LAURIE KILMARTIN Just another ‘loudmouthy stupid American'?
A 20-year veteran of American stand—up and a regular television writer and performer over there. Laurie Kilmartin has never played the UK but she has made it to Iraq to entertain the troops. Any George Dubya gags in the routine? ‘No way.‘ she laughs. ‘I just told the goofiest jokes I had and tried to make them forget they‘re at war for a few minutes. If that didn’t work I just showed a little leg.’
Staying in one of Saddam's palaces was something of an eye- opener, though. 'lt was gross; all marble and gold but done by someone with no taste. someone used to hiding rape rooms behind things. It was hilariously awful and ugly.' 80 with no politics in her Edinburgh show. what can we expect? ‘I'm just another loudmouthy stupid American who probably thinks what she has to say is much more intelligent than it is.’ (Doug Johnstone)
I Edinburgh Comedy Room, 226 0000, 8—15 Aug, 70.30pm, £8 (£7).
MATT BLAIZE Comic intelligence with a twinkle in its sharp eye
Put Danny Bhoy and Daniel Kitson in a line-up and there's proof positive that good looks and talent are not always synonymous. An air of reluctance then for this year's eye candy.
L of the act. And there’s no way it’s therapy; I had
JANEY GODLEY: GOOD GODLEY Finding laughs on the darker side of life
Janey Godley has the dubious privilege of being the only Scottish female solo stand-up on this year’s Fringe (‘Rhona Cameron, Susan Morrison and the others are all locked in my cellar,’ she laughs). She can also boast an intriguing encounter with Russell Crowe’s crotch at the BAFTA awards (‘You’ll have to see the show for that particularly sordid story’). But it’s for the dark, close-to-the-knuckle nature of some of her material - including gags about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her uncle and her part in his conviction 30 years later - that she’s gaining notoriety.
‘I don’t see myself as pushing boundaries,’ says Godley. ‘I mean, look at some of the stuff Jerry Sadowitz was talking about 20 years ago. Generally, people aren’t made uncomfortable by what I’m talking about; it’s amazing the number of people that piss themselves laughing. Anyway, the abuse is only a tiny part
dealt with the abuse through the trial. This is 100% comedy.’
Having conquered the world of stand-up and wiped Rachel Weisz’s bottom in a showbiz toilet, Godley’s biggest challenge came recently when she completed the (non- humorous) autobiography of her early life, Handstands in the Dark. ‘It was a really new experience for me because I’ve never written anything down or planned anything for a gig in my life. I just get on stage and go for it. I’m like an over-friendly cleaner that just chats a bit.’ (Allan Radcliffe)
I Underbelly, 0870 7453083, 7—29 Aug (not 10, 17), 70pm, ESQ-£70 (£8—E9). Previews 586 Aug, E5.
Cockney lad and reformed alcoholic. Matt Blaize. Punting his show about ‘lifestyle identity‘
; in which he examines the nation's habit of
i eating and drinking to g excess. Blaize is
optimistic that he'll prove that he's more
than a looker.
I
‘It‘s no great shakes to do a couple of Pop Idol gags. but I want to stretch the audience. make them look at topical stuff that matters.’ And, ironically. for a man who wanted to call his act NJAPF
2 (Not Just a Pretty Face)
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1 NEXT ISSUE OUT
he's quick to dispel any worries of style over substance. ‘I never had to sneak up to any mirrors but at the same time I broke my arse over my craft.’ Good looking. intelligent and funny. Who'd have thought it?
(Victoria Hammett)
I Pleasance Courtyard,
556 6550, 7—30 Aug (not 10, 77), 9.40pm, £9. 50—2 10. 50 (£8439). Previews 5&6 Aug, 25
THE BOOK OF BLASPHEMY BIKER BOB
6TH - 29TH AUGUST EVERY NIGHT 6.25
34 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 5—12 Aug 2004
A BLU
NT SKETCH SHOW Mixed media fun with a cherry on top
'If you give people a real mix. they don‘t get fatigued.‘ Bless. As Festival fever reaches its pitch and opens its doors to the masses. the tender souls at A Blunt Sketch Show have set up an act to ensure that even the most experienced Fringe- goers have something to illuminate them. Co- producer and performer Ben Stopover promises that the mixed media Blunt act exceeds any traditional sketch show ideologies. as the troupe merges stage comedy. 30 film and synchronised projection. Inspired by two years of comedy sketches. films and oddities presented at the Blunt Club in east London outposts. Stopover's love for the project lies in the fact that he and his mates get to present ‘whatever we're good at'. Which makes for an
appetising mix: ‘Merging film and comedy is like mixing ice-cream and chocolate sauce; they enhance each other.‘ (Victoria Hammett)
I Bongo Club, 557
282 7, 8—22 Aug. 9.30pm, £6 (£5).
MANDY MUDEN The busiest lady in showbiz with magic and mirth
Mandy lvluden has been described by no less a comic personage than Jerry Sadowitz as ‘the funniest female magician on earth‘. This might not seem a mammoth compliment — there are still only around ten full-time women performers in the Magic Circle — but Muden's worldwide sellout shows point to the success of her unique blend of character comedy and magic. 'The magic came first for me. but comedy came naturally
An over-friendly cleaner;
albeit one trapped in a washing machine held closed by a (probably)
loaded shotgun
to the act.‘ she says. ‘But I don‘t think you can take magic too seriously; I mean. you can't really make an elephant disappear. can you?‘
Easily the hardest working woman on the Circuit. Muden's appearing in two Fringe shows. The Magic Zone with Luke Jermay and Jackie McClements and Burn the Witch. a ‘piss- takey‘ look at magic. witchcraft and psychics. ‘People have always loved magic.‘ she laughs. ‘It's just that now you don‘t need sequins and doves to do it.‘ (Allan Radcliffe)
I The Magic Zone. P/easance Courtyard. 556 6550, 8—30 Aug (not 76). 2.50pm.
E 9. 50—2 7 0. 50 (EB—£9). Previews 5—7 Aug, 85; Burn the Witch, Gilded Balloon Teviot. 668 7633, 6—30 Aug (not 76), 9.75pm, 28—89 (£7—E8).