Words: Elodie Marriott 

4 stars 

Although she assures us she’s dead behind the eyes at this point in her Fringe run, Urooi Ashfaq has an understated liveliness and continues to prove that her Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer title was well deserved. 

In a Monkey Barrel “dungeon” which she feels quite “safe” in, Ashfaq teaches us how to be a baddie through a series of stories loosely connected by the theme of ‘errant Indian girl’. She states, rather than apologises for, the lack of segues which isn’t notably jarring until the (deliberate) whiplash transition from One Direction erotica to child abuse. 

It is a pleasure to see the world through Ashfaq’s eyes for an hour and to enjoy her topical musings, like her classification of the UK as a Bring Your Own Pornography (BYOP) country. Her perceptive commentary on women’s desire, sexism, and gender norms are illustrated by compelling personal anecdotes that are as amusing as they are provoking. 

How To Be A Baddie has the ability to appeal to most, with a portion of the audience enjoying Ashfaq’s randi incident because they understood the cultural nuance of the word, and the rest happy to have learnt a new swear. Consider everyone pleased. 

Urooj Ashfaq: How To Be A Baddie
Monkey Barrel Comedy
6.25
17 – 25 Aug