Dear Friends of German Humour,
Just got back from this year’s massively scaled down Edinburgh Fringe and it has been the most blissful month imaginable!
On arrival at Waverley Station I didn’t have to endure the sound of a single bagpipe and that’s when I knew I was in for a relaxed time.
My slight mistake was that, like every year, I kept Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays free to watch other shows. Sadly there weren’t any. Occasionally someone would pop up to do a single show or two but by the time I found out about their run it inevitably had finished.
Being the only show in town did come with one big advantage. It proved a theory I have had for many years which is: Even if I was the only show at the Fringe I still wouldn’t win the Comedy Award. And indeed, coming home empty-handed I finally have proof! Result! Turns out they rather altogether cancel the award than give it to someone German.
It’ll All Come Out In The Wash is an unbiased look at the Covid crisis and elicits much stronger reactions than its predecessor Get On With It, which was an unbiased look at Brexit.
It’s been no more than 30 performances and already there were people leaving in tears and others leaving so angry they couldn’t verbalise any criticism. But there was also no shortage of people who told me in emotional words how it’s the best thing they’ve ever seen.
It won’t last though. Constant improving and optimising will mean that unless you catch the show early on it will have turned into a smooth-running machine that has lost most of its edge and elicit no emotion whatsoever.
Even that might not be enough not to get cancelled of course.
Poor old Chubby Brown has just been banned from Sheffield City Hall as a result of, surprise surprise, an online campaign. I saw his show a few years ago and the only one entitled to have him banned should be his wife as he spent 90 minutes discussing her genitals. Call me unwoke but I prefer a society where it’s not trolls and the unhinged who decide who appears down the local theatre. This will never catch on in our online age but if someone I don’t want to see appears in my local theatre I simply don’t go.
Have a great September
Henning
PS: Please find below a list of upcoming gigs. It would be great if you could make it to one of those. I particularly recommend the intimate gig at Farringdon’s Betsey Trotwood on Sep 22nd. And all the others of course..
