Very few things are riskier in comedy than dropping multiple Nazi jokes in a set that gives the audience only an hour to make up their mind, but German-born Mario Adrion makes it work. There’s a lot more to the show than shock value, though. Mario explores the twisted power dynamics of the male modelling scene, his need for validation and approval, and coming to terms with his trauma.
Despite the serious, sometimes upsetting themes, his delivery, talent and crowd work keep the show firmly in top-tier comedy territory. It opens with a trailer on a small screen, introducing Mario as a charismatic former model and all-round sex symbol, voiced over by the man himself, before he enters and hilariously shuts down a heckler who mocks his mangled pronunciation of Edinburgh in the clip. From there, he makes sharp remarks about Germany’s obsession with atoning for WW2 through relentless people-pleasing, a bit about where his Grandpa Gunter falls on the “nazi spectrum” stands out, before easing into the dark world of modelling, including being sexually exploited in return for unkept promises.
Along the way, a story about getting circumcised only to be dumped and a Hitler-goes-to-art-school gag land brilliantly, alongside ironic yet sharp observations on the modelling industry’s pay gap. His crowd work throughout is excellent, and the insight into the fashion world feels genuinely revealing rather than gratuitous. A touching outro clip caps off a set that’s as thoughtful as it is filthy.
Mario Adrion: Live a Little, 20:30, Attic at Pleasance Courtyard, August 5-16
Additional shows, Pleasance venues August 19 – 29
