender’- he allows none of his own vices escape his gaze.
There is no shortage of comedians self-deprecatingly spilling their own beans on the Fringe. However, few do it quite as skillfully as Osmanoglu.
The set is well-crafted: the flow of gags is generous and constant, from Osmanoglu’s dad’s racist leg habits to his ill-conceived online dating name (CaptainFunBeard). While the material is centred around the crushing day-to-day realities of single life, his surreal, ranting tangents are also a pleasure to behold: a section where he imagines the elaborate murder of his ex’s new boyfriend is especially impressive. Naz’s onstage persona oscillates between growling, rather manic delivery and a sweaty, naive charm. He also belies the apparent sense of anarchy and turbulence with a shrewd structural awareness: a running joke about ‘trousers’ pops up in satisfyingly surprising places and is neatly developed.
His audience interaction is razor sharp - he got a good few minutes of material out of two ‘friends’ sitting in the audience and a sequence at the end where he discusses an experience at a gay swingers party - which manages the rare feat of being touching, hilarious and filthy simultaneously.
Some, however, may feel that the set has an unpleasantly entitled posh-boy edge: Naz’s complaints about moving back to his parents’ sizable house in Kent and the lavish gifts thrusts upon him by a family friend he is briefly involved with aren’t exactly enchanting. Neither is the general theme of honesty staggeringly original. There is, after all, no shortage of comedians self-deprecatingly spilling their own beans on the Fringe. However, few do it quite as skillfully as Osmanoglu.
