Micha Wertheim
Encyclopedia
Micha Wertheim is a Dutch
stand-up comedian
and satirist.
in 1998. Playing regularly in Amsterdam comedy theatre Toomler he developed rapidly, and soon after won first price in the prestigious ‘’Leids Cabaret Festival’’ (Comedy Festival in the Dutch town of Leiden). This award resulted in his first one man show in 2005 that was received well and, like al his following shows was broadcasted on Dutch National television. Of stage Wertheim writes a weekly satire for Vrij Nederland
magazine.
and for three weeks opening for Dutch Comedian Hans Teeuwen
in the West Ends Soho Theatre. In 2008 Wertheim and Hans Teeuwen returned tot the Edinburgh Fringe Festival together to perform their one-man shows in de Pleasance dome. The shows were well received and Wertheim was invited to perform spots at several London comedy clubs an asked to bring his one-man show to London’s Battercea Arts Center.
In 2010 Wertheim took part in the New York International Fringe Festival
where his show "Amsterdam Abortion Survivor" became the first International act to be awarded an extension as part of the best of Fringe Encore Series.
British Comedy website http://www.chortle.co.uk/ called Micha Wertheim "on the edge, highly intelligent, as ironic as any Brit could be and not for the easily offended." [2]
On March 11, 2008 Micha made headlines in the Dutch National news after ending a show in Roermond (Limburg) prematurely. In that show Wertheim addressed the contemporary revival of Dutch xenophobia (Geert Wilders
) by redirecting xenophobia to the handicapped community. Asserting that handicapped are parasites that refuse to adapt to the western way of life. A group of audience members turned against Wertheim when he addressed a man who he thought was using his cell phone, but was in fact using the display of his wheel chair. Wertheim apologized and proceeded with his show telling the audience that the only way to deal with handicapped is threw zero tolerance adding he had just released a video explaining the treat imposed by the handicapped towards western liberalism. It was a reference to the film FITNA
that was released among big controversy that exact week. When the handicapped man left the room a part of the audience turned against Wertheim, leaving him no choice than to leave the stage. Immediately after, the theatre reacted by saying that Wertheim would never again be welcome in their venue. On this, some of Holland's most respected comedians, among whom Theo Maassen
, Eric van Sauers and Ronald Goedemondt
, decided they would not perform in that venue again.
, was a regular contributor to the Dutch version of ‘’Have I Got News for You
’’ and is a freelance radio producer for Dutch Public Radio. Wertheim has written two children’s books.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
and satirist.
Dutch career
After finishing his MA in Cultural Sciences Micha Wertheim moved to Amsterdam and started working as a freelance radio producer, writer and comedian. He became a member of the Amsterdam based Dutch comedy collective ComedytrainComedytrain
Comedytrain was the first stand-up comedy collective in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1990 by Raoul Heertje. Comedy club Toomler in Amsterdam is its home theatre.The word Comedytrain is a combination of comedy and training...
in 1998. Playing regularly in Amsterdam comedy theatre Toomler he developed rapidly, and soon after won first price in the prestigious ‘’Leids Cabaret Festival’’ (Comedy Festival in the Dutch town of Leiden). This award resulted in his first one man show in 2005 that was received well and, like al his following shows was broadcasted on Dutch National television. Of stage Wertheim writes a weekly satire for Vrij Nederland
Vrij Nederland
Vrij Nederland is a Dutch magazine which was established during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II as an underground newspaper but has since grown into a magazine. The weekly magazine is generally considered to be intellectually left-wing...
magazine.
International career
Since 2001 Micha started performing in English. First in London (2001) later in New York (2003), but the real start of his international career was his performance as a compare of the Amsterdam Underground Comedy Collective a sell out show at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He was very well received and invited back to Britain where he performed in The Comedy StoreThe Comedy Store
The Comedy Store is a comedy club located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. It has a sister comedy club in La Jolla, San Diego, California.-History:...
and for three weeks opening for Dutch Comedian Hans Teeuwen
Hans Teeuwen
Hans Eduard Marie Teeuwen is a Dutch comedian, actor and an occasional singer and director. His work can be described as absurdist, apolitical and confrontational.- Theatre :...
in the West Ends Soho Theatre. In 2008 Wertheim and Hans Teeuwen returned tot the Edinburgh Fringe Festival together to perform their one-man shows in de Pleasance dome. The shows were well received and Wertheim was invited to perform spots at several London comedy clubs an asked to bring his one-man show to London’s Battercea Arts Center.
