Anna and her partner came to see Shazia on Saturday night at my local pub, The Steeles in Belsize Park. (If you don’t know The Steeles I recommend checking it out, it’s a fabulous battered, bohemian, boozer.)

The promoter made us sit right at the front. So close to the mic in fact that I was wrapping my legs about the mic stand in a mock pole dancing effort from my chair. I wasn’t very good. Anyway, Shazabelle was on form and they thought she was brilliant. Anna had tears streaming down her face. It was great to watch. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard certain jokes of Shazia’s but still, I always, always, laugh. Which I guess is testament to the enormity of her talent.

If you’ve never seen Shazia perform then I recommend a visit to her website where you can view a few sketches and TV clips of her performing. (I particularly love the news and Primark sketches.) If you enjoyed them then perhaps you’d like to join us at the Soho Theatre in February.  Shazia will be performing a ten night stretch of her hour long show, commencing February 4th at 8pm. Come! I’ve included more information below.

Press Release

Internationally acclaimed, award winning stand up comedienne Shazia Mirza returns to the Soho Theatre this year with her brilliantly funny one-hour show ‘A Portrait of Shazia Mirza’.

Mirza will take the audience through the ups and downs of appearing alongside Nelson Mandela in the National Portrait Gallery’s Top Ten People of the Decade, to being told at eight stone that she is too fat for US TV, to becoming a WAG for the day.

As a stand up comedienne, Mirza has one on the most distinctive comedy voices. She is an international performer in huge demand and, in the last year alone, has performed in the USA (where she was the only UK comedienne to reach the semi finals of NBC’s Last Comic Standing), Switzerland, Berlin, Sweden and was the first British Comedienne to perform in Pakistan.

Following the huge rating success of F*** Off I’m a Hairy Woman, she has recently been filming ‘Brilliant Britain’ for the relaunch of TV channel Blighty. Her other television credits include Have I Got News For You, Miss Real World and a profile on ‘60 minutes’ (CBS).

In 2008 Shazia won the prestigious Columnist of the Year Award at the PPA Awards for her fortnightly column in political weekly the New Statesman. The judges praised Shazia as a columnist “who actually talks to their readers” and “gives an insight into a whole culture that does not have a voice in the British media”.

“She writes as a feisty young Muslim woman with a self deprecating and needle sharp humour, prepared to break taboos and make us think about the most controversial issues of our time, from suicide bombers to virginity” THE GUARDIAN

‘Clever, groundbreaking and very funny’ EVENING STANDARD

‘Her laconic one-liners represent something quite unique in modern comedy’ THE GUARDIAN

www.shazia-mirza.com

Dates: 4th-14th Feb. 8pm. Soho Theatre. £12 (£10)

For any press queries email moi! jr at jenroberts.co.uk or call 07968 756 449

Well Jen, you know how fucking, cunting offensive I am. Well I have to tell you about this show I did in New York last weekend. It was produced by two brilliant women - Eve Ensler who wrote the Vagina Monologues and Julie Goldman a brilliant New York comic. It was at the Zipper Theatre where Joan Rivers and Margaret Cho regularly perform. The audience was gay heavy, there were a lot of lesbians - you would have fucking loved it! And the show was amazing. It had great performers, trapeeze artists, great house band, and great comics. You need to check out www.offensivewomen.com These women are brilliant, hard core, hilariious performers, and I know your shows in the UK are the only ones that are trying to emulate what they do so well in NY.  Jen, I know you are a pioneer and a hardcore badass offensive ruthless showbiz machine, that’s why I love working with you, even though you can be a right badass bitch as well. But that’s a small price to pay to work with Miss. Roberts. And even though your rates have gone up, EVEN in the fucking recession! (you’re the Belsize Park equivalent of Anne Robinson) I love your work and I love being part of it. Thanks for your support, hard work and management of me.  See you soon. And lets do what we do best, which is to Stalk celebrities in Hampstead. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx