Henning Wehn & Otto Kuhnle
London
Little Englanders like to kid themselves that Germans have no sense of humour, but anyone who's seen Henning Wehn will know otherwise. Germany's self-styled Comedy Ambassador to the United Kingdom challenges British prejudice in the most ingenuous and effective manner by stealing our anti-German stereotypes and using them as a stick with which to beat us. The Germans may be a bit uptight, but Britain is a shambles, and our sneering about them is motivated by bitterness and envy. We invented the beautiful game, but we haven't won a thing for 40 years. We saved Europe from the Nazis, but we still can't make our trains run on time. Wehn plays up to our idea of their pedantry, but he always gets the last laugh. Modern Germans are mindful of the past, but they no longer feel in thrall to it, and their country's liberal credentials are secure enough to allow them to laugh about the way we see them.
· New End Theatre, NW3, Sat 18 to Nov 25
Ladies & Gentlemen: Lenny Bruce
DVD
"Don't you know why they don't like Americans anywhere?" asks Lenny Bruce. "Because we fucked all of their mothers for chocolate bars." OK, so it's probably not the funniest one-liner, but it's provocative and insightful - and it's still just as topical now. Forty years since his death, from a morphine overdose at the age of 40, Bruce remains the standard against which the best stand-ups must be measured, and for anyone who cares about social satire or freedom of expression, this angry and invigorating double bill is an absolute must-see. Comprising John Magnuson's raw performance film and Fred Baker's disturbing documentary, it reminds you why Bruce was so influential, and why he's still revered. Hounded by conservatives who accused him of obscenity, he was a profoundly moral comic.
· Best Medicine, £12.99
Jason Byrne
Cardiff
"This is my fucking job! D'you know that? I have to do this shit for a living!" Jason Byrne was inspired to become a stand-up by seeing Billy Connolly, and his manic, expletive heavy delivery is reminiscent of the Big Yin in full flight. Like Connolly, his daft, indignant rants are driven by the insanity he sees around him - but although he mines much the same subject matter, his humour is all his own. Byrne grew up in Dublin, and there's a fluency to his sense of fun that you rarely find among gag-based British stand-ups. It's a style that mimics drunken nights out with mates, when you laugh all night and can't remember a thing about it in the morning. Nevertheless, there is method in his madness and proper substance to his act. "Touch the boring bits first," he says, assuming female guise for an inspired routine about sexual etiquette. "Stroke my belly for a few seconds. Don't grab my knockers already. There's legs at the end of that vagina, you know." If you miss him here, his live DVD, Out Of The Box, is out on Monday.
· Glee Club, Fri 24 & Nov 25
