An Audience with Hardeep Singh Kohli at The Studio, Bradford Review
An Audience with…
Hardeep Singh Kohli
The Studio, Bradford
20 June 2014
Reviewed by Rachel Legg
We attended this live comedy-and-chat routine not knowing quite what to expect. Surely this was Hardeep, the cuddly, gentle-humoured and softly-spoken persona from the television and radio. What was he doing in a “stand-up” environment?
Looking back on the evening, it’s clear that Hardeep himself was unsure which direction the evening was heading in and that is the joy of this kind of show, the content is fresh and not just a practiced stand-up routine. The Studio at the Alhambra in Bradford was ideal for this evening as it is an intimate enough venue to allow a real connection between the audience and performer. Following the format of “An Audience with…” Hardeep encouraged questions from the audience and gave eloquent, thought-provoking answers rather than throw-away comments played for laughs. The evening certainly took us on a journey I wasn’t expecting, the topics of conversation ranged from family weddings, to Scottish devolution, British politics to the history of the Punjab and the creation of Pakistan and of course food. It was at times belly-laughingly funny and on one occasion deeply moving, and I learnt a great deal.
There are clearly many more sides to Hardeep than those familiar to us from his BBC appearances. He is fiercely intelligent but self-deprecating, well-read but still filled with wonder about the world, passionately opinionated but prepared to put in the hours of research to back up what he says. You’ll catch more than a glimpse of all these facets during a mere 90-minute “show of two halves” in his company, 90 minutes that will nevertheless leave you wishing like anything for more. Anyone attending one of Hardeep’s “Audiences” should go expecting to laugh out loud often, but also to be, in the nicest possible way, educated and encouraged to think more deeply about the world and the people we share it with.
Rating: 5/5 
The Studio, Alhambra Theatre, Morley Street, Bradford, BD7 1AJ | Box Office 01274 432000
