Henning Wehn: Authentic German Christmas Do, London
There are many things the Germans do better than us: football, beer, economic growth. They’re also extremely good at celebrating Christmas, to the point where their traditional festive markets have been enthusiastically imported by towns up and down the UK. German comedian Henning Wehn is getting in on this Teutonic colonisation of the season of goodwill with a yuletide spectacular that mixes German carols with his politely deadpan brand of humour. Wehn’s comedy draws heavily on our stereotypical expectations of his countrymen as impossibly rational creatures obsessed with order; but rather than undercutting those caricatures, he plays up to them to the point where they become surreal. Rather than pandering to anti-German sentiments, he takes ownership of them and turns their power back on the people who peddle them.
Leicester Square Theatre, WC2, Tue to 13 Dec
The Geekatorium, London
Maybe it’s down to the popularity of The Big Bang Theory, or perhaps it’s just the way the internet allows subcultures to thrive by allowing likeminded people to communicate, but declaring oneself a geek has never seemed more acceptable. There are plenty of nerds within the stand-up community, probably because obsessing about how to make people laugh is a fairly niche activity in itself. Paul Gannon’s Geekatorium night allows comics the chance to veer away from their usual sets and talk about other odd or unusual subjects that have attracted their freakishly passionate interest, the stuff that would have got them beaten up at school, but now finds a receptive audience. This week features performances from homespun cartoonist and comic Bec Hill plus Alexis Dubus, taking time out from his usual work as foppish French character Marcel Lucont.
Johnny Vegas: Nottingham Xmas Show
For all the talk about the spontaneity of stand-up, most comics rely heavily on pre-prepared material. Sure, there are moments when the performer will chat to punters (or be forced to engage with their heckling), but most of what comes out of a comedian’s mouth during a set has been decided before they step onstage. There are exceptions, though, such as veteran Scottish oddball Phil Kay and the perhaps even more disordered Johnny Vegas, both of whom perform with absolutely no plan at all. For Vegas, this means throwing his extraordinary persona – a disorderly, drink-sodden yet childlike figure always desperate for human affection – into a situation and seeing what happens. The results can be hilarious, but also discomfiting: one incident a few years back involving a physical interaction with a female audience member led a Guardian correspondent to write that she felt “disgusted” by the spectacle. Vegas’s live appearances are pretty sporadic these days, but this special guest appearance as compere allows connoisseurs and the curious the chance to sample what is certainly a distinctive approach to the art of comedy.
