AUTO AUTO

The German economic recession is deepening, unemployment increasing and thus we have three escapees, Christian von Richthofen, Rolf Clausen and Kristian Bader from Hamburg in London, their agitprop work 'Auto Auto'. However this work is thoroughly offbeam in a crazily Teutonic way, imagining a car as a musical instrument then dismembering it tunefully. There are some stunning moments in 'Auto Auto' and much of it is mildly humourous, but overall I had to wonder whether von Richthofen (I suppose everyone must be wondering if he is a relative of Manfred von Richthofen, the Bloody Red Baron?!? or even of Frieda von Richthofen, 'wife of D H Lawence'), Clausen et al really have enough comic material for their show? The problem, the lameness of much of the humour is the fact that it plays on certain bland, overworked cliches of Germanness, such as the German car industry, (German engineering - Vorsprung durch Technik) Adolph Hitler, even J S Bach and W A Mozart whose works feature in the show. Perhaps if von Richthofen et al delved a little deeper into their country, its history and customs, realising that foreigners do know a bit more than they presume, they might easily come up with some stronger, more thought-provoking material?

However it has to be said that a largish audience at the Riverside Studios seemed to enjoy and be enthusiastic about this work.

Paul Murphy, Riverside Studios, London

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