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Richard Herring - Hitler Moustache | Saturday 20 March 2010 | Wulfrun Hall
For his 25th Fringe show, RICHARD HERRING - creator of the hit shows Christ on a Bike, Talking Cock and last year's critically acclaimed The Headmaster's Son - attempts to reclaim the Hitler 'tache for comedy.
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EDINBURGH 2009: RICHARD HERRING - 'HITLER MOUSTACHE'
For his 25th Fringe show, RICHARD HERRING - creator of the hit shows Christ on a Bike, Talking Cock and last year's critically acclaimed The Headmaster's Son - attempts to reclaim the Hitler 'tache for comedy.The toothbrush moustache seems now forever associated with Adolf Hitler. Yet Charlie Chaplin had one first. Why has this innocent and amusing square inch of hair seemingly taken the blame for the crimes of the Nazi regime?
Like many men, in the privacy of his own bathroom, he has shaven his beard down to see how he looks with "the Hitler". But unlike most men he has decided to venture out onto the streets with it still under his nose. How will people respond? Will they understand what he is doing or just assume he's mentally ill or a fascist or both? And by judging him by the way he looks, aren't they being just as fascistic as him? Was it the toothbrush moustache that was evil? Will HERRING become evil if he has one? Or might it actually make him massively popular, as it seemed to do for Adolf, taking him from the tiny beer cellars he currently plays to stadium gigs with thousands of adoring fans chanting his name?
Along the way HERRING aims to find out: whether racism has anything going for it and if woolly liberals actually see people as less equal than the idiots in the BNP; whether God is racist and if He responds to prayer on volume, rather than merit; following the rule of "I was here first", whether that means Europe actually belongs to the Neanderthals, and that all the homo sapiens should just fuck off back to Africa where they belong; and if drawing cocks on your ballot paper could become an effective way to stop the rise of the BNP.
It's a show that examines iconography, the way we judge and are judged, the dangers of political apathy, the point where comedy and madness touch and the very ethics of such a comedy stunt. Is it worth HERRING upsetting strangers, risking physical and psychological damage and ruining his parent's Golden Wedding photos for the sake of a stand-up show? As his Jewish friend Dan observed, "You're right that the moustache shouldn't have the associations that it does, but the thing is it does have those associations. You can't change it and it's offensive to try."
What the press said about The Headmaster's Son:
"Few come sharper than Herring, who is back for what seems like his 73rd Fringe with yet another thoughtful, funny and personal hour of coruscating stand-up. His consistency in producing fine shows year on year is impressive indeed… this is one of the strongest shows Herring has produced in his already impressive canon. He's always a Fringe must-see, this year more than most."
Steve Bennett, Chortle
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