Tobias Persson: Sitting on a Cornflake

Tobias Persson is from Sweden. The crowd's not sure if English being his second language will make for an uncomfortable hour, or if he will even be able to banter with us. We’re a tiny audience, after all. We regard each other, slightly fearful, and then, with a spirit which is genuine and inquisitive, Persson begins an exchange in which he asks us questions, and then more questions about the language of our responses. He and the audience are equally delighted to find we have the word ‘braw’ in common, meaning ‘good.’ And away we go from there.

The show is about nonsense, and the joy of words which need no meaning read into them. By extension it’s also a show about the nonsense inherent in religion. And porn. And ducks. His material is thoughtful and silly, and he makes some sophisticated parallels alongside some surreal little islands of the bizarre and profane. The language barrier only trips him up occasionally in terms of confidence, when he wanders into some improvisational corners, trailing off into occasional quiet cul-de-sacs. And his two songs are nice enough but don’t really gel with the style of the rest of the show. But he’s easily forgiven, with his easy-going intelligence, and a curiosity which makes him lovely.