By Luke Simmons
This man is raw.  And when I say raw, I mean Eddie Murphy Raw – not newbie raw. Khaled’s appeal comes from his willingness to push boundaries and take you out of your comfort zone. And after seeing his show, it’s no wonder Jim Jeffries recently enlisted him as a support act on his Australian tour.
Khalad leapt out from the back stage curtain and started his show by launching into a “Parental Guidance” like warning to not get offended by his show – he’s here to offend everyone! After that, he reeled off a tongue in cheek gay joke that was clearly used to illustrate his point. As he moves through his show, he demonstrates a real smoothness and air of confidence that comes from someone who backs their controversial material with intelligence and their ability as a standup comedian. He’s also got a myriad of different voices that he uses to great comedic effect.
Khalad feeds off taboo subjects and considering Jeffries’ influence it was no surprise when he tackled the hot topic of feminism as it’d been only days since he shot to national notoriety thanks to a brief appearance on Triple J’s Hack. He proceeded to (jokingly) take the piss out of extreme feminists, and finishes off with a poignant statement explaining his stance on how equal rights should apply to all women across the planet – not just those born in the 1st world. And therein lies the appeal to this comic, as he’s got an acid tongue and rarely sends up modern society without making you think about double standards. Although he plays heavily on his Egyptian heritage, he covered material from a wide enough spectrum to be considered more than simply a “race comic”. He also has the charming ability to mock himself as well as everyone else.
His experience with Jim Jefferies has no doubt influenced his exploration of the shock-jock type comedic path that he has chosen to take. It should only be a matter of time before he becomes one of Australia’s leaders of thinking man’s frat humour.
Khaled Khalafalla – Happy is on The Upstairs Lounge @ Little Sista until April 19
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2015/season/shows/happy-khaled-khalafalla