REVIEW: Daliso Chaponda: Feed This Black Man Again
Perhaps many of those familiar with his name, know Daliso Chaponda from the 2017 series of Britains Got Talent. Receiving a Golden Buzzer in his audition and coming third overall in the grand final! Quite the achievement! However you may not know, that a whole global 22 year career has led to where he is today! To celebrate this, he’s revisiting his first ever tour in ‘Feed This Black Man Again’ bringing a fresh perspective to some of his oldest material - musing on how his feelings towards certain issues have developed with age. It’s a lovely full circle show that celebrates the differences we all have in a lighthearted way; It’s edgy, but still friendly.
At this evenings show, we were part of a small and rather reluctant crowd, yet Chaponda was able to bring us all back to life very quickly with his positive relaxed energy that allows him to flow from joke to joke with ease. Before we knew it we were swept along into his material - jokes that he described throughout the show, quite romantically, we might add, as “thought poems”; little pockets of a story that lead to punchlines that are surprising, often delightful and always delivered with a smile.
The material itself covers a multitude of subjects as he draws on his wealth of experience. Having lived all over the world, he is able to connect with the many international members of the audience directly, creating a show that we are able to feel is unique to the moment. It’s quite the skill, to tell jokes that everyone in the room finds funny, yet are still personal to those he chooses to interact with, it makes for such a welcoming atmosphere where no one is left outside of the joke. This even extends to (what could be perceived as) divisive topics, such as racism or the UK government. Chaponda was able to expertly toe the line within the room, surrounded by an incredibly diverse crowd, and create an entertaining evening for everyone. Nothing was off the table, and yet you still felt as if you were in the safe hands of an expert. Daliso’s delivery-with-a cheeky-smile is incredibly trustworthy, regardless of the subjects he may choose to joke about, you can trust that this material will be funny and you’ll have a good time listening to his takes.
To conclude the show as well, he opened up the floor to us, the audience in a Q and A format, and clearly revelled in making this connection with the crowd, here is a comedian who performs, not just as a job, but to enjoy the moment we share when we laugh in unison. This final segment of the show also offers a vulnerable side that we don’t often see with comedians; many others would just continue their persona and see audience interaction as an attack on their flow, but not Daliso, here it is welcomed with open arms as a level playing field, and of course, more opportunities for humour.
**** Four Stars
Reviewed by Matthew Foster