Comedy Festival 2018: Nazeem Hussain stays in his comfort zone in No Pain No Hussain ★★★

HE knows his audience inside out and delivers precisely what they want, but at times Australia’s favourite Muslim sounds suspiciously like he’s coasting.

WATCHING Nazeem Hussain work his loyal audience is like watching a master mechanic service a car.

Before a gathering of about 300 fans, stacked neatly into the lower slopes of the Forum, Hussain spent a solid 70 minutes eliciting huge laughs by hammering some very familiar nails: white people; brown people; racism; his parents; colonisation; trouble at customs; changing the flag; and, of course, his favourite punching bag, Pauline Hanson.

An intuitive yarn-spinner, he does a lovely piece about how to shut trolls down via Facebook and relates golden anecdotes about dealing with a racist Gumtree ad and visiting the most racist town in the US for the series Bill Nye Saves the World.

Nazeem Hussain in No Pain No Hussain.

There wasn’t a flat joke in the set, nor a pause that didn’t lead to a laugh. No dead spots, no misfires, no flubs. Here was a comic at one with his people — confident, charismatic and comfortable.

Very comfortable.

There is a point some comedians reach where their skills are so honed and polished that their performances look effortless. That’s the case with Hussain.

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Yet if there is something missing from his show it’s a sense of risk. There’s no real edge to the material, nothing dangerous or thought-provoking. There are jibes at politicians, but nothing more savage than calling Donald Trump names (a comedy cliche in dire need of either renewal or retirement).

It’s understandable that when an act has worked as long and as hard as Hussain has to establish himself he’d be loathe to stray too far from his comfort zone or his fixed political position.

And why should he? After all, as the old show business saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Nazeem Hussain in No Pain No Hussain.

Still, it’d be great to see Hussain challenge himself more. As Australia’s favourite Muslim — keep dreaming, Waleed — Hussain occupies a unique and powerful platform that most politicians and public figures would kill for. He could use it more.

The issues he likes talking about generate much more heat now than they did even two years ago, so why not sharpen his tack rather than stick to such safe and trusted jokes?

How sweet it would be, for instance, to see Hussain say something about Pauline Hanson that would genuinely upset her? He acknowledges her rising popularity but leaves her largely unscathed. Or how about looking deeper into the drivers of Australia’s divisive immigration debate?

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And Hussain comes to his new show bearing a great hook. With a baby on the way — he had to keep his phone on during the performance, just in case — he’s wondering how best to explain Australia to his child as it grows up.

Surely there’s heaps for his offspring to be frightened about, yet Hussain seems none too concerned as he merrily burns through familiar material to the cackles of his flock.

It’s a terrifically funny show, no risk, but Hussain often seems to be coasting and too content, despite the nature of his content.

Side note: Please, can whoever is responsible for the pre-show music that plays over the PA change it? Life is hard enough without being forced to listen to some hip-hop rap crap full of f-bombs and n-bombs. It’s music to commit felonies to.

Nazeem Hussain, No Pain No Hussain

Forum Upstairs, cnr Flinders & Russell Streets, until April 22.

comedyfestival.com.au