Review by Steve Bennett

Well, this show’s a failure. Sat through the whole hour, and racism’s not ended.

In fact, not all W Kamau Bell’s sincere suggestions for a solution seem particularly logical anyway. But one theme is to look beyond meaningless labels – so put aside the label he’s put on his own show, which implies something heavyweight even with its tongue-in-cheek spin, and you’ll find a comic more keen on being playful than provocative.

He certainly brings an irreverent approach to a topic some might prefer to pussyfoot around, bringing up serious points, but having fun with them, largely though an endearingly good-natured engagement with a sometimes wary audience. He doesn’t undermine the weighty things he talks about, but also recognises that as a comedian, the laughs have to come first.

There are pertinent issues here, such as the rather arbitrary definitions of race imposed on the world, or the suggestion that a black president makes his native America ‘post-racial’, when in fact it reveals a greater divide, in some quarters at least. He takes a little while to get stuck into the meat of the subject, making sure we’re going to be OK without using sugar-coated PC language, for example, but when he gets stuck in, the social commentary mixes more freely with his cheekily likeable personality.

He convincingly argues that race is an artificial construct, then wants white people to realise that they are just one segment of society. For example, magazines for black people tend to be signposted as such, but magazines for white people assume they are of universal interest – and he wishes they were labelled as for the whites. This is essentially where his argument is on shaky ground: he wants to end racism by more segregation. When a white person screws up, he wants all white people to be embarrassed for their ‘kind’, just like every black person feels responsible when a high-profile black person screws up. Wouldn’t it be better for the world to realise that just because, say, Chris Eubank’s a dick, it shouldn’t reflect on anyone else but Chris Eubank.

Sorry, got distracted by one of the issues there  – but Bell’s wide-ranging show has that effect. At one point, he tells the audience off for breaking off into discussion groups… but it was his doing, in lobbing some thoughtful questions our way that are far more complex that ‘Where you from?’

This is a hour that needs a director’s firmer touch. There are videos of news reports that go on for too long, and the timing and weight of some of the stand-up sections needs more attention. But what overrides all of this is Bell’s engaging, intelligent personality and ability to tell the truth as he sees it through the prism of comedy. He’s a clued-up comic with something to say and an impish sense of mischief – and that’s a winning combination.

Review date: 6 Aug 2011
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett