WHY ARE YOU?

Stand-Up Comedy | Spoken Word | Solo Show

Written & Performed by JR Sharaf

"A question meant to mock… became a mission to answer."

What happens when you’re asked, “Why are you?” — not who, not how, but why — like your existence needs an explanation?

WHY ARE YOU? is a blisteringly honest and wildly funny one-person show by Pakistani-born comic and poet JR Sharaf, blending stand-up, storytelling, and spoken word to unravel a life caught between cultures, expectations, and existential dread.

This is not your typical identity show.

With rhythm, rage, and ridiculous punchlines, JR dives into:

growing up in a place where laughter was a privilege

navigating queerness, colonial hangovers & comedy cliques

being too Desi for the West, too West for the Desi

and the sneaking suspicion that life is one big bit that no one gets paid for

You’ll laugh, you’ll feel seen, and you might cry — but only if you're human.

Sharaf has spent the last year building this show from scratch across dive bars, poetry rooms, and working men’s clubs in Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, and Stoke. This is his Fringe debut, and it might just be the hour you didn’t know you needed.

“Raw, lyrical, and hilarious — like if Bo Burnham had grown up in South Asia and hated brunch.”

– Audience feedback

“Powerful stuff. The line between joke and truth is walked so well, it made me uncomfortable… in a good way.”

– Open mic host, Manchester

Come for the laughs. Stay for the breakdown.