Susan And Janice - Because WC'I‘O Worth It! 0... Assembly- Rooms. until 27Aug. 10.45pm. With the aid of music. sketches and a huge black & white cardboard cut-out of Elvis (which i want. can I have it please?) Susan and Janice chan theirjoumey from squabbling flatmates to Roman Catholic nuns. Though initially ill at ease in the spotlight. like a pair of comedy novices (geddit?) who have accidentally wandered onstage. the pair quickly win the audience over. with Susan playing the brainy bimbo to Janice's rubber-faced neurotic. Not all of the jokes work. but the groaners are more than compensated for by Janice’s self- help training and Susan‘s secret smile. Irresistible. Oh. and you can drop Elvis off at The List on your way home. (Allan Radcliffe) Tally Ho! Creepy Lstrlne Choirs Gilded Balloon. ttntil 27 Aug. 4.45pm. Charlie and Nicholas bring you the light side of the news including odes cunnineg described as ‘the dog‘s Bellocs'. Tartan Ribbon Comedy Benefit 2001 Pleasanee. 2/ Aug. 9.30pm. Scott Capurro and Colin Murphy are among the confirmed acts who are making us laugh to the benefit ofAlDS charity Waverley Care. Catherine Tate Pleasanee. until 27 Aug. 9.35pm. A character show with four setpieces from Lee Mack’s former Bits art(ner). ' Mark Thomas Pleasanee. 20 Attg. 2pm: Gilded Balloon at Tei'iot Row House. 21 Aug. llant. One of the few committed stands-up left on the circuit tells tales about the llisu Dam project. See preview. ThOB. Meddling Kid. Franiit‘ Redhead Productions. Crowne Plaza Hotel. until 26 Aug. llpm. Acclaimed LA ensemble act with fun and physicality. 3 BICICIIS 0.. Gilded Balloon. until 27 Aug. 9pm. They call themselves ‘three comic anarchists‘. but if truth be told. the short man. the tall man and the plump woman who make up the 3 Radicals pursue a fairly conservative variant on the improvised comedy genre. Their alleged aim is to perform as many sketches out of a list of 30 topics chosen by the audience in 45 minutes. They seem to enjoy themselves. though. which is always a good sign. and by and large the engaged crowd do as well. ()n this particular evening. Freddie Krueger wrecks a High School prom. a Spanish hooker named Susie pushes rhubarb to a rugby referee. a dwarf falls in love with his
cross-eyed friend. and a Christian union group meet on Mars. it‘s all suitably bizarre. and occasionally very funny. (James Smart) Tommy Tiernan Pleasant'e. 22—27mm. 7. l5pm. It's the Navan man's first Fringe dates since scooping the Perrier two years ago. Traditional stand-up at its most exuberant and sparky.
Tomorrow’s Hits Today BBC Rat/ft) 4. Pleasanee. I7Aug. [1.15am Help induce the next Radio 4 comedy pilot stars.
The Treason Show (‘uekup/tmties Produetions. Komedia .S'outhside. until 26 Aug. 8.50pm. Biting satire and hard-hitting
Trev And Simon’s Circus Of Evil 0. Pleasanee. until 2 7Aug. 9pm. They came. they saw. but they haven't conquered. See review.
Nisted Tales Alternate Shadows. Rocket (0‘ South Bridge. 20—25 Aug. 6. I 5pm. Funny follow-up to the troupe‘s Seven Deadly .S'inners.
Uberarmy O... l.'lm'sausage. (' Virtue. until 26 Aug. 5.30pm. There's some kind of Dorian Gray scenario going on with L'bersausage. From the outside they look fresh-faced and innocent. btit their minds are horribly sick and twisted. to the point of being quite disturbing. Fortunately. they're bloody funny with it. and this show will make you laugh out loud. despite the sneaking suspicion in the back of your mind that you really shouldn‘t. L'bersausage gleefully transcend the boundaries of taste and decency with their new show. a series of fast-paced sketches. combined with audience interaction and some creative multimedia experimentation. L'herarmy is a joy to behold ~ apart from the bits which make you recoil in disgust. although even those parts will force the laughter from you. (Kirsty Knaggs)
Ubernacht L'liers‘ausage. (‘ o2. until 26 Aug. llpm. (‘ult cabaret show with stand-up and music.
