Seeing emerging comedians can always go one of a few ways and right before going to see Shubha – Hive Mind I had a typical Sydney bout of FOMO, suddenly convinced I should have chosen to see another, more well-known comedian that night. The feeling didn’t last long. Shubha is, in a word, amazing. Hive Mind is insightful, full of great one liners, beautifully woven stories and fantastically staged dialogue. Picture hanging out with your funniest friend at their peak. When you feel like everything that comes out of their mouth is a piece of comedy gold that is relevant and personal.
You have to be smart to be really funny. Without intelligence and analysis you can still get a few cheap and easy laughs from the audience but these tend to be short lived and easily forgotten. Luckily for us, Shubha is part of an emerging genre of comedians who are thoughtful, considered and unapologetically intelligent. She understands the power of comedy and of her words and uses them to excellent effect. Despite Hive Mind ostensibly being about being stuck in one’s own head, she masters jokes on topics ranging from religion to fetishes. She takes the introspection and anxiety that is commonplace these days and turns it into something important which is also, importantly for a comedy, very funny.
The great thing about Shubha’s Hive Mind, there’s nothing in the show which feels predictable, overdone or overly familiar. She’s fun, fresh and doesn’t take herself too seriously.
Shubha is making her presence felt. Her Sydney Comedy Festival debut has come to an end but you should definitely follow her on social media to keep an eye on upcoming shows and appearances.
Elli
Elli de Ryckman de Betz is an avid comedy lover and consumer on the Sydney circuit, whose most recent claim to fame is writing the Plus One’s Guide to the Sydney Comedy Festival for the second year running.
Shubha’s Hive Mind, ran from Thursday 26th – Friday 27th April at the Enmore Theatre in Newtown. Although her show at the Sydney Comedy Festival is over, make sure to follow Shubha on social media to keep from missing out on any upcoming shows or performances.
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Disclosure: The Plus Ones were invited guests of Shubha Sivasubramanian.
Image credit: Sydney Comedy Festival.
