Expat Life Tag

October 28, 2024 In Blog

Greg Shapiro Playboy Interview

Dutch American Comedian Greg Shapiro PLAYBOY INTERVIEW – 20 Questions with the American Netherlander

28 October, 2024

This past summer, I got interviewed by the Dutch Playboy Magazine for my solo show LEAVING TRUMPLAND 2.0: No Country for Old Men. Here is an excerpt.
Interview by Femke Zijlema

When did you discover that you can imitate Trumps voice so well?

Yeah, why am I blessed with the voice of a man who is so bad for society? Back in 2016 at Boom Chicago, we did a show called Trump Up the Volume. We’d thought that I would imitate Hillary & my partner Pep Rosenfeld would do Trump. But Hillary reminded Pep of his mother, so he wanted to try her. As soon as I became Trump I guess something magical happened, I heard it myself. In 2018 I was in Theater Carré for the 25th anniversary of Boom Chicago – with Arjen Lubach doing a Q & A on stage, and I answered as Trump. Arjen said “it’s like Trump is here.” Weird.

Are you familiar with ADHD?

Everyone who has ever worked with me, they know that my brain is all over the place all the time. It’s been this way my whole life, but I’ve never been officially diagnosed with ADD or anything. Oddly enough this condition seems to help my brain improvise as Trump. Last year my colleague former colleague outed me as neurodivergent on stage. And it was Seth Meyers. Someone asked him what he remembers about his first day in Amsterdam in 1997. He said “I remember this guy Greg Shapiro picked me up from the airport, and he was supposed to give me a crash course in living and working in Amsterdam. But while he was good at telling me the first half of everything I needed to know, by the second half he would get distracted and talk about something totally different.”

What’s your connection to Playboy?

Playboy has its roots in my hometown of Chicago. I never was into nudie pics in Playboy magazine, but everyone knew that Hugh Hefner had his mansion on the Gold Coast. And his Playboy tower still stands right there by Oak St. Beach. Back in the day, my dad was a photographer, and he was invited to one of the parties at Hefner‘s mansion. Back in the 80s, when you would think I’d be looking at the magazine for the pictures, I was already aware that there was also comedy, essays. Comedians were getting hired to write for that magazine.

Home is?

Amsterdam. America not really.

Is your family in America already making plans to migrate?

When I first moved over here, my family kept asking, “when are you coming back to the United States?” Now that Donald Trump might become President again, they’re asking, “what is life like in the Netherlands? Is it affordable? Is there enough housing?” I tell them: “No! ‘Full is full’!”

Read the full interview here: (in Dutch)
https://playboy.nl/interviews

Tickets to Greg Shapiro’s LEAVING TRUMPLAND:
https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-theater-tour/

Greg Shapiro Premiere in De Kleine Komedie

October 22, 2024 In Blog

Shapiro Première in DeKleineKomedie

Dutch American Comedian Greg Shapiro Premières in De Kleine Komedie Amsterdam

21 October, 2024

In Amsterdam it’s nice to see your name in lights, but it’s even nicer to see your name on the sign at the theater called De Kleine Komedie.

With the help of Impact Entertainment, I was able to perform the premiere of my 2024 US election show LEAVING TRUMPLAND 2.0: No Country for Old Men.

Would I be prepared? I wasn’t sure… We had only done four tryout performances so far – as well as bits and pieces at various open mic night and standup stages.

I performed Leaving Trumpland 1.0 for the US election in 2020. Unfortunately, not many people saw that show – because it was in the middle of Covid. Remember when you could only perform for 30 or 100 max at a time? And half the shows were canceled before that. My tour booker said, “the reviews were so good! Why don’t you just do a reprise of your 2020 show for the US election 2024?” I said “don’t be ridiculous! That would require the exact same to candidates four years ago. What are the odds of that happening?” …And yet for most of this year, that’s what we had. Biden vs Trump: the rematch. Because they both aged so gracefully.

But then Joe Biden dropped out, Thank the Almighty! …And I had to rewrite almost the entire show. WORTH IT.

Leaving Trumpland 1.0 was my sixth solo show. But with Leaving Trumpland 2.0, I can honestly say since it’s 90% new, it is my seventh solo show.

