Henning Wehn: No Surrender – The Lowry, Salford

Reviewer: Poppy Helm

The Public Reviews Rating:

Self-appointed ‘German Comedy Ambassador’, Henning Wehn, is on a mission: to disprove the British stereotype that Germans have no sense of humour – a job he seems to be doing rather well, considering his numerous radio, TV and stand-up appearances over the past few years. Unfortunate then, that tonight’s No Surrender gig doesn’t quite live up to expectations.

Wehn’s act begins with a rousing blast of German music as he strides confidently through the audience, encouraging everyone to clap along. After this initial burst of energy, the rest of the routine proceeds at a more relaxed pace – there are no moments of out-and-out hilarity but a steady enough flow of chuckles to keep the audience entertained and engaged. The concept of exploring national identity is not a new one for comedians, but doing so through the eyes of a foreigner is an interesting twist – especially when it comes to his take on our European neighbours. Although some of the British/German jokes have an air of the obvious (like the dubious heritage of our royal family), others – such as why the Eurovision song contest used to be the best day of the year – are more surprising, and much more satisfying as a result. Subverting well-worn stereotypes can be very funny, but leaning on them for easy laughs is not and there is a little too much of the latter here.

Despite these areas of weakness, there is an inherently likeable quality about Wehn – the comedic version of ‘easy listening’ music; there is little here to cause offense but you may struggle to remember the tune once the radio is switched off. In an unusually personal touch, Wehn ends the show by rushing to the door and shaking hands with each audience member as they file out of the theatre. Like ‘Der Herr Flicks’ – the fictional Oompah band who can’t speak a word of German – Wehn may not have a great deal to say, but you still can’t help being glad he came.