Melbourne International Comedy Festival review

Physically imposing and with immense stage presence, Emmanuel Sonubi seems bulletproof – and for a while he lived his life that way, too, consuming wholesale quantities of drugs to counter the isolation of being a stand-up. 

But suffering heart failure on stage seven years ago, and the subsequent mini-stroke, provided a brutal reminder of his mortality. This is the ‘carpe diem’ point of Life After Near Death, but it is not one he labours. 

Sonubi does, however, suggest the incident offered something of a reappraisal, admitting he used to hide much of his real self when performing and vowing to be more open from here on in. To show vulnerability, he wears glasses now –  he’s Clark Kent, not Superman.

His newfound candour only goes so far, mind. He can be thoughtful and honest about his health problems or his mum being diagnosed with cancer, but weaves back to lighter topics before the gravity takes too tight a hold. 

Some of this other material offers very easy pickings indeed. For example, almost every comedian who has had a sign language translator gets them to interpret rude words – here it becomes a routine, told in retrospect, no longer in the moment.

That’s typical of the often juvenile sense of humour Sonubi  displays, playfully at odds with his formidable bouncer-like appearance. He still loves the ‘your mum’ jokes of his 1990s youth and is tickled by a Leicestershire street called Butthole Lane. Talking of buttholes, he’s also the sort of comic to get a (self-administered) colonic irrigation just so he can get a routine out of it. And there’s another poop routine involving his toddler son, too.

The core health story is not the only serious topic Sonubi glances without hitting square on. He says he doesn’t believe in toxic masculinity, for instance, then immediately goes on to give the perfect example of it when men, himself included, don’t seek medical help lest in be seen as a sign of ‘weakness’. 

For all the omissions, the show bounds along thanks to Sonubi’s expert delivery. He has a perfect combination of control and impishness to sell anything and has the audience eating from the palm of his hand. He draws on plenty of techniques to do that, but the most notable one is to allude to his success, followed by a mock-coy plea – ‘Oh my god stop talking about it!’ – accompanied by a flick of his nonexistent mane of hair.

Sonubi wraps up the hour with a significant message, delivered lightly with his trademark charisma. That force of personality would allow him to go anywhere – but despite the promise of the premise, he often plays things a bit too safe. But you’re guaranteed to have a good time in his company.

• Emmanuel Sonubi: Life After Near Death is on at Melbourne Town Hall at 7.30pm today and tomorrow and 6.30pm on Sunday.

Review date: 17 Apr 2026
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival