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PAUL FOOT A comedic heist gone wrong 0.
Paul Foot's perfonnance has the arr of an unrehearsed ramble. He chats to the audience to get material but the answers don't always seem to help or give him what he is looking for. Discussmg the advantages of pres. the palava of cooking or ruining a bride's day are funny concepts but rarely hit the spot. Even discussing the problems of various crimes. and the time. risk and return involved in them. falls short of what could be a wrtty look at life and criminals today. A rambling shambles may be the arm of the show but rt doesn‘t manage to create the expected laughs. leavrng you feeling more confused than amused.
(Jane Hamilton)
I Pleasance COurtl/ard. 556 6550. until 25 Aug (not 72). 9.40pm. EQ—EQSO (USO—f8).
got an opinion about a show?
JASON WOOD
Fabulous, rose-tinted comedy .00.
Jason Wood is hysterical. He is also camp. shiny and you don't want his show to end. Fabulous impersonatiOiis of Jimmy SomerVrlle. Nina Simone and a wonderful Tony Hadley raise the hairs on the back of your neck and his ‘duet' With Mama Cass is great. ImpreSSrons are interspersed wrth chat about his childhood. his relationship With his nana and not forgetting the fact that even as a child he was the campest krd at school. With help from the glamorous Michelle and a little audience partICipatron in the art Of being cainp. Wood keeps you in stitches while amazing With his v0rce. (Jane Hamiltoni I P/easance Courtyard. 556 6550, unfr/ 2:3 Aug (not 72. 78). 70.45pm. €9.50—PIOSO $750—$850).
ALAN CARR
Lots to like, less to love .0.
I like Alan Carr. but I certainly don't love him. This camp Mancunian comic. wrth the big
34 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 7—1-1 Aug 2003
specs. toothy smile and inincy strut. is a charismatic. able performer it's like haying tea with your favourite. cheeky auntie. However. Carr's irtaterial is a little on the rnsubstarrtral side, Purporting to explore how Alan has grou'rn to love hrrnself. but how world events like the Inn war and the cancellation of Miss World -— have got in the way. the show rambles all over the place. Singledoin, Saddam Hussein and the
north soutl. (ll‘.'l(l(? are all topics for exploration. and Carr raises a few chuckles rather than belly laughs. The topical news section rnxolvrng an underused gong doesn't dig deep enough. A pity because Carr is lox'eable. “.John Binnrei
I P/easance Corr/tram. 33:36 (£550. untr/ 2:3 Aug. 7. lop/n. 5‘9,:3(}7§‘l().5() rf‘S—E‘Sir,
TOPPING AND BUTCH Outrageously camp cabaret has audience
gasping for more 0...
If you like song; parodies of famous rrttrSrcals about subiects as
Give this man a bigger room
di‘.eis<: as fad llétflfl. gaydai dating and Dr [Javrd Will, 3; suicide. then you '.'./||| lo.e this camp. leather clad flLlf). l()[)f)llltl And Hutch aren't afraid of l)(,‘|ll(_; political, tongue-in cheek or plain frltlrj. rotten filll‘tlltétll(:()llf;l‘, '. The, snow real rr‘us.cal talent at the ke‘,t}<)ar<ls and uocally. and don't mind lt)f)kllltl sill", with their Steps parody dancing routine. The nature. chunkrei Topping is a substantial presence. and his h,ir‘n of fur“. against the cars of rich parents of schoolchildren is a reai delight. Enjoy. lhe late night capacity audience (ItI‘l'Tétllll‘, (lltl. '.J‘)?rrr Binnie
I Pfea.sarr<r<.= (XX/3.81“). 556 (£550. drum .7"; Ark; Wo.‘ 7.7.. 7()..";."i;;'r:.
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CHEEK Construction comedy is entertaining. but overlong 000
Cheek is more
entertaining; than a slos.’
featuring srx builders
singing; and dancing,
for
see non-festival magazine
ANDY PARSONS
Vociferous. inch-perfect comedy moo
With certain stand-ups. you can tell within seconds that they‘re going to have the audience sitting up. purring in the palm of their hand. It's like this with the obscenely-gifted Andy Parsons. Appearing in a solo spot, wrenched from his regular writing/performing collaborator Henry Naylor. Parsons is so deadpan he makes Jack Dee look like Zebedee from the Magic Roundabout. and is possessed of a booming cockney monotone that's a cross between
Davros and Del-Boy.
At first glimpse you think you‘re in for an hour of ad-libbing at the expense of the front row. particularly as Parsons has an uncanny ability to zero in on the audience members who are going to provide him with the richest comic currency. (On the night in question. the comic was gifted with an inebriated posse led by a loudmouth in a pink shirt with a cockatoo haircut.) But then the wily old fox starts interspersing the off-the-cuff banter with brilliantly lateral, subversive observations on every topic of the day. from Britain’s entry into the single currency to the war against terror and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He may rant. but Parsons‘ ravings are rarely bilious and it‘s his good-natured ability to laugh at himself as well as others that ultimately wins over every last punter. Just one question: why is he confined to the poky Assembly Drawing Room when he could easily sell out a much
bigger space? Baffling. (Allan Radcliffe)
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JIMMY CARR Quick wit and plenty of belly laughs from a right posho 0000
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