In the interests of accuracy, the full title of this show is Christ on a Bike: The Second Coming, neatly acknowledging the fact that it was first performed ten years ago when Richard Herring, an atheist strangely preoccupied with the minutiae of Jesus’ life, was 33, the same age as the object of his obsession when he died. The show was resurrected, Lazarus-like, for last year’s Edinburgh Festival and I caught it towards the end of a five-week London run which it appears did not get the audience it really deserved due to the freezing weather (perhaps God expressing his disapproval?) and the disruption of Christmas. Oh, the irony.
I like the high-concept nature of Herring’s recent shows; they have an overarching theme which provides a narrative and makes them feel more theatrical than the average comedy gig but room is allowed for digressions, ad libs and the odd bit of more traditional stand up material. Here, he combines a Dave Gorman-style lecture (complete with slides) with an imaginary bike race in which he sets out to prove that he is better than Jesus, even going so far as to suggest that he may be the new Messiah. I couldn’t help thinking that this would have worked better in the original show when they were the same age, but Herring just about gets away with it, perhaps due to the family resemblance.
I think I laughed more at COAB than I did at Hitler Moustache, a particularly notable achievement given that I had been weeping openly in Pizza Express less than an hour beforehand (I am nothing if not a horrible cliché of a woman). The show opens with a series of quick-fire jokes which sees Herring likening the son of God to the Fonz, executing a neat water into wine joke and questioning how many communion wafers one would have to eat in order to consume an entire Jesus. It’s also good to see his frequently used line ”I’m not saying that I’m the new Jesus…that’s for other people to say” and his recently discovered childhood stories in a fitting context.
At the centre of the show is a routine built around the epic list of names and “begats” at the beginning of the New Testament. First, Herring demonstrates impressive powers of recall by reciting the entire thing from memory before revealing the “secret” – a ludicrous acronym even more convoluted than the one used by his driving instructor character in Fist of Fun. By the time he went on to deconstruct the genealogy of Jesus with increasing levels of incredulity and rage, particularly at the presence in the list of someone with the improbable name of “Booz”, I was laughing so much that I could hardly breathe. The close textual analysis of the Ten Commandments, revealing God to be in need of a good editor, could seem hackneyed in the hands of a lesser comedian but is perfectly placed and brilliantly delivered.
When compared to Herring’s other recent shows, you could argue that Christ on a Bike feels less satisfying: it doesn’t have the political punch of Hitler Moustache or the sweet sentimentality of Headmaster’s Son. Nevertheless, it is one of the funniest comedy shows I have seen for ages. I like to think that Jesus can take a joke, and I’m sure He would approve.
Tags: Christ on a Bike, Richard Herring
I’m seeing this show at the end of March and am now relishing my anticipation with even greater relish! Good review. Ta!