Laughing Stock is bringing award-winning British comedian Josie Long to Stockholm for her first shows in Sweden. She can be seen in the intimate Kafé Klavér on the 2nd and 3rd October.
Josie Long is the star of BBC Radio Four’s All Of The Planet’s Wonders and Short Cuts – as seen on BBC1’s Have I Got News For You, Channel Four’s 8 Out Of 10 Cats and more. The show Josie is bringing to Stockholm is called Cara Josephine, and it was the overall best-reviewed comedy show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2014.
We had the chance to ask Josie about her show and about her expectations of the Swedish audience.
What kind of themes can people expect to hear about in your show?
The show is about love and heartbreak and about family a bit, but it’s also very silly!
As this will be your first trip to Sweden, what are your expectations from the audience? Do you expect the Swedes to get you?
Ha, I have a lot of expectations about Sweden.. Like every lefty person from England I have sort of idealised you guys and your culture, so please nobody tell me any of the bad things. I hope that Swedish people like my show as I’m a big fan of your more equitable tax system and shared parental leave.
How did you get started with stand-up comedy? And what keeps you going?
I started very young, I was gigging when i was about 15. I think what keeps me going is two things: I am a natural show-off and I have been doing this so long that it is a really intrinsic part of how I see the world and how I live my life. i just love it and I don’t know what else I would do.
Are your comedy topics universal / easily accessible to people from different backgrounds?
I like to think so – talking about love and heartbreak, even though it is from a very personal perspective, I think it is something that everyone has experience of in some way. I also think that if you try and be honest then people trust that. But who knows! I am doing my show in a lot of countries in Europe that I have never performed in before so it’s quite exciting!
Do you aim to do more than just entertain? Is there often a “message” underneath the fun?
Yes! I think so anyway, although I think as a comedian it’s hard to take yourself to seriously. I often do shows about politics and social issues that I massively care about. I think with comedy you can really speak about anything at all, and there is huge potential to be very earnest and clear about what you think and feel. But I also think that you have to balance it with undercutting yourself, silliness and fun. The serious stuff still comes through, but people don’t feel lectured or hassled (hopefully)!
Support at both shows will also be in English by well-known Swedish comedians:
2nd October: Tobias Persson – Brilliant and delightfully silly. Fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe 2015
‘Thoughtful and silly, sophisticated parallels alongside the bizarre and profane. An easy-going intelligence, and a curiosity which makes him lovely’ (Skinny).
3rd October: Josefin Johansson – Multi-talented, hilarious and charismatic. Josefin regularly appears on Swedish TV (Intresseklubben, Robins, Pang Prego, Partaj and much more) as well as radio and the cult pod Crazy Town
Plus Tobbe Ström and Therese Sandin, both rising stars on the Swedish stand up scene.
For more information and tickets:
