For his 25th Fringe show, RICHARD HERRING - creator of the hit shows Christ on a Bike, Talking Cock and last year’s critically acclaimed The Headmaster’s Son - attempts to reclaim the Hitler ‘tache for comedy.
The toothbrush moustache seems now forever associated with Adolf Hitler. Yet Charlie Chaplin had one first. The only place the Hitler ‘tache is now acceptable is carved into a woman’s pubic hair. Why has this innocent and amusing square inch of hair seemingly taken the blame for the crimes of the Nazi regime?
Like many men, in the privacy of his own bathroom, he has shaven his beard down to see how he looks with "the Hitler". But unlike most men he has decided to venture out onto the streets with it still under his nose. How will people respond? Will they understand what he is doing or just assume he’s mentally ill or a fascist or both? And by judging him by the way he looks, aren’t they being just as fascistic as him? Was it the toothbrush moustache that was evil? Will HERRING become evil if he has one? Or might it actually make him massively popular, as it seemed to do for Adolf, taking him from the tiny beer cellars he currently plays to stadium gigs with thousands of adoring fans chanting his name?
Along the way HERRING aims to find out: whether racism has anything going for it and if woolly liberals actually see people as less equal than the idiots in the BNP; whether God is racist and if He responds to prayer on volume, rather than merit; following the rule of "I was here first", whether that means Europe actually belongs to the Neanderthals, and that all the homo sapiens should just fuck off back to Africa where they belong; and if drawing cocks on your ballot paper could become an effective way to stop the rise of the BNP.
It’s a show that examines iconography, the way we judge and are judged, the dangers of political apathy, the point where comedy and madness touch and the very ethics of such a comedy stunt. Is it worth HERRING upsetting strangers, risking physical and psychological damage and ruining his parent’s Golden Wedding photos for the sake of a stand-up show? As his Jewish friend Dan observed, "You’re right that the moustache shouldn’t have the associations that it does, but the thing is it does have those associations. You can’t change it and it’s offensive to try."
ends
What the press said about The Headmaster’s Son:
“Few come sharper than Herring, who is back for what seems like his 73rd Fringe with yet another thoughtful, funny and personal hour of coruscating stand-up. His consistency in producing fine shows year on year is impressive indeed… this is one of the strongest shows Herring has produced in his already impressive canon. He’s always a Fringe must-see, this year more than most.”
Steve Bennett, Chortle
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Venue: Underbelly - White Belly
Date: 6th - 30th August 2009
Time: 20:40
Box Office: 08445 458 252
For more information and press tickets, please contact: Jo Cross, Ben Nolan, Jenny Stewart or Dan Lloyd. Tel: 020 7598 7222 [London office]. Email: joc@avalonuk.com, benn@avalonuk.com, jenny.stewart@avalonuk.com or danl@avalonuk.com
WHAT THE PRESS SAID ABOUT…
…THE HEADMASTER’S SON:
“In years to come [Richard Herring] will be remembered as the best comic of his generation mastering every comedic art form - writing bestselling books, performing in award winning stand-up shows, writing and starring in primetime ITV1 comedy dramas. He is a one-man comedy tornado, ripping up every comedic outlet that crosses his path.”
James Mullinger, GQ
“One of Britain's best stand-ups.”
Si Hawkins, Metro
“Herring is one of the Fringe's reliable comic pleasures… Undercutting the heartfelt with the puerile wouldn't impress the headmaster. But it spells fine comedy for the rest of us.”
Brian Logan, The Guardian
“Laughs pepper this wry monologue. Herring has a sharp tongue and can weave a yarn, whether recalling youthful crushes or imagining an encounter between his young and old selves…A glowing pass with no help from dad.”
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard
“Probably Herring’s finest show to date in a career already littered with great shows. In an attempt to work out why he is who he is, this fine comedian goes back to his memories of school. Brilliant.”
Tim Arthur, Time Out
“A comedy trouper at the top of his game.”
Warren Howard, ‘The Information’ The Independent
“Herring’s teenage diary entries are highly amusing and prove to be comedy gold, banked at an early age. Boisterous and full of bonhomie, Herring’s self-deprecating humour is infectious and he’s solid without ever being too predictable. Not only is The Headmaster’s Son funny but there’s a certain charming poignancy about a near middle-aged man looking back to his childhood and facing up to it. A man with a finger in many pies, including Radio 4 documentaries, an ITV comedy drama and columns in the New Statesman, Herring’s a jack of all trades and a master of one - namely stand up.”
