‘SNL’ alum Nimesh Patel brings comedic edge to Norfolk tonight
Nimesh Patel’s popularity is rising, fast enough that there’s a chance his could be one of the next big names. He’s already well-established with the insiders of comedy.
In 2016, he wrote material for Chris Rock’s hosting of the Academy Awards and jokes the following year for Hasan Minhaj when he hosted the White House correspondents’ dinner.
He also became the first Indian-American writer on “Saturday Night Live” (2017), and now, he is coming to Norfolk.
The comedian, who regularly releases fulllength comedy specials on his YouTube channel to audiences of tens of thousands, will perform live at 7:30 tonight at the Attucks Theatre.
His comedy style has been compared to that of Dave Chappelle and is full of cheeky, twisting stories.
His “comedy philosophy,” Patel told The Pilot, is simple:
“How does my life parallel what’s going on in America and what lessons can I draw from myself that apply to American life and the general public?
“That’s the basic gist of that, but it’ll be a lot funnier.”
His arguably most popular YouTube special, “Jokes for Quarantine,” was released in 2020 and has been watched by more than 1 million fans. His latest new special, “Lucky Lefty OR: I Lost My Right Nut and All I Got Was This Stupid Special,” premiered this year and focused on his experience with testicular cancer.
But, he said, the set he has planned for Norfolk will deal with entirely different subject matter, including bits on:
His recreational drug use
Anger issues
“Some” therapy “stuff ” Current events
“A bunch of silly stuff that you wouldn’t expect coming out of an Indian face”
On stage early in his comedy career, Patel often felt he was performing to crowds expecting a show filled mainly with diatribes about his ethnicity. He now makes it a point to subvert expectations.
“People are like, ‘You don’t really talk about anything Indian?’ And it’s like: Well, everything I do is Indian. If I smoke weed, it’s an Indian guy smoking weed. You know?”
About 95% of the material he’ll use in Norfolk is brand new.
During his tour, the comedian has regularly spoken about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinians in recent weeks. So far, no one in the audience has yelled out or expressed anger at a show, he said — although he has received a few upset social media messages afterward.
“I would in no way, shape or form try to make fun of the atrocities on either side. I’m more talking about the stuff around what’s going on, like people getting fired up over it,” he explained.
Regardless of what they might expect, Patel implores people to come to his show and, even though he doesn’t have any local ties, believes Virginians will have a good time.
“Well, I did very briefly date a girl from UVA. Does that count?”
IF YOU GO
When: 7:30 tonight Where: Attucks Theatre, 1010 Church St., Norfolk Tickets: Start at $28 Details: livenation.com