We had a full house for a Monday night. We even had a second balcony! The theater director was happy, the programmer was happy. My theater booker was happy. The audience was great.
Afterward, I made sure to grab a pose with my director, Michael Diederich…

…and my producer/wife Inez De Goede.

Thanks for the excellent photos from Jelle Draper.

Photographer Jelle Draper
https://www.jelledraper.com/bits-of-everything

Reviews for Leaving Trumpland
https://gregshapiro.nl/blog/theater-reviews-leaving-trumpland/

October 18, 2024 In Blog

Shapiro Interview with Ivo Niehe

Greg Shapiro Interviewed by Ivo Niehe on ‘Ivo op Zondag,’ 2023

18 October, 2024

In 2023 – for the 30th anniversary of Boom Chicago – Dutch TV legend Ivo Niehe interviewed me about ‘Pep & Greg POLITICALLY INCORRECT.’ It’s a show about the upcoming Dutch – and American – elections. (Recorded in Nov, 2023)

The interview starts out with some photos from the Boom Chicago 30 year anniversary, featuring famous alumni such as Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele and Jason Sudeikis: “and they all learned from the veteran improviser Greg Shapiro.”

Ivo: “Greg, after so many years of blood, sweat and tears- is it annoying that people only want to talk about that video, the ‘Netherlands Second’ video?”
Greg: “No problem. I realize that will probably be my epitaph, on my gravestone.”
Ivo: “You’ve lived in different countries. But you stayed here for love?”
Greg: “Came for work, stayed for love. Yes.”
Ivo: “You’re ‘The American Netherlander.’ How Dutch are you, how American are you?”
Greg: “I’ve now lived in the Netherlands longer than I lived in the US. …I realize I spoke part of that answer in Dutch.”
Ivo: “I know, you’ve said you don’t like speaking the Dutch language.”
Greg: “It makes my mouth feel sad.”
Ivo: “Beautiful language, the Dutch language.”
Greg: “Yes! It just flows right off the back of the throat. When your brain tells you ‘I think we’re choking to death,’ then that’s when you’ve nailed it, the pronunciation.”
Ivo: “Is it still possible to be politically incorrect?”
Greg: “When we say ‘politically incorrect,’ Pep and I – we’ve been writing comedy together since we were 17 – we mean we think politics are being done incorrectly. That’s what our show is about.”
Ivo: “What did you mean when you talked about ‘who counts the votes?’”
Greg: “We were referring to Trump’s Republican party. To them, it doesn’t matter how many people vote for which candidate. It matters what happens afterward. They’re inspired by the quote “It’s not who votes that counts. It’s who counts the votes.”
Ivo: “And who said that?”
Greg: “Josef Stalin.”

PEP & GREG POLITICALLY INCORRECT
TICKETS: Pep & Greg Politically Incorrect

Greg Solo show Leaving Trumpland
https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-theater-tour/

Parool Photo Greg Shapiro by Eva Plevier

September 21, 2024 In Blog

Greg Shapiro in Het Parool

Greg Shapiro in Het Parool: “Trump Is Losing the Humor War”

interview by Mike Peek, 21 September, 2024
(translated from Dutch)

In Leaving Trumpland 2.0, Greg Shapiro’s trademark Donald Trump imitation takes center stage. Perhaps for the last time. According to the comedian, Trump’s most effective weapons are now being used against him.

Since 1994, Greg Shapiro has been working with the improvisation comedy theater Boom Chicago. He gained national fame in 2017 with the video by Arjen Lubach in which he imitated Trump’s voice eerily well. Three years later, Shapiro created a satirical show about a polarized America: Leaving Trumpland. Due to the corona crisis, he could only perform his show for tiny audiences. So it’s high time for the 2.0 version. Most of the show has changed. In fact, only one story returns – that of the death of his stepfather, who lived in a nursing home where the COVID rules were ignored.

How do these elections differ from those in 2016 and 2020?

“In 2016, Trump was just a ridiculous character. As comedians, we thought we’d make jokes about him for a few months and then Hillary Clinton would become president. That was naïve. But in 2020 we were perhaps too cautious. Biden kept saying how Trump is dangerous. But now that Kamala Harris is the candidate, she’s calling him ridiculous. The new strategy is to call him stupid again, call him weird. We’ve come full circle.”

Do you think Harris will become president?
“I think she can win, yes. She’s a strong candidate with the right qualifications. I keep thinking about 2008. John McCain was an old white man – and a war hero. Obama was ‘a skinny black guy with a strange name,’ and he didn’t stand a chance. Until – during the debates – Obama turned out to be much more stable. And we saw that same dynamic during the debate between Trump and Harris. He lost his cool, she kept control. I think to many Americans she came across as ‘Presidential.’”

Can it be dangerous to ridicule Trump?
“Definitely. All this satire about Trump has brought him even more attention – and he thrives on that. If you make jokes about him, especially as a politician, you have to make sure they’re lethal. So yes talk about how his crowd sizes are shrinking, or come up with labels like ‘weird’ – which clearly gets under his skin. Now the Democrats are showing how you can use his own weapons against him. And let’s face it: up until now Trump has been uniquely good at using humor to his advantage. The nicknames he’d come up with to trash his opponents were sometimes very effective. But now Trump is failing to make anything stick. While the Democrats are successfully labeling him as petty and ridiculous. I think Trump is losing the humor war.”

You say in the show that you are easily distracted. Is that something you have in common with Trump?

“More accurately, I think it’s like ‘Highly Associative Disorder.’ I’ll start talking about topic A, then make a jump to topic Z – without people following how I got there. Trump has that too, yes. You saw it in the debate with Harris. I think even Trump’s MAGA fans were lost, wondering ‘wait, what? What is he talking about?’”

You also point out the international success of former Boom Chicago colleagues such as Seth Meyers, Jordan Peele and Amber Ruffin. Are you jealous of them?
“I have been jealous, yes of course! In 2001, Seth Meyers was was hired at Saturday Night Live, which is a dream for any American comedian. As a kid, I watched the first generation of SNL comedians, like John Belushi and Gilda Radner, and I wanted to do that too. Now I am doing that – but on a different level. So for my famous former colleagues, I sincerely wish them the best. And, if I’m honest, I once lived in New York, and I recognize that attitude. You have to be super ambitious, you have to be a bit ruthless. I just don’t have that in me. Also, I have to admit I find it difficult to work in a large group, because my brain keeps flying off all over the place.”

In the run-up to the US elections, you’re also making the show Politically Incorrect together with Boom Chicago colleague Pep Rosenfeld. How does that performance differ from Leaving Trumpland 2.0?
With Pep, we focus more on the latest news, and there’s a lot of improvisation. Like we explain how Republicans are already making these preparations to challenge any election result they don’t like. So they’ll lawyer up and take it to the Supreme Court, where six of the nine judges are on Trump’s side. Leaving Trumpland is more about me personally. I tell stories related to politics, topics that are close to my heart.”

There’s the moving story about your stepfather who died of corona.

“That was the reason to make Leaving Trumpland in the first place. I wanted to put it in writing. My stepfather lived in a nursing home in Wisconsin. On July 10, 2020, he got corona, and a week later he was dead. I remember my sister calling, feeling terrible that she hadn’t visited him, because she was following the health and safety guidelines. Meanwhile – though it was a national lockdown – the Republicans ignored the rules, because they said it was about freedom. People were just walking in there unprotected all day long. So no, I can’t prove it, but I’m convinced that’s how my stepfather got corona. I was so upset, and angry. Yes, I like to joke about politics. But suddenly it became personal.”

