Performing in his third language, John Achkar’s “His country is collapsing. He’s having a baby. So obviously, this is the right year for a Lebanese comedian you’ve never heard of to try English stand-up for the first time” is a hilarious look at cultural differences and how one viral moment can change your life forever. Despite knowing only “1,379 words in English”, the Lebanese comedian effortlessly guides the audience through an hour of laid-back, approachable comedy, making it feel as if you are simply having a chat with an old friend.
The entire premise of the show is that John is a very successful Arabic comedian who has sold out immense stadiums in his native language. However, once he decides to attempt stand-up in English, he finds himself relegated to the intimate halls of The Spare Room at The Caves (despite still being part of one of the world’s biggest theatre festivals), which he repeatedly references when discussing the cosiness of the venue itself. John talks about how his comedy career launched into orbit after a uniquely viral moment in which he explained that he was going to Dubai simply to charge his phone. This is a video I have actually seen multiple times across my social media feeds and is the moment that inspired him to explore English-language comedy. One of the most poignant moments throughout the whole show, however, occurs as John talks about starting therapy sessions with an American professional online, where he discusses his own struggles with mental health. Having someone, in particular a male comedian, talk so openly about struggling with mental health is obviously incredibly important and can only have a positive effect on anyone in the audience going through a similar experience. On top of this, John talks about how he is essentially forced to explain the complicated background of his war-torn home country and how isolation and fear are common experiences for his peers, regardless of their mental health. While this idea of being from a war-torn place is not something I personally am particularly familiar with, obviously the idea of anxiety is something many people experience. This allows everyone in attendance to take something from his stories and helps make him even more relatable. This transitions into a very powerful yet comedic exploration of John’s own fears and issues with becoming both a husband and a father.
At one point, he discusses how, as a child, he always felt like his dad’s sole responsibility at the airport was to carry the collection of luggage, only to find himself slipping into this position as a father himself. In classic comedic fashion, this pseudo-responsibility does not go to plan, which is met with chuckles of laughter from everyone in the crowd! Despite producing this show in his third language, which he supposedly knows only 1,379 words of English, John uses every single one of them to craft a highly relatable series of jokes. These jokes have clear transitions between each other, helping the audience to easily follow along, even when he struggles to think of something outside of these 1,379 words. There is actually a brilliant sequence where John is impressed by his own usage of unusual vocabulary. Throughout the show, he also laughs at his own jokes, which helps to invite the audience to become more involved with the content being shared while also presenting the solo performer as a highly relatable and likeable host.
In conclusion, John Achkar’s solo show is a fantastic and intimate exploration of the performer’s own life and how he ended up performing in his third language at one of the world’s biggest theatre festivals. Highlighting cultural differences and how one viral moment transformed his life, John creates a welcoming and relatable environment, talking directly to the audience through his collection of hilarious anecdotes. If this stand-up spectacle in his third language is any indication of how brilliant this comedian is, then he is definitely one to keep a very close eye on! I would rate this show 4 out of 5 stars!
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