COMEDY
Presented by Paco Erhard
Comedy Shack
Review by Anika Landy
Before Paco Erhard even took to the stage, the Comedy Shack already had an upbeat atmosphere to it. As the buzzing crowd hushes, the German comedian emerges onto the stage, beer in tow, and is greeted by a huge cheer from the equally German and Australian audience to begin his show A (very brief) history of German humour. In an exaggerated, captivating German accent, Erhard promises a night observing Australians in their “natural habitat” — always a promising activity.
Covering an extensive array of topics — from German and Australian politics, national identity and the difference between Australians, Americans and Brits — the show is clearly instilled with Erhard’s own upbeat comedic flavor. It’s heavily commentary-based, with Erhard giving his own quirky observations of different stereotypes around the world, either disproving or validating them in a hilarious and factual manner.
The diversity of the audience meant that many jokes fell flat on some of the crowd. Most of his jokes related to either Germans or Australians, with very little middle ground connecting the two. The crowd was sometimes left logically dissecting Erhard’s one-liners, understanding that intellectually they had the possibility for a laugh but still lacked that particular punch.
And though there weren’t too many flat points, the most memorable segments of the night were the ad-libbed ones. With the distraction of a constant thumping from a gym upstairs, Erhard left the audience in stitches from his reactions and impersonations prompted by the disruption. Outlining the differences between a German audience and an Australian one, Erhard continued to engage warmly with the audience throughout the night, even when an interchange threatens to go awry.
Erhard loves Australia, Germany, Britain, America and just about every other country he has traveled to throughout his life, singling each of them out for their own unusual habits and unique humour. His exploration of the Australian population through his eyes elevated the baseline joy that Erhard automatically brings to his upbeat and welcoming show.
Through his hilarious impersonation of a Queensland ‘bogan’ and his ongoing juxtaposition of Australians and Germans, Erhard prompted laugh after laugh from an equally energetic audience. Praising “80%” of Australians for their open-mindedness, he repeatedly highlighted what is great about our country — its diversity.
A (very brief) history of German humour runs until the 21th of February at the Comedy Shack, Northbridge. Tickets are available here.