Lees het artikel in het Nederlands
https://www.parool.nl/es-b5c440ee/

Greg Shapiro LEAVING TRUMPLAND 2.0 Tour Dates
https://www.impactentertainment.nl/voorstelling/greg_shapiro_leaving_trumpland_2.0-2425/speellijst-iframe

Pep & Greg Politically Incorrect – at Boom Chicago 7 nights only
https://boomchicago.nl/nl/pep-and-greg-politically-incorrect/

August 21, 2024 In Blog

Shapiro 3 Shows 2024

21 August, 2024

It’s exciting to say: “Greg Shapiro has 3 new shows coming this fall.”
1. US election solo show NL tour: LEAVING TRUMPLAND
2. US election show at Boom Chicago show – with Pep Rosenfeld: PEP & GREG POLITICALLY INCORRECT
3. Pepijn’s Comedy Club in Den Haag – with International Comedians

1. LEAVING TRUMPLAND: No Country for Old Men

Are you ready for the Post-Trump era? Kamala Harris says “We’re not going back,” and Greg Shapiro says “Leaving Trumpland.” With Biden out of the race, the new theme of the 2024 election is ‘No Country for Old Men.’ Specifically, Old Weird Men. Leaving Trumpland 2.0 is Shapiro’s most brutally honest show yet.

THEATERKRANT: ‘Sharp Satire of Trump’s America’

THEATERPARADIJS: ‘Razor Sharp Humor with a Personal Touch’

ARTS TALK MAGAZINE: ‘A Very Sharp and Dangerous Edge’

Click here for flashy videos & such:
https://gregshapiro.nl/greg-shapiro-theater-tour/

It’s my 7th solo show, and I’m premiering in Amsterdam’s Kleine Komedie. Wanna come?
https://www.impactentertainment.nl/voorstelling/greg_shapiro_leaving_trumpland_2.0-2425/speellijst-iframe

2. PEP & GREG POLITICALLY INCORRECT

Pep & I have been writing comedy together since 1985. We’ve been doing US Election Specials since 2004. Along the way, Pep has written for Saturday Night Live. I’ve hosted Comedy Central News. And now we host an improvised debate between me as the real Fake Donald Trump – which means Pep has to do a Kamala impression. Politically Incorrect!

‘Sharp satire and world class improvisation’ – De Volkskrant

‘Five stars! Greg and Pep have an incredible charisma and are very funny….’ — D Robbinson, Trip Advisor

‘Superior. Hilarious satire’ – Theaterkrant.nl

https://boomchicago.nl/nl/pep-and-greg-politically-incorrect/

3. PEPIJN’S COMEDY CLUB IN ENGLISH

For solo performers, Den Haag’s Pepijn Theater is one of the most beloved spaces in the Netherlands. For two seasons, I’ve been programming and hosting the English edition of Pepijn’s Comedy Club. And this season we’re going monthly! In September, we’ve got the headliner ALINA SHARIPOVA (Russia / Belgium). In October – from the UK – we’ve got RIA LINA (you may know her from BBC’s Live at the Apollo). And in November we’ve got headliner KURIAKOSE VAISIAN (India).

https://www.diligentia-pepijn.nl/agenda/5309/various-stand-up-comedians/pepijn-s-comedy-club-eng

August 9, 2024 In Blog

Shapiro on Dutch History Podcast

Greg Shapiro on Dutch History Podcast “Republic of Amsterdam Radio”

9 August 2024

To celebrate my 30th anniversary in Amsterdam, I Greg Shapiro did an interview with Dutch history podcast ‘Republic of Amsterdam.’ And they specifically asked me about my Dutch history – in the 30 years I’ve been here.

You have to give a listen just to check out the gravely Australian accent of Joe Wegecsanyi, and the excellent Julian Smith. Here’s the link:

https://www.republicofamsterdamradio.com/episodes/historyofthenetherlands/bonus-getting-to-know-the-american-netherlander

For my 30 years in Amsterdam, we focused on the pop culture. I came to Amsterdam in 1994, when I looked like this:

It was the year Pulp Fiction came out. And there were John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson talking about Amsterdam! The ‘hash bars,’ the cops in Amsterdam, and frites with mayonnaise. (“Eww!”)

An excerpt from The American Netherlander:

I still remember the thrill of watching Pulp Fiction in 1994, at the Kriterion cinema – and the Sneak Preview. For the Boom Chicago crew, Tuesday night was Sneak Preview night. In the Netherlands, films would premiere on a Wednesday – meaning the actual film reels in canisters would have to be delivered to the cinemas to be premiered. If the film reels arrived a day early, that’s what they’d show for the Tuesday Sneak Preview. Sometimes it would be a Danish film with Dutch subtitles, and we’d be out of luck. But sometimes it would be The Fugitive – with Dutch actor Jeroen Krabbé. Not too shabbé.

