FREEDUMB Yin meets yang in whirlwind O...
I} .1) [Mi ¢yi{: ‘irr/Q Olly (I, ‘ lli’,li’;l Jill’l Jiif:l’,‘; Pr:a,re ! i1.":,"/lf“:’}
forces ,r a r». ,or mamth ii', ll“:|l ’,ll',iif’)‘: personae work no incredi'pl, .'.":ll together [HIM/(1!!!!) explores the (,Ullf,‘:l/l (/f. .’.":ll, freedom in all its fornrs. taking Ill exer,da, I',',Il‘;', Ill": ’llfil)itll‘,€lllf)ll. arrnchair anti/ist‘, and the .‘Jilf in lrag to the more surreal .‘JUflfl of giant 7 nails called l.”lartrn. Norsxegiari hip hop and an obscene Mexican puppet. l’hayre is the calming wrt to Nichol"; deranged fl',’ll£lllllf,lll and their winning coriihination of fast paced rants, film clips and songs keeps us captwated for (it) whrrlwnrd irrinutes. lhis could well he the start of something special. ((Jamrlla Pia) I /’/easance Courtyard. (ms (5:550, unti/ (£0 Aug (not 76), (‘7’..3’0p/n. 510.5077.“ 70.50 (519419).
HELEN LEDERER:
IN FINGER FOOD
Unsatisfying daytime TV parody 0..
Finger Food essentially involves Helen Lederer and Miranda Hart gir'ning and gr'imacing their inexorable way through a French and Sarinders-style parody of lowest common denominator daytime telly. lhe tinny music. tacky set and deathly serious attitude towards such frivolous issues as summer entertaining. accessorising and table arranging are pretty much on the money.
But the inadyisable attempt to open out what is effectively a ten-minute sketch turns into lots of endlessly-repeated. tedious Jokes about sexually transmitted diseases and
for
see non-festival magazine
226 a
DANIEL KITSON
Ex-Perrier victor vents his spleen O.
III-prepared, ill-judged, ill-tempered. Were l Daniel Kitson’s agent (an event that. tragically, will never happen), I'd offer some advice. One: please don‘t brag to me that you haven’t thought out your act for a full month's run, concluding that the ‘sheep‘ will come along anyway, so what does it matter? Two: if you don’t want to run the risk of having beered-up paying customers in your front row, please don’t perform your whimsical set at 11pm in a genuine comedy club. A place that has a bar and containing people who may even have had a drink. ‘You are cunts,’ Kitson rails at the giggling girls. Or they were ‘pieces of shit'. Oh Daniel, you do have a way with words.
While the pros and cons of public/private dancing takes up a fair whack of the show, his failure to maintain a steady relationship is the grand theme for 2004. As it was in his Perrier— nabbing show of 2002. Oh yes, the Perrier. The worst thing that ever happened to him, apparently. Now though, he takes the opportunity of berating the panel for giving him the prize and helping him ‘kill African babies'. Don’t remember that cropping up in
his victory speech.
‘lam good,’ Kitson proclaims at the very point when his performance decides to do a dying swan on its threadbare arse. The man certainly has a powerful and original stage presence, but until he learns to stop blaming everyone else for all his dreadful woes, he will go on sounding like the broken record he’s
regrettany become. (Brian Donaldson)
I Stand //, 5:38 72/2. unti/ 25) Aur (not Hi, .1
lip/n. 5‘5) (5‘8).
desperate women turning to drink and comfort—eating. And. ultimately. it all proves rather wearing.
(Allan Radcliffe)
I Assemb/y Rooms. 28, unti/ 30 Aug (not 17/, 7.45pm.
f‘l 7—5‘72
(5‘10—5‘7 I).
LAURIE KILMARTIN \firginal yet vile transatlantic fun 0...
