HE DIED WITH A FALAFEL IN HIS HAND
Shared-toilet humour 0..
John Birmingham's bawdy comedy suffers somewhat in its potential impact from an early evening time slot. For my money. the optimum time to persuade people to sit in a dripping cavern and endure an hour of norsy. boor'ish toilet humour is when festival revellers have been ejected from the pubs and are looking for somewhere to hang out.
Still. at least the cast always appear to be enjoying themselves onstage in what boils down to a series of crudely funny flatshare anecdotes. Be warned: some of the references are a little Ox/ie specific. and I left the show none the Wiser as to what a falafel actually is.
(Allan Radcliffe)
I Gilded Balloon. 220‘ 21:3 7. until Aug 26. /'.3()p/ri, 58:50 529.00 (57.50 58:50).
CAMBRIDGE FOOTLIGHTS 2002
Canting students 0.
Halfway through the Cambridge tootlights' latest effort. Today of All Days. you get the sneaking suspicion that any gags the company found even mildly amusing during rehearsals were crammed straight into the revue. The iriaterial a collection of sketches held together by a nominal narrative —- is daft and amiable enough. but overall the show lacks energy and variety.
Everything is so deadpan. so droll. and so pleased wrth itself that you long for one of the cast to do something outrageous like. say. drop hrs trousers. shove hrs penis between his legs and shOut: 'I look like a woman!‘ lhrs actually happens. though rather late in the day to care. {Allan Radcliffe)
I Pleasance. 556 (5550, unti/Aug 26 (not 20). 5.50pm,
5‘/.f>()- 595%)
3’1._‘){/ 3’" , I;
SPENCER BROWN
One man, four characters, no laughs 00
Can enthusiasrri e\.'er he a replacement for raz'. talerit’.2 lo Spencer Browns aurriirers iwherever the; mat. lurki. this mag. be enough. lhe 'story of our host looking :htc the future to discoxe: ms
career '5; fate. only 1:; be thwarted l)“. the earl t.'.rir‘ he thought .'.as dead. is filled out My tirade flabby: b; sorne of the '.'.r'eakest rnatenai ',ou'll see on the entire l ririge. Credit .5) due for lits undeniabie technical dbllli). “.‘J'tel‘. he is conducting conversations .‘xrth pr'e recorded big screen fllélitjl'l'dl. And there was a nice Joke about tiled floors and a bishop. But all too ()t)‘.’l()tli;l‘,. he's spent far rrzore ettort on achieving synchronicity than polishing his stand up. IHriari l.)ohaidsohi I (Er/(red Hal/ooh levrot. é’L’b‘ .715) I. until we Aug. /'prrr. 5‘8 5‘5) 47' l'é-Jx.
.HIMV it Money can’t buy me love
ALAN CARR
Fires on all cylinders 00.. Alan ()arr. tins -s g.our list (:‘.(l‘l sort: star‘d ui; sho.'.'. and {.di. irrust (iiiickli. :earr: r‘ot to rel), too nice" o" audience members to .aiidate your act. Sure. there are nights when tou'J pul. i'l hordes of mad lei it types. apprec (ill‘hi: of the trials arr: tribuiaIIoris
ot ari ettete cal: centre t)l)(,"ilil‘.t:. :iii'. occasicrmlt. I.ou'|i get boorisl‘ stag parties .'.'lio" resiio".u to question) ikt:i 'Sc‘ altos beer: to lvlossine. then? .'.'iti‘. gta/ed looks and folded arrris.
Sacn a .acarit response .uoulu be unjust. ho.'.r(,-i.rer. as your rrtateriai is sharp and s; ssy arizi. ‘.'./lttl(,“ your rapid fire delivery occasioriaih atomises the l)tl'lLLllllll(:. your corriic timing is. most 1». pretty er i‘.'iable. rAllar‘. liadclrtfm I Pleasahce. me (me. until Aug [’(i. FISH/Mn.
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NEXT ISSUE OUT
24 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE "
DANIEL KITSON Fear and self-loathing in Venue 33 0...
I’m still trying to work Daniel Kitson out. Does he genuinely crave love and affection or is his tactic of pouring sleaze and bile over every lovingly and delicately crafted set-up a ruse to put off any potential lady suitors who may insist upon commitment?
His act (if indeed it is an act) is built from various contradictions and conflicts. He’s lonely but refrains from masturbation; he would love to get filthy with women, but his sheer incompetence lets him down; he hates people who go out to clubs and pubs with their sheep- like ways but lambasts those who get their chills staying in; he believes in first impressions, yet strolls around in various puke-inducing shades of brown. At least the beard has disappeared, so now he still looks like an Open University lecturer, but without the paedo undercurrents.
In the comedy world, beauty can actually work against you (name five good looking comics . . . OK, three then). In this universe, people would rather hear the sordid tears of an unattractive clown than the patter of a pretty boy. For so many reasons, Yorkshire pudding Daniel Kitson has what it takes to be king.
Fantastic as his assault on the selling out of culture to products such as dangerous blue drinks is, you know that with a talent like his, it will become increasingly difficult for the pound sign not to shape his destiny. How easy it is to picture him sublimating his abilities by stooging it on the Shooting Stars panel sometime soon.
, (Brian Donaldson) I /"'easa'ice. (mi; ease. act/r g’ti [mg «not 21)).
5}..1:'>;)'ri.3‘5} 5‘70 :56 .‘I‘Ir.
DAN ANTOPOLSKI Dan dares 000.0
l'pie Perrier ."()'lttt-fi:(: Arttopaiski really does <ieser~.e to .'.':i: that
:tarnr‘ a.'.ard this year.
His roguisi‘ brand of
exceller‘t si‘lr'iess is Dan absoiut 2|). spot or:, Antopolski: teatii' rig effo'tiess feel The sta'id .iri .'.'ith P’esence
.pl:o.s‘.ui rail It’ltl ilv rt ‘l
scenarios fies one 1) those rare people .'.’.’lt‘ cart (Jillf‘. atl openers :ike: 'So a priest arfzi a choirboi. are ria‘.i'ig a bath ‘
there's ass a selectio't tit pmps including a nurture. bar chart. a br'iii-artt thought detector that unveils sentient shoes. a flying carpet and that gr‘ossest of
802‘ musical ,. I iristiurhe'its. the c. t,\,r‘.tli ax. ar'iorig
nixhrch paririernoriiuni he comes acr: ss like a Wt)“ rriearieng kids lV presenter gone llt)!.’ll)h, astray You have to see this.
itJaiil /es::hki.i
I l’i<.n'i:;,‘r.'ii:ix anti (mat),
.xrttr’ ."ti Aug. flotlrv"