Skip to content

FringeGuru

Home
 
Rainer Hersch's Victor Borge
Published on Monday, 02 August 2010
4

preview

New Town Theatre (venue website)
Comedy
5 - 29 Aug (not 11, 18, 25), 6:00pm (7:10pm)

It’s always a pleasure when an old friend comes to town; and for Fringe-goers whose memories go back a few years, Rainer Hersch is a friend indeed.  No less than twelve times from the mid-90’s on, he treated us to his unmatched fusion of classical music and comedy, attracting a series of glowing reviews and an increasingly loyal crowd.  And then – one year – we couldn’t find him in the programme.  Hersch’s love affair with the Fringe, it seemed, was over.

Rainer Hersch

We remember Hersch as a talented musician, but equally talented funny-man – whose wry observations on the world of the orchestra were punctuated by virtuosity on instruments ranging from the piano to the Stylophone.  Taking on such questions as “Why is organ music so boring?” and “What do conductors actually do?”, Hersch was unashamedly highbrow, but far from inaccessible.  If you’d ever tuned in to Classic FM or listened to a Best of Beethoven CD, you’d know enough to follow along.

So what brings Hersch back?  We don’t know; we’re just glad to see he’s here.  In this year’s show, Hersch lovingly re-imagines the work of Victor Borge, the Danish maestro whose own brand of erudite musical comedy brought pleasure to generations.  It’s a portrayal, we’re promised, which lurches from the hilarious to the poignant, offering insights into Borge’s life and a tribute to his genius.  It sounds a sure-fire winner – and for Hersch, seen by many as Borge’s natural heir, we’re betting it proves a happy return.

<< Will Pickvance And Friend...   Kit and The Widow: Oiling... >>