Bryan Safi: Are You Mad at Me? ★★★

Bryan Safi is no stranger to a stage. As a US comic, actor, and podcast host, he brings a sense of polish and natural charisma to his Fringe debut. Are You Mad at Me? is an hour of reflections on people-pleasing, dating disasters, body image, and his complicated relationship with his mother. It is performed with charm and warmth — but it never quite scales the comedic heights it is obviously aiming for.

Safi frames himself as a consummate people-pleaser, tracing this trait back to childhood when his mother dissuaded him from dance lessons in favour of basketball. The image of him attempting to sprint with limp wrists is revisited with relish, setting up his theme of physical awkwardness and emotional vulnerability. From there, we segue into material about his mother’s withering one-liners, spun into an audience game of “Homophobic or Serving?” that is clever in premise, if a little drawn out in execution.

Elsewhere, Safi mines the chasm between who we present ourselves to be and who we are behind closed doors. He pokes fun at the difference between his dating app profiles — wholesome on Hinge, hedonistic on Grindr — and recounts a second-date calamity involving mountains of broccolini. There is also a strong thread on self-perception, as he riffs on body dysmorphia, fashion faux pas, and his envious admiration of Sharon Stone’s unshakeable confidence.

The structure of the show is loose, sometimes meandering, but Safi is a strong enough raconteur to keep the audience with him. His act-outs — demonstrating different types of stage entrances or over-the-top flirting expressions — are a highlight, showing a physicality that enlivens the narrative. He is also at his best when leaning into silliness, such as when he turns Disney villain songs into inadvertent date-killers, or when he riffs with the audience.

Yet for all of Safi’s appeal, the laughs are too gentle. Much of the material elicits knowing smiles and light chuckles rather than proper belly laughs. The personal anecdotes, while affable, sometimes feel padded, and the show could do with a few sharper punchlines to match the energy of Safi’s performance.

Still, there is an honesty to Are You Mad at Me? that is appealing. Safi does not present himself as a swaggering comic genius but as a good-natured worrier, someone perpetually second-guessing himself yet determined to win affection. His charm ensures that the hour never drags, even when the jokes do not fully land.