Festival film see page 65 0 Festival art see page 72
COMEDY Colin Murphy ***
g Loveab/e Irish roguery
if only comedy could be rated solely on the personality of the comic, there
would be five stars at the top of this
5 review instead of three. Unfortunately there are other things to be taken into
consideration.
Murphy is a loveable Irish rogue with a great presence, and there are no problems as far as the material is concerned; observational comedy delivered with gusto. The trouble is, his set seems very loose around the edges. There are occasions when there is a definite sense of time-filling and ultimately, that detracts from the impact when he does hit the mark. Pity. (Kirsty Knaggs)
5 Colin Murphy (Fringe) Pleasance ‘ (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 28 Aug,
8.45pm, £8/f9 (£7. 50/f8. 50).
THEATRE
The Local Stigmatic *ttt Updated stalking drama
A bully and a retard sit in a pub discussing dog racing and celebrities. That evening they befriend a well- known actor with grim results.
This rarely-performed, vitriolic little number from hermetic eco-loon Heathcote Williams really is a strong piece of theatre. Some plays are written in silk, this is scribbled in bile and makes gut-turning and compelling viewing, a play whose despair for the regressive male lies in the subtle
' ephemera of cockney slang,
Mandrake Theatre have made a brave stab at a difficult play with their
f brutally minimalist production. Plus,
Steven O'Shea and Chris Porter are superb in the leading roles. (Paul Dale) m The Local Stigmatic (Fringe) Mandrake Theatre, Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) 226 2428, until 28 Aug, 8.75pm, £9/f70 (£8/f9).
COMEDY Addy Borgh ** Warmhearted unfunny man Lukewarm Harry Hillisms, observational humour on smoking pot (radical, eh?) and relationships; this has all the originality of a J-cloth. The trouble is, Addy Borgh is such a likeable and warm man you feel churlish criticising him, but his act lacks bite and form and really belongs to a big comfy chair in a living room with an audience of blunted mates, and not on a stage at the Fringe. Borgh also has a bad habit of dragging material out of the crowd by asking questions and then being unable to deal with hecklers. Poor stuff. (Paul Dale) 2 ist Century Fool (Fringe) Addy Borgh, Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 28 Aug (not 27) 9.30pm, £8.50/f9 (£7.50/f8).
MUSICAL
Molly Bloom: A Musical Dream bur
Joyce’s woman discourses on sex James Joyce's final narrator in Ulysses is a literary legend, often adapted on stage and screen. Our fascination for Bloom’s Wife, Molly, lies in her evident
innocence. She recalls following her sensuality through life, unbound by social proprieties. And we believe her, whereas most people in real life affect this sort of thing as an excuse for selfishness and irresponsibility.
Anna Zapparoli uses her fulsome
? figure well in a performance, f accompanied by a trio of musicians, that contains some witty songs to the
1 body. But the piece does seem
thematically limited, and goes on way longer than it should. (Steve Cramer) I Molly Bloom: A Musical Dream (Fringe) Anna Zapparoli And Mario Borciani, C (Venue 34) 225 5 705, until 27 Aug (not 27) 9pm, £7. 50 (f5. 50).
COMEDY Noble And Silver ** Comedy duo rehash pub material
Everyone knows someone like Noble ; And Silver; the ones everyone gathers
around in the pub, the ’wacky' clowns who can probably make all their mates laugh. Yup, you know the type, but how many of them would you recommend embark upon a career in comedy?
Sure, with a few OK lines and some mildly distracting video clips, there are the beginnings of something worth paying for here. But it's mostly badly- executed, self-indulgent little private jokes and silly irrelevant gimmicks.
Sorry guys, but the pub's round the
L corner; if you’re taking a show to the
world’s biggest arts festival, there's a bit more effort involved. (Olly Lassman) z: Nob/e And Silver (Fringe) Gilded Balloon (Venue 38) 226 2757, until 28 Aug (not 27) 9. 75pm, £7 (£6).
COMEDY
Stewart Lee's Badly Mapped World bk
Clever anecdotery gets lost
The phrase ’you can’t fault them for trying’ is sadly inapplicable for Stewart Lee. Once a roaring, venom-spitting demon whose cynical world view was something to behold, he seems a
, lacklustre shadow of his former self.
? laconic genius
His new show sees him meander the planet with a clutch of apologetic anecdotes which are delivered with the
of Steven Wright
Ben-109m ’CIHVCI
COMEDY Rich Hall ****
More than just an embarrassing uncle
Proving that musical comedy can be fun
There are those who feel that the term musical comedy is the most contradictory of terms. They may yet to have been convinced by attempts from the likes of Bill Bailey and The Boosh to energise a dead sub-genre, but anyone still in doubt that it can work should get along to see Rich Hall's avuncular creation, Otis Lee Crenshaw.
Otis isn't so much a brand new character as an electric extension of Rich Hall’s own act. His bantering/baiting of audience members - here it was a ‘bin boy’ and an unemployed musician - the organ(ic) adlibbing and his impressive knowledge of Scottish place names (well, it’s impressive for an American) are all staple ingredients of the Rich repertoire. The growl, cheeky grin and piercing stare remain; only the stars and stripes hanky on his head give you a clue that something else is going on.
And what’s going on is the epitome of Hall’s Darwinian rewind button theory; a bourbon-swallowing redneck jailbird, and trailer-parking product of rampant inbreeding who has married several women, all of whom are called Brenda. The songs are about things like stalking and dodgy uncles and, with Otis accompanied by a guit irist and double-bass player, it can actually also be appreciated on a musical level.
While those who are pushing Rich Hall for the Perrier are likely to be thwarted, there are few comics offering such a rollickin' ol’ time.
(Brian Donaldson)
I Rich Hall ls Otis Lee Crenshaw (Fringe) Rich Hall, Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 28 Aug (not 22 25—27) 9.25pm; 25—27 Aug, 7.40pm, £9. 50/f70
(£8.50/f9).
mind. However, it’s more reminiscent of Bagpuss after a hard day's graft. You find yourself willing him on to finish gags, resisting the temptation to cry out the punchline four lines before he does. A frustrating display from someone who is much better. (Mark Robertson)
I Stewart Lee ’5 Badly Mapped World (Fringe) Stewart Lee, Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 28 Aug (not 22) 8pm, £8.50—f9.50 (f7.50—£8.50).
COMEDY
Asprey 8: Frisby tika Characters, sketches and songs
The first thing you’ll notice about this show is the distinct absence of one of its stars. Asprey, it seems, is no longer part of the double act, having thrown it all in for the dizzy heights of Hollywood.
So, that leaves the ridicu ously- monikered Dominic Frisby. Silly by name and silly by nature, as Mr Hargreaves once said. Frisby’s comedy characters, sketches, songs and jokes simply can’t be described any other way. They’re plain silly. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Even as you're groaning and shaking your head with the sheer stupidity of it all, you’ll be laughing despite yourself.
(Kirsty Knaggs)
a Asprey & Frisby (Fringe) K omedia @ Southside (Venue 82) 667 22 72, until 27 Aug (not 27) 9. 75pm, £7 (£4).
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17—24 Aug 2000 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 48