Edinburgh Fringe Review: Richard Herring ***

Herring’s 25th Edinburgh show is steeped in controversy from the beginning. The formidable poster, a recreation of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, is undoubtedly eye-catching, and a recent Guardian article (G2: the Comedy Issue) presented Herring as arguing that ‘racists have a point’, without the irony of which he says this. Herring, was given a right to reply to the article in the Guardian, and argued that it is a common comedic device to say something stupid, with conviction, to point out the ridiculousness of the idea. This is something which Herring does with great skill during this show, and it is in this where he creates his biggest laughs. His ironic defences of racism, so obviously flawed, are delivered perfectly, but always backed-up with intelligent sociological points. The material on the reaction to Herring’s toothbrush moustache which he grew is funny, but seems less important, and adds little, to the rest of the show, reaching the conclusion that very few people cared that much about it. However, the way it made Herring himself feels is interesting and elicits some good laughs. The show is a triumph in the points it makes about racism, and Herrings rant about people who haven’t voted in elections allowing the BNP to get seats is genuinely angry and makes a very important point. But, the show, in places, feels too much like a rant, and there are areas where the laughs subside.

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