SECRETS OF THE SIMPSONS with Mike Reiss at Upstairs at the Gatehouse & on tour
‘Genius, the gags come in abundance’ ★★★★★
Mike Reiss, claims to have written over 50,000 jokes, and if this two act show is any indication, that is a believable estimate. The first act concentrates on The Simpsons, with extracts shown on a small screen, Reiss chats about the episodes that he has written and produced. The gags come in abundance, and it so packed with information that the details become a little blurry, but it certainly leaves an impression of a man dedicated to the art of satire and parody; winning four Emmys during his thirty-six years of writing movie scripts, American TV shows and of course countless episodes of The Simpsons.
For anyone who loves The Simpsons, much can be learnt about the characters, the actors who play them, and much is spoken about how the scripts are developed. There is much name dropping, as famous personalities have been lampooned or simply agreed to ‘appear’ on the show. Music is also important to Reiss and many of the extracts feature songs. Perhaps this is a nod to his ‘jewishness’ of which he is clearly very proud, pointing out that ‘this is what a jew looks like’. He has the right kind of profile for it, gesticulations and touching his nose. Ending the show with a finger delicately poised on the tip. Then there are the badly creased trousers – genius doesn’t come with an iron.
If some of the gags seem in dubious taste, that is the point of The Simpsons, it has the freedom to be outrageous, after all it is satire. His animated series Queer Duck is a groundbreaking series that addresses the lives of gay characters in a way that is both humorous and inclusive. Some of his tales defy belief, including his anecdote of taking Queer Duck to Saudi Arabia, it’s clear that Reiss has the courage to stand up for human rights. It is not all aimed at pushing against the boundaries, Reiss also mentions some of his other work including his screenplay for family show, Ice Age.
In the second Act Reiss promises to explain how comedy works, the maths of comedy and then to round it all off with an audience Q & A.
Reiss gives fascinating insights into how humour works. He has made a study of writing comedy and the philosophy behind it. He talks about Arthur Schopenhauer, Sigmund Fraud and Emmanuel Kant, all of whom wrote about comedy. They’re all German and Reiss is very clearly aware that this is funny in itself. It’s a type of humour that isn’t contained in the words themselves,’ it’s in your mind’ he says. Reiss also talks about the incongruity of comedy but then, he adds, it’s not the illogical that is funny, it is the logic. You have to hear Reiss speak on the subject to fully grasp this idea and the connections he makes to mathematics.
The show is on tour, but hurry as the last date is 6 August in Brighton. Keep in touch with the production company, Ovation, for news of any further tours.
Ovation presents
Secrets of The Simpsons -
Stories and Scandals from Springfield
An Evening with Mike Reiss
At Upstairs at the Gatehouse and on tour until 6 August 2026
Komedia Comedy Club
Brighton
Thursday 6 August
Tickets:
