TRUST IN THE FUNNY

THE STAND-UP’S BRAND NEW SHOW IS BOTH A LOVE LETTER TO HIS SON AND A FORM OF COMIC RELIEF FOR HIMSELF

- Cynthia Wang

Come the revolution, when diversity is a given and not a special effort, when common sense prevails, and wrongs are set right, Nazeem Hussain will be happy to take a little edge off his comedy and go for a few more dad bits than mad bits.

Until then, the creator and star of Orange is the New Brown will deliver sharp barbs with glee in Hussain That?, his sixth solo stand-up show, premiering at Adelaide Fringe on February 24.

“I’m still having the same conversations with people where they’re like, ‘Oh, but you know, we’re still moving in the right direction,’” Hussain, 33, says with a hint of perplexity about the entertainment industry’s slow crawl towards inclusion. “I’ve been hearing that since I started comedy over a decade ago. But how long until we’re actually doing what we’re saying we’re moving towards and just get it done?”