Joe Haddad's solo show PalesTEENian at Riverside Studios in London is a self-referential standup set about his journey into comedy, negotiating his dual identity as a Palestinian south Londoner. Born in Croydon to Arab Christian parents from Jerusalem, Haddad faced prejudice at his Catholic school, including taunts of 'Jew-boy' due to little understanding of Palestine and its history of occupation. He later adopted the Anglicised stage name Joe Adams, fearing cancellation, even as his mother advised him not to mention Palestine during gigs.
Family comedy and football fandom
Haddad emphasises that the show is not all gloom and doom. He avoids mentioning the I-word (Israel) and leads with heartiness and humour, exuberantly depicting extended family members in Jerusalem and nodding to his love of Chelsea FC. Good lines include 'Tonight I’m occupying the stage,' and his effervescent presence is noted, but the show doesn't quite hang together or build sufficient dramatic trajectory. Haddad himself acknowledges the hodge-podge nature, suggesting it reflects his own life.
Tonal shifts and missed potential
The show hops in tone from comic to dramatic without nailing either. Haddad waxes lyrical about za'atar, Arab hospitality, and gives cartoonish takes on his imperious Palestinian mother. He discusses cultural expectations to become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer, and his departure into comedy. The humour is cute but soft and over-familiar, with football jerseys serving as a red herring—football is only mentioned superficially.
Haddad also speaks of 7 October 2023, from hearing about Hamas's attacks to horrific images from Gaza. But this part comes in short, impressionistic sentences, not fully grappled with. Too many topics are touched on in 80 minutes, making the show feel slight and unfocused—a précis that doesn't unpack the immense potential of its subject matter. At Riverside Studios, London, until 2 August.
