Review | Paco Erhard holds nothing back in standup act ‘Paco Erhard: Worst. German. Ever’

Paco Erhard: Worst. German. Ever

Written and performed by Paco Erhard. Until July 12 at Tarragon Theatre Extraspace, 30 Bridgman Ave., fringetoronto.com and 416-966-1062

Paco Erhard is definitely not the worst German ever, but he certainly is one of the funniest.

Covering everything from nationalism and geopolitics, to German recycling and American ignorance, the German comedian’s 75-minute standup act “Paco Erhard: Worst. German. Ever” goes full throttle like a speeding car on the Autobahn.

Easily offended? This is not the show for you.

It opens with the obligatory visitor-to-Canada jokes about Canadian niceness and jabs at our neighbours to the south. Perhaps not the most original, but it does the trick — easily winning over the opening night audience.

It’s a show filled with irony. You need not look further than the title alone. (The explanation of how he was given that title will leave you in stitches.) Erhard prattles off jokes about the dangers of nationalism while standing in front of a German flag affixed to the back wall of the stage.

But his act really takes off when he dives into his personal chest of adventures. Originally from Germany, Erhard has travelled around the world, as he tells the audience early on. His ex-girlfriend is from Calgary, he has lived in North Carolina and he has taken this routine everywhere from the Edinburgh Fringe to South Australia and the Winnipeg Fringe Festival.

It’s a well-crafted standup set, finely tuned over years of performances. Yet, Erhard’s act still feels organic, with a healthy dose of jokes on current events added in for good measure (Boris Johnson, anyone?).

He’s at ease with the audience and so, too, the audience with him — with quick-witted exchanges flying back and forth. When a couple arrived 10 minutes into the performance and proceeded to sit front row, dead centre, they became Erhard’s targets for the rest of the show. (They were good sports.)

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