Henning Wehn – Westphalia is Not an Option

Wehn’s observational humour about the cultural and social differences between the UK and Germany has been tickling audiences’ funny bones for almost 15 years but have taken on even sharper relief in light of last year’s Brexit vote. This new show of two halves was a warm-up of familiar territory before moving onto new material in the second act. Wehn makes some astute points about immigrants and whether he is regarded as one himself, and there were some genuinely funny, yet slightly awkward, commentaries about political correctness and the way we now observe the world. While undoubtedly amusing, Wehn felt less confident. Whether this is because he’s aware that his audience is heavily divided on the subject is unclear, but the Brighton crowd were fully behind him shouting out “Refugees welcome!” Here’s hoping his important message of tolerance reaches those that need to hear it, through the power of comedy.

Brighton Dome, 17 November 2017

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