IOIHVCI 10m-Iate theatre comedy dance music books
COMEDY Lewis Schaffer +2 *** Comic Manhattan transfer Lewis Schaffer’s very insistent. That you'll like his show, like him, find him sexy. 'Lewis Schaffer is a sexy man,’ he says, repeatedly, in the third person he scrupulously sticks to. He breaks down the audience's resistance with a non- stop ramble of commentary. Like Woody Allen. Is that a lazy reference? Well, Schaffer’s a New York Jew, short-ish, academic- looking and wears glasses, OK? Schaffer has brought his regular Manhattan club host gig to Edinburgh. With him each night are fellow New Yorker Patrice O'Neal, weighing in at 300 pounds with a mouth to match his weight and, from Florida, beer drinking buddy Bert Kreischer. ‘Normally, I'd introduce these guys with their TV credits,’ says Schaffer, 'but over here that's considered boasting. Unsurprisingly, they all talk about cultural differences between the US and Scotland, the UK, Europe. Schaffer’s backhandedly sarcastic, Kreischer's in goofy awe and O'Neal compares the relative ‘fucked-up-ness' of the countries.
These guys are confident, at home up there on stage, which is always a good sign. Kreischer quickly falls into what's probably his favoured routine: substance abuse, specifically tripping on acid in Disneyland. O'Neal, scoring highest on the laugh-o-meter, just chews the
comrov Paddy Courtne (Ire) Vs Des Bishop (USA) - he Main Event *idrk
Irish charm meets American bravado Not quite the sparring match you’d expect from the publicity, instead rival comics from Dublin's International Bar deliver separate contrasting performances. First up
Courtney and Bishop are comedy sparing partners
Schaffer's brought his regular Manhattan club host gig to Edinburgh
fat with the crowd, and after the show the amiable
(Miles Fielder)
is Irish charmer, Paddy C. Courtney who works the crowd like a pro and immediately endears with his exuberant observations on Northern Ireland’s peace process. This lays the groundwork for Dessie B, the
native New Yorker now living in Ireland, and the
Schaffer shakes hands on the way out. They make it easy to forget you're in Scotland, and not in the US.
I Lewis Schaffer +2 (Fringe) Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) 226 2428, until 28 Aug, 77pm, £9/£ 70 (£8/£9).
hip hop stand-up dynamic that showcases the haphazard talents of County Kildare’s DJ Lee. Dick grabbing, loudmouth Dessie is so loud he blows the speakers (again) and his wiseass delivery comes across like the ’Snoochie Boochie’ fella out of the Kevin Smith movies. (Catherine Bromley) I Paddy Courtney (Ire) Vs Des Bishop (USA) — The Main Event (Fringe) Gilded Balloon (Venue 36) 226 2 757, 77—28 Aug (not 2 7) 77.30pm, £6/£7.
cor/ism Skitters ***
The sketch show which runs and runs
Skitters as one might imagine is a comedy sketch show, or series of skits. It begins impressively with a hilarious deconstruction of Scots folk music post-devolution. 'How are we going to be able to blame everything on the damned Sassenachs now?’ it asks. Other sketches, such as the Glasgow hard man television executive, pack a heavyweight comic punch. In fact when they stick to Scotland they rarely miss, but elsewhere they are patchy at best.
Skitters advertised themselves as the antidote to Oxbridge toss. A fine aspiration, but sorry Skitters, the posh kids always win. (Ross Holloway)
I Skitters (Fringe) The Stand Comedy Club l/ (Venue 5) 558 7272, until 27 Aug, 77.20pm, £6 (£5).
COMEDY
The Comedy Zone *** Mixed bag of stand-up
Our compere, Andy Zaltzman, is a jovial and welcoming host who holds the evening together nicely for this, the tenth year of The Comedy Zone. Opener Karen Taylor would put a sailor to shame with the filth that comes out of her mouth. Her set consists of one outrageous statement about her sexual desires after another, which although it’s amusing, would be more suited to a drunken night in the pub. Next up is Spencer Brown, whose material ranges from the surreal to the satirical, with a bit of music dropped in as well, all delivered at a frantic pace. Headliner Danny Bhoy has the audience eating out of his hand from the second he takes the stage. Cheekily charming, his observational comedy hits the mark every time. Give this man his own show. (Kirsty Knaggs)
I The Comedy Zone (Fringe) The Comedy Zone, Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 28 Aug, 70.55pm, £8.50—£9. 50 (£7. 50—£8.50).
THEATRE Sodom tit Brave version of the Earl of Rochester’s dirty sex farce If your idea of a good Saturday night is throwing neighbourhood key parties or jerking off to Alistair Crowley videos then don't be kidded into thinking this is for you because it isn’t that perverted or debauched. This is actually a fascinating re-evaluation of the work of the Restoration’s enfant terrible
In the court of Sodom, the King Bolloxinian decrees that he is bored with the vagina and from now on only the arse can be used for sexual needs. Female frustrations and egomaniacal buggery conspire to give him a God complex. This difficult text is tackled head on by an excellent young cast. Admirable. (Paul Dale) I Sodom (Fringe) Hill Street Theatre (Venue 4 7) 226 6522, until 28 Aug, 77.30pm, £8 (£6).