In a lesser controversy at this year’s fringe, the comic Matt Forde was mocked for tweeting peevishly at audience members bringing babies to his show. He should take a leaf out of Emmanuel Sonubi’s book. There’s a baby in the front row of the north Londoner’s gig today, and Sonubi riffs with the tot relaxedly throughout – and gets big laughs for doing so. That won’t be why this former bouncer secured himself a Dave’s best newcomer nomination; one doubts the baby is a fixture. But it’s indicative of the unflustered confidence and warmth that’s winning the comic well deserved attention.
You wouldn’t guess Sonubi was a newbie, in other words. There’s no eagerness to please: you meet this comic on his own terms, or not at all. But it’s hard to imagine anyone resisting. Emancipated excavates engaging tales from Sonubi’s previous life as a nightclub doorman – but also as a dad, a cruiseship entertainer, and the survivor of a recent heart scare. The bouncer material is particularly strong – because it’s fresh, in a standup context, but also because Sonubi constantly plays off his appearance (large, musclebound, archetypally scary) and his personality – a musical theatre lover who can’t fight and easily takes fright.