In 2010 Wertheim took part in the New York International Fringe Festival
New York International Fringe Festival
The New York International Fringe Festival, or FringeNYC, is a Fringe theater festival and one of the largest multi-arts events in North America. It takes place over the course of two weeks every August, spread across several neighborhoods in downtown Manhattan, notably the Lower East Side, the...
where his show "Amsterdam Abortion Survivor" became the first International act to be awarded an extension as part of the best of Fringe Encore Series.
Style
Wertheim’s one-man shows distinguish themselves from conventional stand-up by being more theatrical and having a narrative.British Comedy website http://www.chortle.co.uk/ called Micha Wertheim "on the edge, highly intelligent, as ironic as any Brit could be and not for the easily offended." [2]
Controversy
Micha Wertheim has always maintained he wants just to entertain people, not to stir controversy. Yet by choosing controversial topics such as euthanasia, abortion and xenophobia, Wertheim has always divided his audiences.On March 11, 2008 Micha made headlines in the Dutch National news after ending a show in Roermond (Limburg) prematurely. In that show Wertheim addressed the contemporary revival of Dutch xenophobia (Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders is a Dutch right-wing politician and leader of the Party for Freedom , the third-largest political party in the Netherlands. He is the Parliamentary group leader of his party in the Dutch House of Representatives...
) by redirecting xenophobia to the handicapped community. Asserting that handicapped are parasites that refuse to adapt to the western way of life. A group of audience members turned against Wertheim when he addressed a man who he thought was using his cell phone, but was in fact using the display of his wheel chair. Wertheim apologized and proceeded with his show telling the audience that the only way to deal with handicapped is threw zero tolerance adding he had just released a video explaining the treat imposed by the handicapped towards western liberalism. It was a reference to the film FITNA
Fitna
Fitna is an Arabic word with connotations of secession, upheaval and chaos. It is widely used in Arabic daily language as an adjective refers to "causing problems between people" or attempt to create chaotic situation that tests one's faith. Although, the translation of this word often become a...
that was released among big controversy that exact week. When the handicapped man left the room a part of the audience turned against Wertheim, leaving him no choice than to leave the stage. Immediately after, the theatre reacted by saying that Wertheim would never again be welcome in their venue. On this, some of Holland's most respected comedians, among whom Theo Maassen
Theo Maassen
Theodorus Wilhelmus Maassen is a Dutch comedian and actor who grew up in Zijtaart in the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant. He currently lives in Eindhoven...
, Eric van Sauers and Ronald Goedemondt
Ronald Goedemondt
- Private :Ronald was born in Tegelen in Limburg, but moved he after one year to Eindhoven. He studied the HEAO communication.In 1999 he started with stand-up comedy and was part of the comedy train...
, decided they would not perform in that venue again.
Story Telling
In 2008, inspired by The Moth, Micha Wertheim initiated Echt Gebeurd a monthly story telling event in Amsterdam.Publications
Micha Wertheim writes a weekly satire for one of Holland’s leading magazines Vrij NederlandVrij Nederland
Vrij Nederland is a Dutch magazine which was established during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II as an underground newspaper but has since grown into a magazine. The weekly magazine is generally considered to be intellectually left-wing...
, was a regular contributor to the Dutch version of ‘’Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
’’ and is a freelance radio producer for Dutch Public Radio. Wertheim has written two children’s books.
TV specials
- 2007: ‘’Micha Wertheim voor Beginners’’ (Micha Wertheim for Beginners)
- 2008: ‘’Micha Wertheim voor Gevorderden” (Micha Wertheim for Advanced)
- 2008: “Micha Wertheim voor Specialisten” (Micha Wertheim for Specialist)
- 2010: “Micha Wertheim voor de Grap” (Micha Wertheim for Fun)
External links
- http://www.michawertheim.nl (Dutch homepage)
- http://www.michawertheim.nl/fringenyc (English homepage)