Radhika Vaz proved last weekend that she is one of the few stand-up comics here in Bangalore with actual mettle and material to her name. A full house gathered at Alliance Francaise for the city leg of her national tour Older. Angrier. Hairier. Her second one-woman show after Unladylike, it carried through similar themes of being a contemporary woman and added all the baggage that goes with ageing. With this show, Vaz invites audience members on a journey through her life and mind, from her decision not to have children to the annoying ones that her friends have had.
Before the lights dimmed, the statutory warning about switching off one’s cell phone issued into the auditorium, first in French and then in English, sprinkled liberally with cuss words. This reinforced two things – one, everything definitely sounds better in French and two, this is not going to be a show for, by or of prudes. Unlike Andy Zaltzman who suffered through a depressing opening act before he opened his comic innings, Vaz danced right on to stage twenty minutes late and held fort for over an hour.
The epitome of adult humour, her jokes ranged from nipple hair to the relation between the guest worthiness of her apartment and crotch. Her transition between various routines was seamless. After one extended routine on toilet troubles and diarrhoea – incredibly funny and only slightly cringe-worthy - she continues, “And speaking of assholes...babies.” She goes on to call very small children ‘overrated’ in what will become one of the funnier segments of the night. She definitely gets into her groove when she describes the two six year olds she had to entertain and their made-up dance routine. That will give anyone having parental inklings pause for thought.
While the segment describing how she deals with people who question her choice of remaining childless is drawn out and lacks depth, one joke stands out. Upon hearing that she doesn’t want children because they’re expensive, her father said, “Your mum and I brought you up on practically nothing.” Upon relaying which Vaz retorts, “Yeah, and I fucking hated it.” Vaz is definitely at her very best when she draws on her family for inspiration. Her unseen husband Deepak is mimicked to hilarious effect in and out of the bedroom.
Of course, Vaz spares no one in her politically incorrect monologue, taking pot-shots at people from Rahul Gandhi to her friend Swati. She addresses socially relevant issues like ageism, sexism, tradition, weight, coitus and more in her characteristic bawdy humour. The American references to car washes and dollar amounts only slightly take away from proceedings, with Vaz being, for the most part, relatable and accessible. The icing on the cake was her father. Seated in the auditorium, he was referenced as bearing a resemblance to her genitalia and he still owned up to his identity when Vaz called out to him at the conclusion of the show.
