Presented by Mujahid Ahmed at the Lion Arts Centre, Nexus Cabaret Centre, corner of North Terrace and Morphett Street Adelaide, is the Adelaide Fringe Festival’s Mujahid Ahmed is on African Time.
We have some exceptionally fond memories of the Lions Arts Centre, as for us in our earlier years it was previously the hub of the Fringe Festival. It’s a fantastic venue which is equipped for many forms of different entertainment and cultural events.
The first impression of Mujahid Ahmed was listening to him on the local radio station earlier this week. He presented well and gave me confidence that it would be a show worth seeing.
At the Nexus Cabaret Centre, the audience appeared to come from all walks of life and from varying age groups and it was a full house of approximately 100 people. The lighting focused on the performer with the seating arrangements being well set out with the audience being able to have a good view of the stage.
In the opening of the show, with African style music in the background, Mujahid walked onto the stage looking like a cast member from the production of the ‘Lion King’. He had this large leopard (fake of course) wrapped around his shoulders which set the scene for some African tales.
Mujahid is a young man who introduced himself with some material on his background which reflected on everyday life when living in Sudan. They were not heart wrenching stories, just general life in Africa before coming to Australia eight years ago. His explanation on African time was something that westerners do not adapt to often enough and basically, Africans have a tendency to do things in their own time.
Mujahid had a likeable personality with a warm voice that ensured he connected with his audience. Being from Africa, his material was original and he produced topics which drew a good response. He delivered his material with confidence which for a guy who lives in Adelaide he had plenty of material to focus on. Of course using the eastern suburbs versus the northern suburbs gags worked a treat ensuring the ‘upper class’ Burnside set were not let off too lightly.
Mujahid utilised a projector as his prop and showed some seriously funny images on the white back drop. Mujahid was able to captivate the audience with comparisons of everyday life in Australia adjacent to everyday life in Africa. The images are similar to the ones that get around electronically from friends and work colleagues, however they were placed in an order that only Mujahid could undertake and receive a greater response.
Only on one occasion did Mujahid use an audience member as part of his material. This particular skit did not necessarily produce the reaction that may have been anticipated.
The show finished with an opportunity for the audience to be involved in a question and answer session however it drew no response and consequently the show winded up in a 45 minute session.
For a stand up performer, Mujahid Ahmed was able to produce original material which flowed with an exceptional amount of ease. Overall an enjoyable show that was well prepared and well received by the collective mix of an obviously appreciative audience.
The Adelaide Fringe Festival – Mujahid Ahmed is on African Time
Genre: Comedy
Duration: 1 hour
Website: nexus.asn.au
Age suitability: Parental Guidance – Contains coarse language
At: Nexus Cabaret
Lion Arts Centre Corner of North Terrace & Morphett Street Adelaide
Times:
Thu 05-Mar 08:00PM
Fri 06-Mar 08:00PM
Thu 12-Mar 08:00PM
Fri 13-Mar 08:00PM
Sat 14-Mar 07:00PM
Thu 19-Mar 08:00PM
Fri 20-Mar 08:00PM
Sat 21-Mar 07:00PM
