Review of Omid Djalili at the Electric Palace

THE old saying goes that you should never mention two things at dinner parties: religion and politics.

It can be a tricky path to navigate.

Luckily comedian Omid Djalili has never shied away from discussing such things.

He had the audience at the Electric Palace in Bridport laughing raucously about everything from religion, politics and cultural differences, to celebrity to ‘UKIP voting hippies’.

There was something for everyone and everything was approached with an earnest warmth and joy.

The room was packed out for the performance which saw Omid on fine form on Tuesday night. He said he had really enjoyed his time in Bridport and had spent time exploring the town before the gig.

From the unifying power of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to Showing Racism the Red Card and his time in America, the audience was treated to hilarious insights.

Including learning the things you cannot say on Fox News and the right and wrong way to fill out an American visa application.

The whole evening was very interactive and chatty, with observations about the ageing process and the various stages of long-term relationships.

I don’t want to give the whole game away, as Omid will be back in Dorset in March 2015 at Weymouth Pavilion, but I would simply urge you to go and see him.

He has an infectious energy about his performance and is clearly enjoying himself enormously.

One thing I would say however, is from his DVDs and TV appearance you don’t realise how good a singer and dancer he is.

The man is a ‘Triple Threat’ as they say in the acting circles – he can act, he can sing and boy, can he shake it! His medley of Blue’s greatest hits was a revelation.

The question and answer section was a particular highlight, where the audience can ask him anything.

Bridport came up with some delights – from getting advice on what to do if your neighbour cuts a hole in your hedge to what prosthetics you would give to radical cleric Abu Hamza as replacements to his hooks.

The answer was glove-puppet treasure ‘Sooty’.

The last word must go to support act Boothby Graffoe, who was wonderful. I loved his incredible ‘psychic’ act – the man has the gift.