So imagine our surprise when the sneak preview was not only the much-hyped Pulp Fiction, as we’d been hoping – but there was an entire scene about life in Amsterdam. We were there watching John Travolta on the big screen, saying, “You can walk into a movie theater in Amsterdam and buy a beer. And I don’t mean just like no paper cup. I’m talking about a glass of beer.” And there I was in a movie theater in Amsterdam – with a glass of beer! It was like being on drugs: “The man on the screen is talking to me!”

In Closing

Here’s a Dutch history fact: it was a Dutchman who coined the term “podcast.” Did you know? Adam Curry (yes, the 1980s MTV host) was one of the first people to create content specifically for the iPod. Which is why he’s known as “The Podfather.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Curry

For more Greg Shapiro interviews:
https://gregshapiro.nl/media/tv-appearances/

April 16, 2024 In Blog

Greg Shapiro LeavingTrumpland 2

Greg Shapiro: LEAVING TRUMPLAND 2.0 – No Country for Old Men

Autumn, 2024
TOUR DATES CLICK HERE

Dutch-American comedian Greg Shapiro (Boom Chicago, BNR, Comedy Central) presents a US Election Special. Kamala Harris says “We’re not going back,” Greg Shapiro says “Leaving Trumpland.” As Donald Trump continues his campaign in the form of a flameout nervous breakdown, the theme of the 2024 election is ‘No Country for Old Men.’ Specifically, Old Weird Men.

Greg Shapiro is known as the voice of the ‘Netherlands Second’ video from ‘Zondag Met Lubach.’ But now – if Trump wins – will Shapiro ever feel comfortable returning to the country of his birth? Shapiro keeps hearing the question: “don’t you want Trump to be president again?” His answer is the same thing Mark Rutte said to Trump in the White House: “Haha! No.”

Leaving Trumpland 2.0 is a mix of standup, cabaret and Trump-inspired improvisation. Shapiro wrote Leaving Trumpland 1.0 in 2020 – during COVID. He argues that a Trump comeback would be about as welcome as COVID 2.0. In Shapiro’s most personal moment, he shares the details of how COVID killed his step-father, due to Trump’s fantasyland followers. Leaving Trumpland 2.0 is Shapiro’s most brutally honest show yet.

Reviews Greg Shapiro LeavingTrumpland 1.0

Due to COVID, not many people saw Leaving Trumpland 1.0. But critics did.

THEATERKRANT – ‘SHARP SATIRE OF TRUMP’S AMERICA’
THEATERPARADIJS – ‘RAZOR SHARP HUMOR WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH’
ARTS TALK MAGAZINE – ‘A VERY SHARP AND DANGEROUS EDGE’

TOUR DATES CLICK HERE

BIOGRAPHY GREG SHAPIRO

Greg Shapiro is one of the originals at Boom Chicago theater in Amsterdam. He has hosted ‘Comedy Central News’ on ComedyCentralNL, and he has appeared on BNR, BNN-VARA, VPRO & ZDF in Germany. And yes, he is known as the voice of Trump in the ‘Netherlands Second’ viral video with 50 million views. As author, Greg has written books such as How to Be Dutch: the Quiz and his latest The American Netherlander: 25 Years of Expat Tales.

——

Greg Shapiro’s Leaving Trumpland 2.0 is performed in English, with some content in Dutch.
Written and Performed by: Greg Shapiro
Directed by: Michael Diederich.

Theater Booker: Impact Entertainment. They will be announcing tour dates soon…
https://www.impactentertainment.nl/
——-
See Greg’s LEAVING TRUMPLAND 1.0 (2020)
https://gregshapiro.nl/portfolio_page/greg-shapiro-leaving-trumpland/

The ‘Netherlands Second’ video (2017)

TOUR DATES CLICK HERE

April 12, 2024 In Blog

Greg Shapiro in Telegraaf

27 March, 2024
So I was interviewed in the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, about a new proposal for expats to integrate into Dutch culture with the coercion of their employers. At first, it sounds like an unlikely proposal. Who has the time? But when I thought back to my first days in Amsterdam, my Dutch boss had me doing plenty of cultural integration. Thank you to Boom Chicago’s Ms. Saskia Maas.
And look at me now: I am a volunteer for helping garbage collection in my neighborhood. Hey, Expats! If you want to make friends with Dutch folks, first just keep the place clean!