UMbIIICBI Brothers (ii/(led Balloon a! 'Ieviot Row House. until 27 Aug. 7.15pm. After an acclaimed year in New York. the Perrier-nominated and unrelated L'mbilicals return with wildly amusing physicality. Jumping.
Useless Guide Scotland 2001 — A Pie-based Odyssey Boont Boom at The Tron. until 27Aug. 9pm. Bill Dewar and Brian Hennigan in another brilliantly haphazard send up of all things Scottish. Four stars from The List last year. QBeing Johnny Vegas (ifit/Ut/ Balloon Theatre. until 27Aug. [0. [5pm. Everyone‘s favourite cuddly. angst-ridden potter-comedian returns to the Fringe after living the high life with his poncey TV
Johnny Vegas The Queen it Hall. 2/ Aug. 7.30pm. His Festival show may be sold out completely. btit in this extra date he takes his audience annihilation to a bigger stage.
Velvet Laughter Master Series Boom Boom at The Tron. until 27 Aug. 10.30pm. Great chance to see (ilasgow’s Parrot ( lb—2l Aug) and Canada‘s (‘raig Campbell (22—27 Aug) in intimate surrounds.
Very, Very Small Things Double Edge Dranta. 'I'he Underbelly. until 26 Aug. 8. l5pm. Double Edge drama deliver a mixed bag of mad
\I‘htzi‘tiiIuVjalker - excuse for a The Man Who Fell comeback To Mirth ee
Assembly Rooms. until Trev 8‘ Simon
27 Aug. 7pm. The fact
that Mark Walker
chooses to book-end
his stand-up routine with a couple of drawn-out impressions tells you something about the man's confidence in his own material. Walker is an amiable enough stage presence. but being a nice bloke simply isn't going to cut it when his observational comedy is as sub-standard as displayed here. Really. even ten years ago. a routine based on ‘aren't kids weird'.". ‘men do this. women do that'. retro telly and regional accents would've been passe. and these days Walker's basic and perfunctory act is more suitable to the club circuit than anything else. And his Billy (‘onnolly impression is actually too good to be funny. instead being scary as hell. (Doug Johnstone)
Wax On/Wax 0" Hot llitx. (' Venue. until 26 Aug. 10.15pm. Mrs Merton. Basil Fawlty and Sex And The ( 'ity are the influences for these scary chicks. ()ne star in The .S'eotsman.
Suki Webster: Best Man l’leasatii‘e. until 27Aug. 3pm. Leather trousers and laughs aplenty from wit admired by Eddie lzzard.
The Weird Sisters Get Around
.0 I’leasanee Dome. until 27 Aug. 5.55pm. It's an odd show this one. Performed with much talent and commitment by Kath Burlinson and Alison (ioldie. they present a melange of sketches from around the world. However the show's format keeps getting in the way of its content. Sounds complicated‘.’ It is. unnecessarily. Instead of standing up and directly attacking sexistn or gender imbalance. the entire show is filtered through the conceit of them being two vain
This overlong, leaden sketch is a sorry
Trev & Simon C. Pleasanee. until 27Aug. 9pm. Please Trevor and Simon. just put on woolly jumpers. silly beards and swing your pants. Revel in your glorious past and forget thoughts of ever moving forward. Call me a crazy nostalgist btit all the way through Trev & Simon’s Circus 0/ Evil I was wishing they had remained in the confines of kids TV history rather than trying and failing to make the jump to ‘adult‘ comedy. The audience is warm and welcoming. filled with rose-tinted memories of Saturday momings. but after ten minutes it becomes only too apparent that this is a five-minute sketch dragged out to a full hour.
Raising evil characters from the dead with some chanting help froin the audience enables the demonic pair to take it in tums getting dressed up then run around saying ‘l‘m so evil‘. It‘s funny the first time. especially when a false eyebrow keeps falling off. but then you realise if costumes falling apart is the best bit. something's far wrong with the material.
