Ivor Dembina takes comedy to the House of Commons

5 April 2012

Thick carpets, plush seating, smartly-tailored punters of the non-paying variety. Well, Committee Room 6 certainly isn’t the Comedy Store. Hendon-born Ivor Dembina is no household name but he can claim to be the first comedian invited to gig in Westminster. Sorry, the umpteen jokes about government already being clown-heavy were all used well before curtain-up.

Dembina was asked by Labour’s Bob Marshall-Andrews to perform This Is Not A Subject For Comedy, about Israel’s position on Palestine, to Parliamentarians to highlight the horror of the conflict through humour. While some luminaries, including former Liberal leader Lord Steel, left mid-set, that was due to the division bell ringing rather than the poised patter about the wiry comedian’s peace activism.

Since Dembina premiered this show in 2004 the cheapest gags have been cut. He focused instead on the contentious issue of being Jewish yet opposing Israeli policy but found room for some deadpan zingers: "I don’t hate Israel, it’s my favourite part of America." As a gig this lacked the buzz of a club but in taking stand-up to a new audience it definitely won votes.

27 March, Phoenix Arts Club, W1. Information: 07905 917425, www.thinkbeforeyoulaugh.com

Ivor Dembina
House of Commons
SW1

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