Kwame Asante: Open Arms

Doctor by day, comedian by night/late afternoon, Kwame Asante is traditional feel good comedy

Kwame Asante: Open Arms

You could be forgiven for thinking that, as a junior doctor doing a standup show in Edinburgh, Kwame would provide us with the insider (although starkly apparent) opinion of the NHS and our Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. But other than one off-the-cuff comment (which was met with rapturous applause) Asante did everything in his power to not get political. It was interesting to watch, as it felt as though the audience were bristling for commentary, while Kwame was determined to go in a different direction.

I completely respect and understand why he might opt to do this - it would be exceptionally unprofessional, and getting bogged down in the politics of his job would prevent him being silly and having a good time on stage - and it's so apparent that he is having a great time.

Kwame exudes charm and charisma. Immediately you felt comfortable as an audience in his presence, and within a minute he had left such a good impression you were wanted to be his friend.

Ruling the political out of his show, Kwame instead drew upon his experiences growing up in London as a member of a Ghanan family, dating, and his experiences working as a doctor. These worked with varying success, and while interesting and entertaining, weren't always necessarily funny.

It felt as though the silly and irreverent personality Asante displayed on stage was almost at odds with the intelligent, astute and quick witted side he evidently has.

Despite this though, Kwame offers a very personable form of comedy, that all rides on his good-natured and disarming air. You will be entertained throughout, but won't have to stitch your sides up at the end.


For tickets and more information visit the Ed Fringe website.

Author

Tom Inniss

Tom Inniss Voice Team

Tom is the Editor of Voice. He is a politics graduate and holds a masters in journalism, with particular interest in youth political engagement and technology. He is also a mentor to our Voice Contributors, and champions our festivals programme, including the reporter team at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Recent posts by this author

View more posts by Tom Inniss

1 Comments

  • Luke Taylor

    On 9 August 2017, 11:17 Luke Taylor Contributor commented:

    This guys seems really cuddly!

Post A Comment

You must be signed in to post a comment. Click here to sign in now

You might also like

Santiago Ribeiro Organize one more art show in a museum in the mountains

Santiago Ribeiro Organize one more art show in a museum in the mountains

by Santiago Ribeiro

Read now