Julian Hall, Virgin Hotline
“As glorious as anything Herring has done. He hits the ground running with an inspired and abrasive routine about Jesus’s ascencion to Heaven, before presenting a flurry of ideas about the child being the father of the man.”
Dominic Maxwell, The Times
“His teenage diaries are gut-clenchingly funny and demand instant publication.”
Stephen Armstrong, The Sunday Times
“He’s still a master of the scholarly approach to crudity (watch out for an elegant treatise on the correct playground hand gestures to symbolise different types of sexual activity). But he also pushes himself, teasing his crowd by stretching material seemingly beyond its elastic limit.”
James Kettle, ‘The Guide’ The Guardian
“Seasoned stand-up from one of the form’s best.”
Andrew Lowry, Shortlist
“Somehow, though, he holds it all together. The show is about his childhood, and some of the odd little vignettes are both hilarious and strangely touching. The best come when he reads through his teenage diary, allowing him to mock his own adolescent bombast and self-pity with wounding accuracy…he has written a charming, warm, funny show with some splendid surrealist asides.”
Tom Chivers, Daily Telegraph (online)
“This year, we're treated to a comedian who has matured, both in content and performance…Herring's dip into the psyche of the sex-obsessed male teenager is top-notch comedy fodder…The Headmaster's Son is a tantalising mix of humour, charm and depth.”
Liz Rawlings, Fest
“Packed full of laughs.”
The Scotsman
“Herring relives crushing formative experiences and teenage embarrassments - for pleasing comic effect.”
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
“Herring is effortlessly engaging.”
Nadine McBay, Metro
“Sharp and witty.”
Marissa Burgess, The List
“He is one of the leading hidden masters of modern British comedy. If there is any justice in the world, and no doubt both the 40 and the 16 year old Richards would tell you there was not, then this show will be sold out every night.”
Graeme Strachan, The British Theatre Guide
“Along with some eye-watering, completely unrepeatable passages, Herring delivered an effusively warm and good natured reminiscence on lost youth.”
Neil McEwan, Edinburgh Evening News
“Though not offensive, he does border on the disgusting, but in such a terrifically funny and witty way that he can be forgiven. A stage comedy expert, Herring's foray into his former childhood innocence is hilarious, thought provoking and thoroughly recommended.”
Richard Hanrahan, Three Weeks
“Herring conjures up his teen self - a mix of pomposity and awkwardness - with passion, wit and authenticity.”
Sharon Lougher, Metro
“We’ve all heard comedians blaming their parents for how they’ve turned out. But none do it quite as eloquently as Richard Herring.”
London Lite
…OH FUCK, I’M 40!:
“A well-crafted blend of midlife crisis and smart observational comedy. His tale of taking part in the most pathetic pub brawl ever seen is worth the price of admission alone.”
Stephen Armstrong, ‘Culture’ Sunday Times
“A very funny stand up set...While Herring may fear his imminent (supposed) descent, we might as well savour the vantage point from his current comic peak.”
Brian Logan, The Guardian
“As a comedian he is at his peak.”
Bruce Dessau, The Evening Standard
“He wastes no time alchemising his own misery into comedy gold.”
Christopher Collett, Metro
“His writing is as smart and effective as always.” _
Steve Bennett, Chortle
_“There is nothing one-dimensional about Herring’s wit. Herring may be over the hill in the traditional sense, but Oh fuck, I’m 40! marks a comic coming-of-age which cannot be written off.”
Alison Lutton, Fest magazine
“He had the whole house roaring with laughter…the more Herring ups the ante, the more thoughtful you realise he becomes.”
Nick Awde, The Stage
…MENAGE A UN:
“One of Britain’s smartest solo comedians.”
William Cook, The Guardian **
“Richard Herring's show takes self-mockery to heart-warming new levels.”
**Stephen Armstrong, Sunday Times
“This is smart stand-up proving that other people's failure is the surefire stuff of comedy success.”
