Ali Siddiq review – charisma and hard-won authenticity from an ex-con

Soho theatre, London
The US standup, who spent six years in a Texas prison, delivers an accomplished set drawing on his misspent youth

One in three black men in the US will spend time in jail. So it’s safe to assume that – at any given moment – there’s major untapped talent stuck behind those bars. Step forward Ali Siddiq, who spent six years in a Texas prison for selling drugs, and is now a hot-property comic.

For 15 years, Siddiq didn’t address prison in his act. Then, last year, the 45-year-old performed It’s Bigger Than These Bars to inmates at Bell County Jail, Texas, broadcast as his first hour-long special for Comedy Central. Tonight’s show draws on that material, and proves Siddiq to be an accomplished, authoritative standup.

Continue reading...

from Culture | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2Q68nZP