Following the incident last Saturday at Soho Theatre Club in London at which a comedian threatened and intimidated theatregoers, the question has arisen, is comedy becoming too political?
During the show, comedian Paul Currie, took out a Palestinian flag and began waving it around. For some, this encouraged a standing ovation and mass approval, for others, vocalising political views was perhaps too controversial, and remained seated.
Mr Currie called out an Israeli member of the audience, who stayed seated, asking if he was enjoying the show. Currie was praised for his performance up until he involved a Palestinian flag. This evoked an outburst from the comedian, with Soho Theatre stating “the performer aggressively [demanded] they leave the theatre”, making the guest feel threatened, targeted, and afraid.
Soho Theatre have said on the incident, “Jewish members of the audience were subjected to verbal abuse”.
They have stated, “intimidation of audience members, acts of antisemitism or any other forms of racism will not be tolerated at Soho Theatre”.
“We are continuing our investigation, discussing the incident with that evening’s audience and consulting with the police”.
A spokesperson from Campaign Against Antisemitism, a charity dedicated to exposing and countering antisemitism in London, said, “It’s clear that the venue was caught by surprise”.
They’ve gone on to state “we’re seeing [comedians] with records of anti-Semitic rhetoric or anti-Semitic incidents, including violence, on our televisions and in our politics”.
“On the streets and online, whether the instances are minor or major, there is increasingly a feeling that it is becoming pervasive”.
These combined, begs the question, is comedy becoming too political, or has it always had that undertone?
Mooch, Comedian and owner of Big Belly Comedy Club in London has mentioned that “politics is unfortunately a constant in life so often is referenced”. Skits being rehearsed and shared with the public haven’t necessarily altered to become more political as world problems have advanced but perhaps become a mocking way to make light and gain some enjoyment of otherwise difficult circumstances. Perhaps, a totally innocent intention from many comedians.
It is clear, Comedy Clubs in London don’t stand for extremist events such as the Soho Theatre ordeal, with Mooch stating, “that behaviour is frankly unacceptable”. Comedians, however, get these skits past clubs as, reaffirmed by the Big Belly Comedy Club, there are no set rules for Comedians to abide by before they perform a show. The Comedians are booked and can perform their routine.
Mooch goes on to state “if someone crosses the unwritten rules of general decency, then we would deal with that on a one-to-one basis” and that regarding the anti-Semitic incident at Soho Theatre, he doesn’t “believe [it] was part of a routine and was not intended to be funny”.
Mooch added “there are a lot of nutters in the industry” but ultimately, this ordeal hasn’t put theatregoers off just yet.
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HeadlineIs comedy in London becoming too political or did these undertones pre-exist?
Short HeadlineComedians respond to Soho Theatre's antisemitism
StandfirstAre comedians in London mocking politics as innocent satire or are they using humour in a bid to get away with displaying antisemitic views?
Following the incident last Saturday at Soho Theatre Club in London at which a comedian threatened and intimidated theatregoers, the question has arisen, is comedy becoming too political?
During the show, comedian Paul Currie, took out a Palestinian flag and began waving it around. For some, this encouraged a standing ovation and mass approval, for others, vocalising political views was perhaps too controversial, and remained seated.
Mr Currie called out an Israeli member of the audience, who stayed seated, asking if he was enjoying the show. Currie was praised for his performance up until he involved a Palestinian flag. This evoked an outburst from the comedian, with Soho Theatre stating “the performer aggressively [demanded] they leave the theatre”, making the guest feel threatened, targeted, and afraid.
Soho Theatre have said on the incident, “Jewish members of the audience were subjected to verbal abuse”.
They have stated, “intimidation of audience members, acts of antisemitism or any other forms of racism will not be tolerated at Soho Theatre”.
“We are continuing our investigation, discussing the incident with that evening’s audience and consulting with the police”.
A spokesperson from Campaign Against Antisemitism, a charity dedicated to exposing and countering antisemitism in London, said, “It’s clear that the venue was caught by surprise”.
They’ve gone on to state “we’re seeing [comedians] with records of anti-Semitic rhetoric or anti-Semitic incidents, including violence, on our televisions and in our politics”.
“On the streets and online, whether the instances are minor or major, there is increasingly a feeling that it is becoming pervasive”.
These combined, begs the question, is comedy becoming too political, or has it always had that undertone?
Mooch, Comedian and owner of Big Belly Comedy Club in London has mentioned that “politics is unfortunately a constant in life so often is referenced”. Skits being rehearsed and shared with the public haven’t necessarily altered to become more political as world problems have advanced but perhaps become a mocking way to make light and gain some enjoyment of otherwise difficult circumstances. Perhaps, a totally innocent intention from many comedians.
It is clear, Comedy Clubs in London don’t stand for extremist events such as the Soho Theatre ordeal, with Mooch stating, “that behaviour is frankly unacceptable”. Comedians, however, get these skits past clubs as, reaffirmed by the Big Belly Comedy Club, there are no set rules for Comedians to abide by before they perform a show. The Comedians are booked and can perform their routine.
Mooch goes on to state “if someone crosses the unwritten rules of general decency, then we would deal with that on a one-to-one basis” and that regarding the anti-Semitic incident at Soho Theatre, he doesn’t “believe [it] was part of a routine and was not intended to be funny”.
Mooch added “there are a lot of nutters in the industry” but ultimately, this ordeal hasn’t put theatregoers off just yet.
