To be fair, all sorts of people in the audience found this show hilarious. The performance I was at sold out. There was even a guy outside trying to buy a ticket from people who had theirs already.
But I don’t get it.
Stand-up comic Paco Erhard traffics in cultural stereotypes: Germans are obsessive and driven by guilt about the Holocaust; Spaniards are lazy; Italians are gangsters; and Canadians are polite.
Comedy is driven by recognition so, if you think these stereotypes are legitimate—and worth reinforcing—you might laugh. But comedy is also driven by surprise and in what universe are any of these generalizations fresh?
If you like stand-up that lets you see the punchlines coming from a long way off, book early.
At the Waterfront Theatre on September 6 (6:15 p.m.), 8 (8:15 p.m.), 12 (5 p.m.), 13 (10:40 p.m.), 14 (6:55 p.m.), and 16 (1:15 p.m.) Tickets > Colin Thomas (This review is based on a performance at the Victoria Fringe.)
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