Review of a comic's tale of growing up Muslim amid the rednecks

At one point in his comedy career, Ismael Loutfi came to the realisation that stand-up is not about telling a good story, but about ‘relatable hyperbole’.

That seems a narrow interpretation for all that stand-up can be, but perhaps explains why Heavenly Baba is best seen not so much as an out-and-out comedy hour, but a personal storytelling show that often foregrounds authenticity and vulnerability ahead of laughs.

However there’s certainly plenty of humour – or absurdity, certainly – in the figure of his Syrian father, looming large in this story as he did in Loutfi’s life. 

Described as ‘the most religious person I've ever met’, he inspired a devotion to Islam in his son. As a kufi-wearing schoolboy, Loutfi defined himself entirely by his faith, giving him something of a power trip amid the ‘rednecks’ of Ocala, Florida, where he grew up. 

It didn’t, however, make him many friends – an outsider status that would later draw him into comedy. One strand of Heavenly Baba is how he grew to square his religion with modern life, such as the story about how he got around the ban on pre-marital flirting in his teenage years, which does not show him in a good light.

But it is the zealous Baba who is by far the most interesting character, a man who prides himself in his faith and is stubborn in all he does, from evolution-denial to his calling out of malpractice in the hospitals where he works (very ironically, it turns out), no matter what the consequences for himself. Mostly this manifests in his car, which he covers with statements of his unyielding beliefs, religious or otherwise, equally intolerant of Donald Trump and anyone gay.

To an outsider, the graffitied vehicle might look like the work of someone with some serious problems, but to Loutfi, he’s ‘Baba’; an intelligent man – a surgeon, no less – and a devoted father, if decidedly eccentric. ‘He’s weird but I love him,’ is his verdict. 

With such a character at its core Heavenly Baba is compelling, if often more interesting than funny, especially in the last quarter when Loutfi takes a more reflective view of his dad and his own place in the world – especially his disillusionment in needing to crack ‘Muslim jokes’ that reinforced stereotypes to make his way on the comedy circuit. 

In this one-man-show guise, he proves himself a charming and engaging storyteller with an impeccably constructed yarn  – aside, perhaps, for a couple of less compelling diversions into his love of map-drawing and disillusionment with former comedy hero Al Franken. 

Overall, though, his witty tale offers humanity and insight  about two people who never quite fit in: his father and himself. 

• Ismael Loutfi: Heavenly Baba is at Soho Theatre, London, until Saturday.

Review date: 26 Mar 2026
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Soho Theatre