Brian Logan, The Guardian
“This thoughtful Herring is still a big fish on stage.”
Sharon Lougher, Metro
“Herring simply improves with age…If being by yourself produces this kind of entertainment, Herring should be confined to his own company indefinitely.”
Brian Donaldson, The List
“Herring produces some of the most inventive, original and funny stand-up at the festival. In the glossy, free programme, he ponders why he keeps coming back to Edinburgh year after year. One answer must surely be: ‘because he’s good at it’.”
Steve Bennett, Chortle
“The real stars of the Edinburgh Festival aren’t the comics who turn up twice, win a sackful of awards and vanish onto TV. The true stars are the acts who keep pitching up, year after year, not to try and get on the telly, but to try out something new. Richard Herring is one of those stars.”
William Cook, The Guardian
“Brave and thought-provoking stand up.”
Les Dennis, The Daily Telegraph
…SOMEONE LIKES YOGHURT:
“His new show, Someone Likes Yoghurt, was inspired by a supermarket visit where the checkout person made a sarcastic comment about his penchant for milk-based desserts. Only a truly gifted neurotic could get so much material from such a minor slight.”
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard
“Clever, contrived and often quite silly.”
Marissa Burgess, Metro
“Irritating, relentless, pathetic, petty, pedantic, arrogant, embarrassing, pointless and endlessly funny.”
Stewart Lee, The Sunday Times
“Brilliant… A triumphant experiment in the art of tedium.” _
Sam Friedman, Fest
…THE TWELVE TASKS OF HERCULES TERRACE:
_“Richard Herring hasn't just written a new show for this year's Fringe, he's started a new religion… Herring has taken the researching and writing a one-hour comedy show to its extreme and the gods should justly reward him.” _
Shona Craven, Metro
_“Triumphantly funny.” _
Bruce Dessau, Evening Standard
_“Herring has a confidence and affability which instantly draws you in.”
Gordon Eldrett, The List
“For a show that's ostensibly about depression, this is a remarkably feel good night out. Mainly, of course, because Herring conquered his demons, but also because of the jaunty, playful touch he brings to this impressively well-constructed show. Make it your task to catch it.”
Steve Bennett, Chortle
…TALKING COCK:
“It is the avowedly funny Talking Cock that in the end produces more serious food for thought than all the platitudes of The Vagina Monologues. Herring is a good enough comedian to make you see men, with all their obsessions and oddities, differently.”
Sarah Crompton, The Daily Telegraph
“The show is funny, humiliating, impassioned and weird in equal parts. It’s his best work to date. If we gave stars, he’d have lots.”
Stephen Armstrong, The Sunday Times
“His Cock is as funny and fascinating for women as it is for men. I loved it. I only wished it could have been longer.”
Kate Copstick, The Scotsman
AVALON PROMOTIONS
Avalon Promotions Limited is one of the leading promoters of live comedy in the UK. Productions include: NEWMAN & BADDIEL in the first comedy show ever to be staged at Wembley Arena; FRANK SKINNER’s record-breaking performance to an audience of 6,000 at the Battersea Power Station; Jerry Springer - The Opera at the National Theatre, at the Cambridge Theatre in London’s West End, on national tour and at New York’s Carnegie Hall; HARRY HILL at the Palace and Dominion Theatres in London; and Dave Gorman’s Googlewhack Adventure at the Sydney Opera House, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, on national tour and at the Village Theatre, New York (nominated for Drama Desk Award 2004).
The last 12 months has seen Avalon Promotions: present multi-award winning comics JENNY ECLAIR, RICHARD HERRING, RUSSELL HOWARD and FRANK SKINNER on sell-out runs; produce AL MURRAY, THE PUB LANDLORD live at the O2 and RUSSELL HOWARD at Wembley Arena; introduce some of the fastest-rising stars in comedy such as RUSSELL KANE, KRISTEN SCHAAL & KURT BRAUNOHLER and ISY SUTTIE; produce stage shows, such as Frank Skinner’s Credit Crunch Cabaret and Grumpy Old Women Live, which has toured the UK three times and performed a highly successful run in Australia; and present 23 acts at the Edinburgh Festival, where it has promoted a total of five Perrier Award winners and 17 Perrier Award/if.comedy Award nominees in just 20 years.
