There are a bunch of Germans who also work for the company my hostel is part of and together we went to see a German comedian called Michael Mittermeier.
Back when I was a teenager he was one of THE comedy superstars in Germany. I even owned a VHS cassette (yep that's how long he's been around) of the program which I think made him famous. I don't know if it was me just losing interest or if he actually disappeared from the face of the earth but I feel like I haven't heard from him in a while. Well, it might have something to do with the fact, that I left Germany years ago and don't have TV since 2006...
Anyways so here I was with my German friends in a room with about 200 - 300 people at the Fringe and really not knowing, if I would like his show or not, because I remember that when re-watching said VHS I felt like I had grown out of that kind of humor.
But WOW!!! I was quite surprised at how much I actually laughed. As I've said before, I am usually not a big comedy fan, but Michael Mittermeier hits a nerve. Maybe it's the fact that he is German, too and there is actually such a thing as German humor, but I really thought he was hilarious.
The show is called Blackout and he talks about all kinds of blackouts : an electricity blackout while living in New York, too much alcohol, being knocked unconscious and the Germans during WWII.
But he also talks a lot about being German, TV, zombies, Oktoberfest, Chinese people and having clowns for breakfast.
As a German who has traveled a bit and works with people from all over the world I can relate to a lot of cliches he brings up. And it is refreshing to find a German comedian who can make fun of the war in a way that doesn't make me cringe, because he makes fun of the victims, he doesn't.
What I admire about Mittermeier is that he doesn't need props or a flashy light show (well there is a teeny tiny bit of that at the beginning), he only uses his body language (he is master in making the funniest faces) and his voice to underline his words.
I am not sure how many Germans and how many non-Germans there were in the audience and who had more fun, but I do recommend this show if you are German or have German friends or colleges. You might recognise yourself or someone you know.
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