Here are some excerpts from the interview. The link to the full article is below.
(from Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, 27 March, 2024. Translation Google / Shapiro)

‘Expats also need to integrate.’

by Marijn Schrijver

This is what the Amsterdam PvdA (Labor) party proposes. Expats aka ‘Knowledge Migrants’ must learn the language just like other newcomers. Expat expert Greg Shapiro doesn’t think it’s a bad idea at all.

Internationals with high-paying jobs are finding their way to Amsterdam en masse. And they continue to live there longer and longer. As far as PvdA faction leader Lian Heinhuis is concerned, it is time for them to also learn the language, participate in sports or volunteer work and gain knowledge about the history and tradition of Amsterdam. This week she is submitting the initiative proposal ‘Everyone Can Become an Amsterdammer.’

Language

Greg Shapiro jokes: “In the 1990s it was: ‘excuse me, can I order in English?’ Now it’s: No, you have to order in English!” The Boom Chicago comedian is perhaps the city’s best-known expat and author of the book How to Be Dutch: The Quiz. He read the PvdA proposal, and at first he thought: “who has the time for this? Those expats already work full time.” But then he thought about his own experience in Amsterdam in 1994.

“From the start, Saskia Maas (CEO of Boom Chicago) took us to the traditional Dutch brown café, of course a boat tour – and even the sauna. She taught us the basis of Amsterdam culture.” Soon Shapiro was taking language lessons and mingling with ordinary Amsterdammers. “True, I had less experience with volunteer work. But now I have adopted my local garbage container and I think that counts.” This was after seeing how Dutch people would let cardboard pile up in the street next to the container – after removing their address labels.

Culture shock

Shapiro sees the advantages of the proposal. How should expats start with integrating? “For one thing, never be caught bragging about your income. You’re only allowed to brag about how little you paid for something. At a Dutch birthday party, they’ll brag about how cheap the snacks were. ‘Oh, really? do tell!’”

“And arm yourself for Dutch honesty. As I like to say, ‘Dutch directness’ is an indirect way of saying rude.” Shapiro advises expats to embrace the culture shock. “Don’t pull back, lean in!” He remembers when he was new in town and he held the door for a Dutch woman when it was raining. “She looked at me weird and said: ‘we are not going to have sex!’ Here in Amsterdam, the rule is: do your own thing and stay out of my way.”

The comedian understands that Amsterdam residents feel discomfort about rising rents and housing prices. But he warns against generalizations. One expat is not the same as the other. “The word expat has become a dirty word, but sorry there’s been a housing shortage the whole time I’ve been here.” Amsterdam has always been a magnet for immigration. “Certainly since the Spanish Inquisition, Amsterdam has always been accommodating different waves of immigrants. Without those Sephardic Jews, no diamonds… Thank you, Spain!”

Cheese Sandwich

The most important tip from the Expat Expert is indeed to learn a bit of the Dutch language – so that you can truly complain about Amsterdam with fellow Amsterdammers. “That is bonding. ‘The weather app said it wasn’t going to rain, and then it rained on me! And the bridge was up, like it always is. And it’s cold, and I had to bike against the wind, and the street is under construction again. It’s the worst!’ And – if you do it in Dutch – that’s the moment Amsterdammers will welcome you and say ‘Yes, you are one of us.’”

Just like previous groups of immigrants, expats will also no doubt leave their mark on the city. Shapiro points to Boom Chicago’s influence on the Dutch comedy scene. “Without Boom Chicago, there would be no De Lamas,” he proudly points out. At the moment, he sees that there is huge wave of expats from India, who are bringing a lot of comedy talent with them. “Some of them are really funny. It’s nice.”

