Review: Amir Dean's LADY BUSHRA: SAREE ABOUT IT at Don't Tell Mama Is Delightfully Witty

Lady Bushra is the drag persona of British comedian Amir Dean, who has been touring Europe and Canada with his show Saree About It, named after the popular South Asian women’s garment that makes up the centerpiece of his usual performance attire. Donning an elaborately styled outfit and on-point makeup, Amir puts on a delightful show, now in monthly residency at Don’t Tell Mama. Mixing stand-up comedy, song, and audience games, Lady Bushra shows her ability to charm a room.

Much of the show consists of stand-up comedy. Dean’s material covers a few subjects, such as his hometown of Bradford, England, his arrival in the United States, and Melania Trump. Amir keeps his delivery even and casual, giving things a personable atmosphere. He speaks quite extemporaneously, as if talking to a friend, and he’s quick on his feet if anyone in the audience responds. Crowd work is a real strength of Dean’s, and he makes a point to connect with a few audience members early on so he can come back to them if there’s a lull. He peppers in a nice mix of pre-prepared and off-the-cuff riffs, and maintains a solid sense of when to move on to the next person.

As befits a drag comedy show, there’s a lot of audience participation. Both of the show’s volunteer games are worth highlighting. First, a competition to see who could best wear a saree among three people who don’t know how to wear one. It’s more difficult than you might think, especially when you only have one minute to figure it out - a friend of mine who volunteered to participate learned this the hard way. However, those who don’t win still get a prize - in this case, a poster of Lady Bushra.

Second was a trivia game entitled RuPaul or Psychopath. Quotes are recited, and people guess if they were said by RuPaul (host of Drag Race) or a famous psychopath. If you aren’t familiar with RuPaul, you might expect it to be easy to distinguish the words of the famous entertainer from those of infamous murderer Charles Manson: you’d be wrong, as Dean demonstrates.

There’s song interspersed throughout the evening as well. Amir opens with a riff on When You’re Good to Mama, the classic number from Chicago, with a few words changed to make it more specific to Lady Bushra and the kinds of favors she prefers to grant. Later, he sings a poppy number from a Bollywood film. Those in the audience who were unfamiliar with the tune (a category that I will admit includes me) were able to enjoy it regardless, thanks to her emotive delivery.

Overall, Saree About It provides an entertaining mix of stand-up comedy, drag, and song. It's a funny yet personal performance, carried by Dean's charisma and wit.

Saree About It is in monthly residence at Don’t Tell Mama, tickets for the next performance on November 8th are here.

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