First up is Henning Wehn, the self-proclaimed German Comedy Ambassador. He plunges into stereotypical gags about German humour, before moving on to Brits liking swearing, their attitude to debt, and to children failing exams, plus shouting in English.

He makes a long play of undoing his cardigan to the right point for the precise desired warmth, which allows him to cover euphemisms for being cold. But that isn’t cardigans finished. He discusses the ‘bad old days of the cardigan’ pre-acrylic, and how ‘cardigan development never stops.’

Back on his theme, he sings a German folk song, encouraging clapping along, to make a Hitler Youth point, and cuts English Football songs down to size. He ends with a neat gag about the Germans’ loss of Empire – ensuring his bank’s call centre is actually in Germany.

After an interval of over twenty minutes, Stewart Lee appears, starting by explaining his other potential show title ‘March of the Mallards’ designed to offend certain US Christian groups, and his current title – 41st Best Stand-Up Ever – thanks to the Channel 4 show.

As to whether he really is 41st Best Stand-Up Ever, Stewart Lee says many argued and opposed the list. He chose to ‘embrace it as fact.’ Not that this apparently impresses his mum, who is more concerned with quilting, and still hasn’t got over a one-liner from Tom O’Connor. This could appear a childish whinge, but doesn’t, thanks to fine-tuning the details and a nice twist in the repetition.

He talks about the 41st Best Stand-Up accolade as a vote by the public ‘you, thanks for coming,’ who he accuses of no taste or judgement. He acts out traditional TV favourite, Del from Only Fools and Horses falling through the bar, and lies motionless to talk about the public’s response – uncannily similar to the impression of his mother.

He has great lines on TV’s problems covering serious matters, like Big Brother’s racism row, and his vision for a new TV series performing to obscure groups, from small children to insect scientists at an event called ‘Pestival.’ This leads into his attempts to slim down with Weight Watchers, hampered by others’ religious beliefs, and his fear that his religious material might be ‘enjoyed by people you wouldn’t want enjoying it.’

A rant about Sun journalist Richard Littlejohn later, and he’s rounding up, bringing together the show’s various threads. Pestival meets Tom O’Connor, whose popular umbrellas may cause alien cultures to consider him a rain-god. Then he turns the whole premise on its head, when his mum – now Worcestershire’s 41st Best Quilter – remembers it wasn’t actually Tom O’Connor’s line.

Without knowing the 40 above Stewart Lee on the Best Stand-Ups list, it’s still clear the public have some taste and judgement, and in terms of him ‘using it as a marketing tool to trick audiences into coming to see me’, those who fall for the 41st Best Stand-Up accolade shouldn’t be disappointed.

Cast Credits: Written and performed by (alpha order): Stewart Lee. Henning Wehn.

Company Credits: Stage Manager - Sonya Manasse. Lighting and Sound - Tim Liddle.

END

(c) Gill Smith 2007

reviewed Friday 12 October 07 / The Concert Hall Reading

Fringe Report's Reading Comedy Festival 07 coverage is organised and edited by Gill Smith.

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2008