Here is the link to the full article:

https://www.telegraaf.nl/nieuws/2135885712/pvd-a-wil-dat-expats-ook-inburgeren-taal-is-belangrijk

For more on Greg’s book HOW TO BE DUTCH – THE QUIZ

Shapiro Dutch Quiz Book

March 21, 2024 In Blog

Shapiro Comedy Review Pepijn

21 March, 2024

GOOD NEWS!
a) Another solid review for the comedy nights I’ve been programming at Theater PePijn in the Hague.
https://artstalkmagazine.nl/english-stand-up-at-theater-pepijn-in-the-hague/

AND – b) next season we’ll be more frequent with one English comedy night per month. …Meanwhile, the next Pepijn’s Comedy Club in English will be 26 June…
https://www.diligentia-pepijn.nl/agenda/4432/various-stand-up-comedians/pepijn-s-comedy-club-in-english

Clearly, the Hague needs Comedy. English Comedy. That said, last night’s audience in the theater were 70% Dutch. As host, I did my favorite audience warm-up, which is a role-play. I ask the audience to pretend their Americans. Loud Americans. Americans in Las Vegas. If you ask Dutch people to make a lot of noise, you can only get them to go so far. But if you ask them to incorporate their opinions of other cultures, they give 110%.

Our first comedian was Nira Tal. Her opener is so sharp, and then she gets into Life in the Netherlands, being married to a Dutchman, solid set.

Next up was a friend of mine from Berlin, Rohit Bhatia. A former crime reporter from Mumbai, he now lives in Germany and brags about being “one of the few Indians in Europe that does not do IT.”

The Talent Spot was for Glodi Lugungu, who is no stranger to Theater PePijn, but this was his first time performing in English. English is his third language, and yet he managed to do some crowd work! His set brought the unexpected, magic.

Our headliner was Desiree Burch, who has been crushing it on British TV: BBC, Live at the Apollo, Too Hot to Handle on Netflix. But I got to know her from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. And I was the first person to hire her to come to “The Continent.” In fact, the last time I had her come tour the Netherlands with me was 10 years ago in 2014. In Pepijn. It was like a homecoming.

For more Pepijn Reviews

GREG SHAPIRO RETURNS TO PEPIJN

March 7, 2024 In Blog

Shapiro Votes in Global Primary

6 March 2024

Super Tuesday in the Netherlands! Time for Dutch American comedian Greg Shapiro to vote in the Global Presidential Primary 2024. The Dutch morning show ‘Goede Morgen Nederland’ called me up to ask if I was planning to vote – and how I was planning to vote. (Their channel WNL is more right-wing, so I was cautious.) Since I am still a citizen of the US, I said “yes, of course I’m voting (for Biden)!”

The Global Presidential Primary is fairly new. And so far the Democrat party is the only one organizing it. Until 2020 – if you wanted to vote in the presidential primaries at all – you had to send in an absentee request to register and for a ballot. Now, the Democrat party is organizing a number of in-person voting locations for American expats around the world. Amsterdam is one of the locations, specifically at Boom Chicago.

The TV interviewer asked if I could provide an American-style campaign event. She asked “do you maybe have flags?” Being the American Netherlander, YES I have flags. Here is the (one-minute) TV interview – in Dutch. Below is the transcript in English.

transcript in English:

Presenter: “One of the people who can vote in the Global Presidential Primary is ‘Mr. America first, Netherland second,’ comedian Greg Shapiro.”

Greg: “Yes, I’m celebrating today. I’m celebrating that as the American Netherlander, I can vote in person in the Global Presidential Primary.
I realize Joe Biden is not the ideal candidate. He’s way too old. But he’s the only Democrat who can say he beat Trump once already. And yes, he’s old, but he has more experience than anybody. He knows so many world leaders, NATO leaders, dictators. He knows Putin. For decades. That counts for something.
I have family in America. I have a sister, she has a daughter. And I’m sorry, but the Republicans with their crazy abortion laws. I feel like I have to protect my family if I can. So I’m voting for Biden.”

(as Biden) “Vote today if you want to vote for Biden.”

(as Trump) “And if you want to vote for Trump, you can’t. It’s Democrats only this time around.”

For more Greg Shapiro TV appearances, click here:
https://gregshapiro.nl/media/tv-appearances/