Pohl-ing Off the Joke! German-American Actress Scores Big With Hitler Stage Satire – Heat Street

Knockout comedy isnt necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Germany. But German-American actress Lucie Pohl has turned it into a hit satire with her autobiographical showHi, Hitlercurrently proving an off-Broadway hit at downtown Manhattans Cherry Lane Theatre.

Born in Germany, Pohl-who is legendary 20th century German playwright Bertolt Brechts great-niece-moved to New York as a child. She hilariously dissects her upbringing in the show- her mother is a Romanian singer and her father a German playwright- taking on 45 different characters inHi, Hitler. As well as chronicling her obsession with theFhrer, Pohl also tacklesDavid Hasselhoffs pop career.

The show premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world, last year before moving to London.Pohls other credits include a small role in Harry Potter blockbuster Fantastic Beasts and Were to Find Them and the lead in Turkish horror movie Magi, alongside Stephen Baldwin and Michael Madsen, an experience which she turned into another one-woman stage show Apohlcalypse Now.

We spoke with Pohl, 34, about Hi, Hitler which closes on July 30 and is directed by Kenneth Ferrone and produced by Rebecca Crigler and David De Almo.

How did Hi, Hitler! come about?

I was waiting tables and at an existential point of What am I doing? I was auditioning for the parts of One-legged pregnant woman, nudity required- you have to stab your eyes out. I started writing stuff down and it vomited itself out of me. I thought that I never wanted to do an autobiographical show because I come from a European theater family and thats not really a thing there- oversharing- especially in Germany. Its not seen as artistry almost and is frowned upon. I thought Id never do it but it came out. I had half an hour of a show and I applied to festivals and started getting in. I was like, Oh s**t now I have to write the rest of it! But I got good reviews for the show in Edinburgh and then did it in Leicester Square [London]. It has changed my life. Everything changed after that.

Have you had any reaction to a show that is entitled Hi, Hitler?

Karen Koren [a key Edinburgh Festival luminary]said, Im not sure about the title. I think it might put people off. I said, Youre wrong. The title is what has gotten me so much attention and press and Im Jewish, theres more than just a joke in there. Theres a deeper resonance: Hi Hitler, were still here! We made it through. Its a fish out of water story, a search for identity and what your heritage means for you. The title is obviously a joke- as a kid I thought it was a greeting, that people were saying Hi Hitler! In a way, they are saying Hi Hitler! He looked funny to me. My mother asked me when I was four or five what I wanted to be for carnival and I was like, Hitler. She said, I dont think thats a good idea, maybe something else. Apparently I just said, Ill be a spoon then! Theres alot of comedy in that man. Tragic comedy obviously.

What is your take on the increasing trend for famous comedians to be attacked on social media for politically incorrect jokes? It seems misguided.

I agree. Its interesting because I think why are going after these people that are trying to make people laugh. Go after the people that actually mean it and are actually doing bad shit. Why dont you tear them apart? Thats not to say that we shouldnt take seriously the disadvantages that minorities face. But stereotypes are not a bad thing as long as theyre not mean-spirited and theyre funny.

Speaking of stereotypes, Germany isnt renowned as a comedic nation.

I always say they dont have too much of a sense of humor because they killed all the funny people! Most people are very serious when it comes to Hitler but laughing about something doesnt mean its not serious. My dads a playwright so Ive learned a lot just living in that world rather than specifically being related to Bertolt Brecht. The biggest thing is the sense of doubt and the fact that struggle never goes away. Even Brecht would throw his plays away, like The Threepenny Opera which Helena Weigel [Brechts second wife] picked up out of the trash. Its being aware of where you come from which in my family was always a big thing whether it was Brecht, Nazis or displacement. And now Im baring it all.

http://www.hihitlershow.com

The rest is here:
Pohl-ing Off the Joke! German-American Actress Scores Big With Hitler Stage Satire - Heat Street