Review

REVIEW: Sadia Azmat and Vittorio Angelone: Random Bag Check – 3½*

Radio Ha-Ha! talks Ha-Ha!

Written by Ciara Kelleher

Review date: 10th August 2019

‘Random Bag Check’ showcases two different but very talented comedians at the Voodoo Rooms, where Vittorio Angelone and Sadia Azmat performed to a packed crowd. 

In the show, both comedians poked fun at and questioned stereotypes and social connotations. Kicking this off was Vittorio Angelone; a comedian from Belfast with Italian heritage who joked that they “Moved from Italy to get away from the bombs”. In his half of the performance, Vittorio tells us about his life in Belfast and his grandparent’s lack of knowledge about technology. 

One thing that was clear about Vittorio from the offset was that he understands how to perform a joke and craft a story.  He only performed for thirty minutes but it was one of the sharpest sets I have seen in a long time. The audience responded well to him and Vittorio interacts with them like someone who has been doing this for years, coming across very charismatic on stage. He reminded me of the last generation of comedians, many of whom had style, charisma and had the ability to make anything sound funny.  It was lovely to watch someone who seems to really enjoy what they do.

After that came Sadia Azmat’s half an hour. Unfortunately, some of Sadia’s material didn’t land with the audience. Her performance lacked conviction. It didn’t seem like she believed in the quality of the jokes herself. She had a laid back, non-committal way of performing. Saying that, her laid back style of performing was enjoyable to some, it just took five or six seconds for the joke to land. She spoke quite a lot about sex, marriage and stereotyping. She asked a couple of people about their relationships and I enjoyed her interactions with the audience. It was my first-time watching Sadia and unfortunately, I was a little bit disappointed. Her set just didn’t seem fully developed. 

Overall, it’s an enjoyable hour of comedy, but you do question why they decided to perform together considering their contrasting comedic styles.

If you are at Edinburgh Fringe, check out ‘Random Bag Check’ to see two completely contrasting performances; whether you want something laid back or quick wit. Tickets available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/random-bag-check