Lewis Schaffer's American Guide to England

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American comedian Lewis Schaffer left "the best city in the world" (that's New York, apparently) back in 2000 when he married an English belle. 13 years, two children and a divorce later, the bespectacled jokesmith finds himself a hostage in a council flat in Nunhead. Schaffer is renowned - in fact, you could even say (in)famous - for his twice-weekly 'Lewis Schaffer is Free Until Famous' shows at the Source Below in Soho, the longest-running solo stand-up show in London which has notched over 350 performances since its inception back in 2008. Now Schaffer - who is also the host of the weekly 'Nunhead American Radio' show on Resonance FM - is finally doing his first run of paid gigs at the Leicester Square Theatre.

In Lewis Schaffer's American Guide to England, the homesick New Yorker sets out to teach the English about England - which could prove tricky for someone whose "total indifference to all things British is brilliant" (The Scotsman). From the evidence of his on-going free nights, Schaffer plays the middle-aged Jewish New Yorker shtick with aplomb (think the neuroses of Woody Allen and the irreverence of Greg Proops). He's certainly not shy of harsh one-liners, offensive put-downs and delusional, opinionated bitching. And yet he still remains endearingly self-depreciating - so perhaps the British customs are rubbing off on him, after all. These Sunday night shows this spring should be a hoot. But will they make Schaffer famous?

Lewis Schaffer's American Guide to England  

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