THIS IS MY DAD to Make World Premiere at Edinburgh Fringe With Jody Kamali
The solo comedy about grief and secrets will run at Assembly George Square, The Crate.
Playing both himself and his father, writer and comedian Jody Kamali unravels his Iranian dad's extraordinary life in a theatrical solo comedy about grief, secrets and the contradictions within us all. Performances will run at Assembly George Square, The Crate, 5 – 30 August.
A man who barbecued in both heatwaves and sub-zero temperatures, happily dined in hospital canteens, and lived by his own baffling logic. When his father dies suddenly, Jody sifts through his belongings expecting to find answers about the man he thought he knew. Instead, he uncovers a mountain of debt he must now repay, a lifetime of bizarre business ventures including an alleged investment in a Hare Krishna retirement home despite being an atheist, multiple aliases, and - most remarkably of all - messages from fellow Middle Eastern refugees his father had quietly helped flee their war-torn countries in the 90s and 2000s. As the show unfolds, Jody imagines the conversations he never got to have, searching for answers to questions he can no longer ask, and slowly comes to terms with a quiet truth: that sometimes, the people we love most are also the ones we know least.
Jody said, “The show started as a search for answers, but it became something much bigger. In trying to understand my dad, I had to confront how someone can be frustrating, confusing, and extraordinary all at once. It's been a difficult but important process. I hope people leave recognising how little we sometimes know about the people closest to us, and maybe feeling encouraged to dig a bit deeper, or laugh at the chaos of it all.''
Jody Kamali is a half-British, half-Iranian comedian, actor and writer known for his distinctive character comedy and roots in contemporary clowning. Over the past fifteen years, he has written and performed 15 solo shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, blending physical comedy, improvisation, and clowning. Alongside his stage career, he has appeared on screen in Golden Years (Netflix/Prime), Harry Hill's Tea Time (Sky) and Casualty (BBC). His stage credits include Mr Sleepybum (Edinburgh Fringe, Park Theatre and UK tour), Ironing Board Man (Edinburgh Fringe, Soho Theatre, UK Tour), and multiple other Fringe productions.
Oliver Senton came to his first Fringe festival in 1989, with a production of George's Schehadé's Vasco at The Chaplaincy Centre (now Pleasance Dome). He is also a founder member of Olivier award-winning Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, appearing in each of its Edinburgh runs from 2008-2016 (except 2010, when his son was born). More recently he has directed Max Dickins' first three plays for their Edinburgh runs. He has appeared in the West End in All's Well That Ends Well (RSC), Mamma Mia! and Peter Pan Goes Wrong, as well as for The National Theatre and the RSC in Stratford. As a founder member of The School of Night he has improvised in verse all over the world, as well as in Edinburgh. This will be his fourteenth Fringe.
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