If ever an audience matched their comedian perfectly then those at Nottingham Playhouse for Henning Wehn’s current show Westphalia Is Not An Option are they.
A packed crowd are here to see and hear their comedy hero Henning Wehn, the self-described German Comedy Ambassador. For those not familiar with his style Henning Wehn is a teut-tonic to the chuckle muscles in the world of intelligent comedy. He is a one off giving his often hilarious views on being an outsider in Britain. His style is gently mocking the British way of life compared to that if he were still to live in Germany. He talks of English-German attitudes to work. The Germans to him are all hard working serious people and have their fun decidedly ‘after work’. His humour is equally witty about both nations and the audience lap it up and laugh even if they have heard some of his material before.
In fact this evening’s entertainment is split into two halves. First we have thirty minutes of old material. We know it is old material because Henning proudly tells us that is what he going to do. He then announces that the second seventy minute section is going to be his new show Westphalia Is Not An Option. Wunderbar!
Westphalia Is Not An Option ribs the Brexit process, immigration and his own thought provoking (whilst being very funny) of what does naturalised Britishness look like. Through a postcard filling out process conducted earlier in the evening that asked if people think Wehn is an immigrant or not Henning Wehn reads out some of the wittier and more revealing answers including who wrote them. One of the best is a person that wrote ‘I don’t care if he is or not – he’s funny’.
Harking back to the Germanic side of things the Royal Family become subjects (look a joke from the reviewer!) of whether they are considered German or not. Wehn himself looks at his own life as an immigrant and concludes that immigration is a good thing because it gives us a wider perspective on cultures and many a laugh at his expense.
An hilarious evening all round from one of the most original comedians we have in this country. Henning’s brilliant shows are often sold out so if you missed him this time round or love his comedy then his new Henning When – Westphalia is not an Option [DVD]
Reviewer: Phil Lowe.
Originally written for the Nottingham Post.
Phil Lowe’s own comedy site 60plus Sit Down Comedy.