Switzerland’s most successful comedy duo is calling it quits, but there’s a catch

The most successful Swiss comedy group is leaving: Divertimento announced on Thursday that after the current tour, which starts on Tuesday in Basel, they will no longer be Divertimento. “We want to stop when it is at its best and continue with this feeling,” say Jonny Fischer and Manu Burkart.

The decision had been in the works for some time, they said in a video interview published the same day. This is the right time to ‘quit at the peak of your career’, as they say.

Fischer and Burkart met 25 years ago at the St. Michael teachers’ school in Zug and have since become a real blockbuster. Their tours sold out in a few minutes – tickets are already sold out for all performances until the end of April 2024 with their new program “Bucket List”.

However, the announcement of dismissal is one with prior notice. Divertimento will announce further dates soon and the tour will certainly continue in 2024 and 2025. In total, the new program will be “performed throughout German-speaking Switzerland over the next four to five years,” as the statement said. Or as Fischer says: “We play as long as people want to see us.”

That can take a long time. Maybe even until their 30th stage anniversary. The only thing that is certain is that there will be no new program following ‘Bucket List’. A ‘bucket list’ is a list of things you still want to achieve in life.

There should already be a check mark behind most of the items on Burkart and Fischer’s list. According to our own information, more than 420,000 visitors saw their tour for “Sabbatical” (2016 to 2022). The accompanying DVD has already sold 25,000 times and a book has already been published.

Swiss television was also a faithful companion on Divertimento’s career path. Divertimento was repeatedly supported and celebrated in the media. Fischer now also regularly acts as a presenter or jury member on television programs at SRF.

By the way, it is important that Jonny Fischer and Manu Burkart emphasize that the divorce did not take place out of boredom or even a big argument. “Our partnership, which has grown over the years, is stronger than ever before. We celebrate our collaboration and look forward to the upcoming tour,” they said in a statement. There had been a crisis in the Divertimento stage relationship several times. But the two in their mid-forties always kept each other together.

That’s why we must part now before we have to fight again. “We laughed, had fun, cried and rejoiced in many unforgettable moments,” they write. Now it’s about a “worthy conclusion”.

Fischer and Burkart leave it open as to what comes next. It is not clear from the announcement whether the duo will become two solo artists or whether it is completely over with divertimento. They are said to be providing no further information for the time being. Reason: You want to concentrate on your new program.

Divertimento always took on many different characters in their programs and did not shy away from jokes about farts. Her humor isn’t particularly subtle, but more of the ‘thigh banter’ type. But they were extremely successful.