The German comedian, puppeteer and ventriloquist Sascha Grammel (42) also has a large fan base in this country, as the success not only of his DVDs but also of his live shows shows.
"I'll let you in on a secret right at the start - but don't tell anyone!" jokes Sascha Grammel to blog.ticketcorner.ch. "Well, before I travel to Switzerland and play shows here, I always go on a diet for a few days. Why? Because of your Ovomaltine! I just can't resist it. By the way, I don't have an advertising contract with them - I say that voluntarily. I love the Ovi!"
He doesn't change any parts of the program for his Swiss fans either: "It's already taken me long enough to remember the lyrics, so such changes would quickly throw me - and my team - off course. And as far as the Swiss audience is concerned: every audience is different, every evening is different. Even if I play two days in a row in one and the same city, they can be completely different evenings - even though I'm playing the same program. That's why Swiss audiences are just as great and enthusiastic as audiences in Austria or Germany. Perhaps I unconsciously speak a little more clearly in Switzerland and Austria."
From Kliby and Caroline to puppet comedy
Of course, Grammel also knows the legendary Swiss ventriloquist Urs Kliby and his puppet Caroline: "When I did my first, still damn shaky ventriloquist steps, they were rightly very popular and successful in Germany," Grammel continues. "And of course I watched them with great interest and curiosity. Urs stands for the more classic ventriloquist philosophy rooted in cabaret, which is certainly also my basis, but which I have tried to develop further into my own style, 'puppet comedy', with more modern techniques, other themes and conscious borrowings from stand-up comedy. Nowadays, there are possibilities in puppet making that would have been unthinkable a few years ago."
More than just a shaggy animal on your lap
Nowadays, the puppets have become much more complex in terms of technology and content: "They have a real, comprehensible biography and behave accordingly, they are multi-layered characters with moods, quirks, strengths and weaknesses and are therefore of course much more alive than a classic 'shaggy animal' on my lap that tells jokes with me can ever be." Grammel has deliberately allowed elements from stand-up comedy and paid a lot of attention to lighting and musical moods: "The amount of work involved is huge, then there's a lovingly designed stage set... and the 'puppet comedy' is finished."
Ventriloquist on the moon
Grammel comments ironically on the further development of his show art: "In general, the trend is towards second puppets. And as we all know, you can become anything as a ventriloquist. Only chameleons have better opportunities. Crap! Why didn't I become a chameleon? Otherwise, I'd like to be the first ventriloquist to land on the moon. Together with a chameleon. No, seriously: I've been able to turn my greatest passion into a profession. That is an unbelievably great gift and the greatest of luck. And I try to give as much of it back to my audience as possible every night."
Sascha Grammel's silly DVD "Keine Ahnung!" stayed in the Swiss DVD charts for 75 weeks, including nine weeks at number 1. His new double DVD "Ich find's lustig" has recently become available. And you can bet that his Swiss live shows will also sell out quickly.
SASCHA GRAMMEL
20-24.11.17, various venues
TICKETS
