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From the Macarena to double denim, the ‘90s certainly saw some questionable choices, and Shaparak Khorsandi is here to unpick them all.
The comedian is returning to the stage with her new show, It Was the 90s!, with a date at the Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells.
Whether it was ‘ladette’ culture, parties or putting your flat shoes in a handbag, Shaparak was there for it all and is now looking back at the best and worst parts of the decade.
“I talk about how and why I threw myself into that wholeheartedly in the ‘90s, which is also when I started stand-up comedy,” says the Iranian-British comedian. “That was part of my need for freedom and the comedy circuit seemed like the most punk place to be.”
Shaparak, who is also a mum of two, was inspired to write the show by her son.
“It came about when I realised my son’s generation regards the ‘90s the way my generation regards the ‘60s,” she admits. “It’s a show that massively talks about the ‘ladette’ culture, which was a culture of women supposedly taking their power back by drinking the boys under the table and all that mayhem of emulating the worst of laddish behaviour.”
Shaparak became a familiar face on the comedy circuit with appearances on TV shows such as Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week and Have I Got News For You, as well as her extensive live tours performing at some of the country’s best venues.
As well as a successful comedy career, Shaparak also has three books under her belt: A Beginner's Guide To Acting English, Nina is Not OK and Kissing Emma.
When faced with writing It Was the 90s!, the stand-up comic not only looked back on the culture of the decade, but also compared it to the youth of today and how she, as a 23-year-old, navigated the world very differently.
“Every night was spent rushing out with nothing but a tenner in my pocket, spare knickers in my handbag and hope in my heart,” says the 48-year-old author. “I look at Emma Watson now and I go, ‘oh my God, you look so clean’. She looks like she goes to bed at a sensible time, whereas in the ‘90s I don’t remember ever deliberately going to bed.
“Self-care in the ‘90s was about having a Berocca. If I’d said to my friends after a one-night stand that I was going to take some time out, do some breathing exercises and meditation, become vegetarian and work on my boundaries, they would have thought I’d joined a cult.”
Shaparak Khorsandi is at the Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells, on Saturday, June 4. Book online here or call 01892 678 678.