She may look like she's straight off the Lift/e House on the Prairie. but Laurie Kilmartin has a mouth that's been dipped in a particularly unclean potty: With her all- American teeth and big Yankee gums. she could pass as a prom gueen cheerleader. but the filth she generates is enOugh to keep New York‘s sewage department working Oyednhe.
With barely a flicker. she Wlll talk freely of abortion, miscarriage and rape. And here's the rub: it succeeds in being very funny indeed. Soon. Doug
42 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 73—33 Adi: 1
Stanhope will turn the ECR's walls scatological blue. But on this form. Laurie Kilmartin could have him crying for his mommy.
(Brian Donaldson)
I Ed/llfM/l'g/l Corner/y Room. 2.26 0000. unti/ 75 Aug. 70.30pm. 5‘8 (F7).
MILES JUPP PRESENTS THE LOST AND LONELY REBELS
Misfiring skits and sketches 00
Miles Jupp has gained a reputation as a fine character actor of posh types. whether it's a gentlemen who prefers brogues Or as a landed gentry in a pink castle and ill—fitting kilt. But all the bare-faced toffness in the world can't saye him or this show from being yery poor fare indeed.
Sketch shows are
notoriously difficult to get right. and Miles trio do a brilliant JOl) at achievrng the impossible: getting it wrong in almost every conceivable way. You know things are going awry when the loudest laughs are for the chummy 'out rtake' hits. Sample this and you will feel lost and very alone.
iBrian Donaldsoni
I ASSO/llfflj,’ Rooms. 226 2.128. untr/ 29 Aug «not re. 23,. 9pm. 5‘9—5‘77 rl‘H—l‘SJi.
PAUL FOOT: SIMPLE PLEASURES Shambolically splendid set pieces .0.
Effete is a .vord designed for Paul Foot. Looking like the
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lf)‘./()(Lllll(l of lhorn Yorke and Audrey l'fUlJlHllll, he is the essence of tun/iggy gaucheness. Quick to inform the audience that this is 'theatre performance not stand-up. he tells precious fe'~.'.r old fashioned Jokes. and much is made of three second set pieces in‘.'olving Chinese food cartons and cans of Lilt.
Yet against the odds. it's borderline hilarious; not all of it .‘xorks, and there are periods .vhen lioth perforriier and spectator are egually confused. Bur Foot". sharnholic fllllll‘fllllflfyr culminating in a gloriously demented non ending about his revenge on lllllf)’,‘:lll Br‘éB owners — are the work of a poterxtial 'na‘xen, lSarn Healyi I P/easance Court/mm. 5‘36 "/3 until ’30 Aug «not 7 7.40pm. 5T1.’30—5.‘7 1'30 tiff—IT).
‘30. 7,. (
Dance inonkeyboy dance
GLEN WOOL: RELAX Semi-surreal brilliance COO.
Adorned .‘.’llll a 'rioustache that .‘xould make an, aspiring l lffé’ifff‘, 'riodel proud. affalile Canadian (ilen ‘.".’ool offers up an hour of (,’)ll‘,|‘;l‘:llll,‘ good stand up .‘xrthout e/en lireaking sweat. lli', slow! draxxl and stoner"; giggle need time to catch their rhythm, rnaking lll'. opening and closing observations slightl, lthl. lllll F)r()4(‘,' l’) li‘: it huge asset to lll', part surreal. part oliser rational rriaterial that hits occasional heights of brilliance One lll(,l‘:’llll(/|l', look from Wool". bulging eyes or a corrirnent on lll‘, onn lllr'tljllll/ to rriake a con .’lll’,ll lg earriel fl’)l‘,‘: i', all it Nil/{:8 l’) f‘flllh‘: lllf: f,f().‘.’fl l”) lfl‘flfllllhbfl laughter, l'rip‘fl/Jrfile tirnirig frorn the nice guy of corned/g lKaly l/lC/«ula/i I Pod DECO. 0/3707 CC? 705, unti/ 29 Aug "of 77/. .30prn,
51730—2” 74 6830/.