In the heart of Paris, a comedic revolution is taking place : British comedy shows captivate diverse audiences. From Olivier Giraud’s « How to Become a Parisian in One Hour? » to Karel Beer’s « Laughing Matters » , these performances reveal cultural gaps and offer international laughter to the city of art that is Paris.
[Extract of How Become a Parisian in One Hour’s show]
This sound comes from a packed theater in the 9th district of Paris, filled with a mix of locals and tourists, all united by one thing – the universal language of laughter
[extract of a joke from the show]
Comedian Olivier Giraud has been delighting audiences with his show How to Become a Parisian in One Hour ?, since 2009
[extract of a joke from the show]
… and it has become a must of comedy shows in Paris.
He is one of the only French comics performing in English,
Olivier Giraud : « I think this is the only in Paris where I can speak from Paris in other countries. And because, like, if you’re speaking, French will be any French audience”
With over 800,000 (eight hundred thousand) spectators to date, Giraud’s show continues to meet demand for comedy shows in english in Paris.
The comedian saw potential for tourists, like Americans Bonny and James.
Bonny : “The past two Decembers, we went to London and saw a lot of musicals there. And so this year, we came to Paris, and I’m like, Well, we’ll see a show over here”
James : “We just wanted a different experience”
Kamal is Indian. And for him, the show is a way to discover parisian culture : “It gives me some insights about Parisian culture and how Parisian people behave”
In the theater, there are a lot of different nationalities, and there are also French people, like Benitta, a secondary school student from Orléans in european studies, who travelled to Paris for the show with her classmates. For her, it was…
Benitta : “Amazing
Journalist : Why ?
Benitta : Because I understood what you’re saying. And I laughed a lot. So, yeah, for this reason. And because it depicts the Parisian guy, and as a French, I’m, like, agreeing with what he said”
Benitta even recommands the show to other French people :
Benitta : “If you don’t like if you’re a bit insecure about your English, it can really help you and prove that you can understand and relate”
Giraud isn’t alone in this comedic revolution. Karel Beer, organizer of the famous Laughing Matters shows, has brought international comedians to Paris for over two decades.
Karel Beer : « The very first comedian I did a show with was Eddie Izzard. And he was pretty famous already, especially in England, but even in Paris. So, yes, it was sold out. And then the next shows were pretty successful »
Streaming platforms played a significant role in this trend. With TV, comedians know their shows are subtitled and broadcast everywhere. But as Karel Beer notes :
Karel Beer : “Now it can be a challenge getting the performance. Because they’re older they do a lot of television in England and they probably played in Paris and probably done a show, and it’s not as exciting to come to Paris anymore. They’ve done it. And so is this more money doing TV”
The choice of venue is therefore very important and that’s why now Laughing Matters take place in Saint-Germain des Prés
Karel Beer : “The venues have always have been as good as the performers. The venues had typical Paris history and charm”
But, it’s clear : british comedy shows in Paris are more than just a passing trend. Their success has continued for several years. For Olivier Giraud, it’s a way of bringing diverse audiences together around humour. For Karel Beer, who is british, it’s different. It is more a community space :
Karol Beer : “I wanted to get back in touch with the English language as use by these comedians. It would bring us back in touch with the the magic and the potential of English”
So from the intimate Saint-Germain des Prés to the theaters of the 9th arrondissement, british comedy shows in Paris continues to attract curious spectators… and proves that in the language of laughter, we’re all fluent.
This is Adélina Paris, in Paris. yes, that’s my name, not French humour.