Review by Steve Bennett

Yet another one of those half-deaf, half-German classical music experts that the comedy scene's so full of, Hersch's forte is, understandably, his specialist knowledge.

He has forged quite a career from pricking classical music's pomposity, and it's not for nothing that he's frequently compared to Victor Borge.

And when he's holding forth on his favourite subject, Hersch's playful routine is unfailingly entertaining. His barnstorming finale, in which he provides mondegreens (or misheard lyrics) to foreign operatic arias, is a witty and assured crowd-pleaser.

His stand-up, though, can be a little less inspired. For while he's capable of producing some fabulously silly one-liners, he also has a tendancy to spend too long on overly-familiar territory.

He doesn't need to rely on such hack material, though, as he has a demonstrable wealth of talent when talking about the classical scene, and sometimes when he's not.

His unique angle attracts a different audience to the usual stand-up crowd, which is naturally to be welcomed, but perhaps playing to less discerning, less comedy-savvy audiences has given him a few bad habits.

For a more knowing punter, this can be a little frustrating as you wait for the good stuff to come along.

Despite these criticisms, Hersch is an experienced and amiable performer, a safe pair of hands able to command an audience and - at his best - produce some wonderfully witty material.

Review date: 1 Sep 2009
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett