LAURENCE AND GUS Overlong and underplayed 00
Two Northern men chat away merrily about emotions and love but Just can't bring themselves to discuss football. A man is persecuted by the state for haVIng a small penis. laurence and (jus perform five (and a half) sketches in which the bi/arre is taken as normal. These guys are talented, each character is very different from the others and they are funny. But the show is far too long; there is essentially one Joke here — every sketch is a metaphor for something else — and alter half an hour, we've got it. Good
one liners. but rust wait for the TV show.
(Anna Shipman)
I Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550. until 25 Aug (not ll, 78), 3. l5pni, l.‘8.5()—f.‘9.5() (l‘8—ll‘350).
JOHN OLIVER Disappointingly standard stand-up .0
You've got to do something extra speCial to get noticed in the overcrowded stand-up trenches, and mild- mannered John Oliver is iust simply too Ordinary and normal to make much of an impact. Mixing liberal political material with childhood reminisce and absurdist fancy. some of Oliver's material does raise a few laughs, but a number of set pieces vary Wildly in quality, and this show could do with some serious editing. Oliver tends to stretch ideas beyond funny pomt. and alth0ugh he is an amiable enough host (With a disturbing resemblance to Ben Elton) this is forgettable stuff. (Doug Johnstone) I Pleasance Courtyard. 556 6550. until 25 Aug (not 79), 7pm,
£39. 50—!) 10.50 (LB—£9).
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DAVE GORMAN’S GOOGLEWHACK ADVENTURE
Manic search engine escapade thrills O...
Gorman scales new peaks
of absurdity
Dave Gorman is a nerd. Not in an irritating, threatening or unpleasant way, you understand. He is a mirthful product of afler-the-pub bravado, wedded to an unerring belief that there is some good in
everyone.
In the three years since his last visit, his titanic ginger sideburns have blossomed into a fully-fledged thirtysomething beard. This is the sole indication of his newfound maturity, as this latest quest takes his actions to a new peak of absurdity.
There's no need to go into details - that would just spoilt it. Suffice to say, he accepts an advance for a novel and sets out on the ultimate in procrastinatory crusades with a little help from that pesky internet search engine, Google. All of which is very, very funny.
That isn’t to say this is perfect. Despite over-running on this occasion, this 75-minute opus is still too long for such a slight tale and in desperation to fit everything in, clarity is sacrificed to the point of unintelligibility at times. He also relies somewhat on an audience’s prior knowledge of his escapades, something you can never do at the promiscuous Fringe.
Gorman is a contradictory beast; his tale is one of childlike obsession while the delivery is pure hopped-up Open University lecturer: all slide shows and arm waving to match the startling facial topiary. There's a whisker of a chance he is actually a misguided genius, or perhaps just an on-stage incarnation of that foaming-at-the-mouth regular the barman warned you about. Either way, he's onto a winner. (Mark Robertson) I George Square Theatre. 662 8740, until 2-4 Aug (not I l a 72;, 7.45p/ii, l‘72.5()-—l.‘l/l.5().
THE WICKER WOMAN
Jokey adaptation to scare you silly 0...
Anyone who holds the reputation of ClaSSIC Brit horror flick The Wicker Man a little too
30 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 7—14 Aug 20013
close to their heart is advrsed to tread With caution around this iokey semi-adaptation. Wicker novrces. though, will still bust a gut at such a fast- paced. Inventive and sharply humorous show. in which PC Chastity Howre (she's a Virgin. you see) and her suspiciously feminine boyfriend. Brad. head to the ‘Scotch‘ island of Pepperidge. where they fall prey to inbred
(possibly) Cornish innkeepers and Jean Michel Jarrevvobsessed
Wind farmers. The well»
considered set—pieces are so grand in scale and the three Vibrant young leads' cernic skills are so finely- tuned —- that any timing blips are easy to laugh off. And watch out for the 'sexy' striptease: truly more horrifying than anything in the original.
(DaVid Pollock)
I Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550. until 25 Aug (not 73). 6pm, £38439 ll.‘6.5(}—f_‘7.50).
LIVE! AT THE MAUSOLEUM Potential compromised by shoddy material .0
Cicely Giddings and Abigail Burdess encourage us to "accentuate the posmve' in their take of
l\’ realitx show lieu/d [the {U \tik’t‘ 80 here goes a series of sketches ranging froth a f lt‘i'lk h riiagician who can sense sexual arousal to a lrrst‘a stule chat show that does tiorritil\ wrong, the two expressive and enthusiastic riertorrners ha\.e a great future ahead of them as comic actresses It is the material however. that sadlx lets them down. Not unlike a secondary school sixth form revue. the show lacks content. maturity and originality lliat said though, there is definite potential Maybe next year?
llleleri Monaghanl
I (ii/i led Hal/r )( )Il lei/rot. é’l’b‘ NIB], until I’ll Aug (not ll, lfl), 4.30pm, l‘x'.f)() l‘i‘i’..’)() Hill“) 57...")U).
LUCY PORTER Waxes lyrical on sex and Geri Halliwell OOO
lucy Porter is a coriipulsive liar A big, fat. chocolate covered liar. This is the main premise of this very young looking, pretty. confident, articulate and sweet sawf london gal's show She looks like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. but after ten minutes we discover that KY Jelly probably has done, She recounts her sexploits and not much else. Universal truths leak out. revealing more substance than you might expect, She rather shakily over text onto a screen beside her in Simon Murinery. Urban Warrior stylee. which doesn't quite work. But she would like to kick Geri Halliwell in the your knowwhere and she is the sort of girl you would want to be your friend. Entertaining. (Caroline Mason)
I Underbelly 08 70 745 3083, until 24 Aug (not 7?), 70pm,
Y8. 50—19. 50 6.7504850).
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