A Bit of Foreign Stuff Review

Fierce, fast-paced, and crosses any cultural divides with the agility of a skilled acrobat

I'm in the Lych Gate Tavern at the Midland Fringe Festival, watching various devices being set up on the bar, including a screen, in readiness for CK Nath, who is about to start. CK is on her way to Edinburgh Fringe, and we are getting a free preview of the act she’ll be performing there and seeing how the material works.

CK is from India, married to an Englishman, and is full of stories about her life, her love of whinging and her family. I strap myself in in readiness for an onslaught of cross-cultural storytelling, family history and observational comedy that follows, all served with an invitation for us to share in her experience. She's both funny and terrifying at the same time. We are all laughing, willingly joining the party and sharing the moments

Her comedy is fierce, fast-paced, and crosses any cultural divides with the agility of a skilled acrobat who stumbles only now and again. This results in wonderful deviations from the script, which is more like a framework than a plan, resulting in unique hysterical moments, as she gets to know members of her audience. She’s ready to talk about anything, from a precocious six-year-old she met on the train on her journey here today to the seemingly pimp-like qualities of her mother-in-law. There's a lot of audience engagement, back-and-forth conversations, jokes and word games, but we don’t feel like stooges, more like extended family.

If you get the chance, I’d fully recommend seeing CK; it’s a lovely, funny experience. You’ll be made welcome and become part of the tribe before you know it, but a word of advice: don’t ask for a biscuit; never ask for a biscuit.