World Peace through Humor: A German 101.
Feel good again – zat is an order! Sold out in 2025, award-winning German comic Paco Erhard will bring your optimism back with this hour of belly laughs around the story of being held at the US-MEX border, in a gleeful celebration of global connection
Paco puts in a good effort, and it's good to see out of town acts. Note that this is pretty much a stand up comedy set of random cultural jokes, with only a small amount of storytelling. It's a mix of cultural and mature themes, and the Saint-Jean auditorium was 85% full in a weekday afternoon performance.
Every comedy show is a gamble. Some land, some don't , others are fifty-fifty. While this performance had moments that made me laugh, it didn't overall hit the mark. The title is an exact dictation of what to expect in the show: a German comedian telling the story of his travels around the world in a humorous manner.
For whatever reason, a majority of the jokes weren't funny. I'm not an easily amused person, which might be part of my lack of entertainment, but I found myself confused a lot of the time. A majority of the audience was entertained, laughing and cheering, whilst I sat there and wondered if it was just me.
A majority of Paco's references were well-received by older generations in the audience. Most of his comedy, especially at the start of the performance, was based around historical events and old media that I've never heard of nor been interested in.
The energy was there. It wasn't about a lack of enthusiasm or delivery, but the material was poorly registered. If this wasn't supposed to be a comedy show, I would've enjoyed it a lot more without the expectation of a good laugh. The message was beautiful, even if it took a while to get to the delivery. Paco has incredible takes on everything in the script, really laying into the idea that we're all more similar than we are different. I wish the set had been shorter and more well-rounded, as my review would definitely be more positive. This show is rated PG on the Fringe website, though I wouldn't recommend it for anyone younger than sixteen or anyone who doesn't care for historical/geographical comedy.
I found his show dull and uninspired. He was also self righteous, but not in a funny way. It was like listening to your friend rant, but you never laughed and you were not entertained.
Jokes weren’t really funny. It felt like he mainly ranted about the world, and it’s not that I disagreed with what he said. He just didn’t really say it in a creative way or a way that made me laugh.