Comedy about Nazism is always going to be on shaky ground, as its not a subject that naturally lends itself to humour, yet Dan Tetsell has managed to find a unique niche, just don’t go expecting a lot of belly laughs.
Based around his German grandfather, a member of the SS, Tetsell sets out to explore the man behind the Third Reich propaganda in an attempt to exonerate his own inherited guilt. This is ambitious by anyone’s standards and it is fair to say that he is not quite up to the challenge. Basically, Tetsell has set himself too big a task. After all, how do you find any justification for being involved in one of the largest acts of genocide the world has ever seen?
While he manages to ask as many more questions as he answers, Tetsell has managed to craft an intelligent and well-written show that is thoroughly gripping, even if it is just amusing rather than hilarious.
At times deeply chilling, Sins of the Grandfathers is a largely entertaining and enlightening show, which is made all the better by Tetsell’s natural presence. You will leave wishing that he’d probed a bit deeper but you’ll still be happy. There are no real revelations here but it’s worth going just for the Hitler monkey.
4/5
Richard Biggs
