Nazeem Hussain – Public Frenemy

Comedian Nazeem Hussain doesn’t shy away from issues such as racism or prejudice against ethnic and religious minorities in his hard hitting but hilarious routines. Nazeem’s stand up comedy is particularly satirical and politically charged, full of puns and plays on words like the title of his latest tour: Public Frenemy. This is not the first time he has referenced the radical hip-hop group Public Enemy either. He use to tour with fellow comedian Aamar Rahman as the comedy duo Fear Of A Brown Planet.

In the last few years Nazeem has found success on his Logie nominated SBS TV show Legally Brown and is an official correspondent on the US Netflix program Bill Nye Saves The World but he still loves cracking jokes in front of a live audience and continues to perform regular stand up shows at the Comedy Store and various festivals around the country.

Nazeem told the City Hub that Public Frenemy is “a show broadly about me living in Australia and my frustrations with a lot of things around me, whether personally or just beyond my circle of influence, whether it’s global politics or Pauline Hanson. I think Public Frenemy fits the theme of that”.

Like many of the great Australian comedians, Nazeem’s comedy comes from a personal place and he is honest about his own experiences so the audience can directly relate to the issues he’s bringing up in his shows. Just as Nazeem jokes about issues directed at him he also jokes about his own hypocrisies and what’s silly or funny about his own community putting the comedy first and foremost but always making sure it has a message for you to chew on.

Comedy is one of the few mediums where you can have a positive experience whilst exploring some pretty dark areas and Nazeem does that brilliantly so don’t miss out on Public Frenemy when he tours it this month.

May 12 & 27. The Enmore Theatre, 118-132 Enmore Rd, Newtown. $30-$35 Tickets & Info: www.enmoretheatre.com.au 

By Daniel Jaramillo.