Richard Herring

Avalon Promotions

Underbelly

****

He's a brave man that Richard Herring, that special sort of bravery that borders on the edge of complete insanity. After last year's triumphant autobiographical show The Headmaster's Son, he returns having set himself the challenge of reclaiming the 'Hitler' or 'Toothbrush' moustache from the ignominious associations it has to Nazism. In doing so he has grown the offending piece of facial hair and observed the effect it has brought from the average person's reactions to him.

This is a very different show from The Headmaster's Son and people expecting a retread of the same style will be disappointed; instead Herring has opted to use the excuse of the moustache to examine the very meaning of prejudice, bigotry and racism as well as to let him try out some of the most controversial material he's done in years. The overall effect is raucously funny and drags laughs unbidden from the shocked lips of the audence. However there is a hint of pontification that wasn't evident before and, whilst Herring's observations on politics, specifically the BNP and fascism in general, are often funny, they drag on a little too long at the expense of the wittier comedy moments. That said, he steps nicely into George Carlin's angry man shoes and it's a side that he would do well to explore. Herring continues to grow as a comic and is fast carving himself a niche in British stand-up that has already become a Fringe highlight and will likely see him soon as a household name.