Your heart will sink when you realise they're basically going to act out the same routine over and over in different disguises. When they're forced to improvise you see flashes of inspiration; but this overlong. leaden sketch is a sorry excuse fora comeback. (Louisa Pearson)
32 THI LIST PISTIVAL GUIDI 16-22 Aug 2001
actresses. fighting for the audience's attention. In the ultimate bit of tipstaging. one actress plays with her tit. demonstrating it‘s the real thing. not cellulite. These personae are predictable. unlikeable. and instantly distance the audience. So no matter how hard the performers work to get the satire across. we resist. Hackney ed and unfunny. (John Binnie)
Weirdass Baby lliints (‘andyz Rocket (0 South Bridge. until lb’Aug. 2pm. Sketch comedy from the acclaimed Baby Wants (‘andy group with their debut effort.
Dawn Whitwell: Brevity Is The Soul of Whltwell Holyrood lill't'l'll. until 26 Aug. 8.30pm. Acclaimed stand-up Dawn Whitwell brings her brief show to the Fringe. Subversive. slacker style.
The Whore Whisperer - Confessions Of A Madam C... (iilded Balloon at li'i‘it)! Row House. until 27Aug. 8.15pm. ()ne of the best documentaries ever tnade by BB(‘2 was an Under The Sun special about Joel. a male prostitute from Melbourne. If it was ever made into a play. this would make an excellent companion piece. Australian comic Mcshel Laurie has spent the last three years working as a receptionist in just about every brothel in Melbourne including many transsexual knocking shops. Laurie plays it straight and just tells it like it is. This is funny shocking if a little mean-spirited stuff as all the clients are ‘mugs' and the girls/boys daft as sponges. The nonchalancc of the whole act is affecting and will have you rcassessing your own views. This is raw pimpology babe: dig it and laugh. (Paul Dale)
Wild On TV! ll'ood A" Hides. (ii/(led Balloon Theatre. until 26 Aug. 6.45pm. Wood & Hides' sketch show promises ()0 characters in ()0 minutes. But that's impossible. ()r is it‘.’
Mike Wilmot 0... Assembly Rooms. until 27Aug. 9.15pm. Mike Wilinot plays the world-weary. misanthropic. fucked-up, sex-obsessed comedian almost perfectly. A fat. sweaty (‘anadian with a razor-sharp way with a one-liner. Wilmot lovingly berates his audience as he gently warms them up with commonplace but tightly observed material before unleashing a torrent of tear-jerkineg funny sex-based gags. This isn't a show for prudcs. btit neither is it downright crude or insulting. Wilmot always just drawing back from that Jerry Sadowitl. line of offending for the sake of it. While the landscape of \Vilmot's material is familiar terrain. it is broached with a basic honesty and fast talking sod- you attitude that tiiakes it often piercineg funny. and the man's likeablc foul—mouthed slob persona makes for irresistiblc comedy. (Doug Johnstonc)
Women Behaving Badly Rt’H'li it'- Higgins. Komedia .S'outhside. until 26 Aug. /l/nn. Men beware as women exercise that famous wrath.
Andy Zaitzman Versus The Dog 0' Doom .... l’lt'ttsatti‘t'. until 27 Aug. 8pm. (’omedy [one star Andy [alt/man isn't really a comedian at all. he is an incredibly smart humorous polciiiicist. This is despatch box comcdy w here [alt/man competes with a fascist dog in a trunk in order to save the world. His jokes are long anti-jokes about Victorian Imperialism and he basically deconstrticts the stand-up's craft as he goes along. finally taking an audienccsurvey of his ow 11 performance. (iinger. Jewish. public school educated [alt/man‘s penchant is for itsurping the very expectations of l-‘ringc comedy. The weaknesses here lie in his performance which still lacks confidence but heaven know s he already has strong original material. A Rabbi sat next to are looked bemused at the end of the show. he said he‘d come to see Jackie Mason and he'd got llein/ Wolf. ('an‘t say fairer than that. (Paul l)ale)