JIM JEFFRIES A visceral and shockingly funny diatribe 00000
You may consider yourself not easily offended. You may feel that nothing shocks you, and that there is nothing left to say that is truly controversial or distasteful. If this is the case consider yourself well and truly wrong. Since his appearance at the Fringe last year Jim Jeffries has turned 30, had a tumour removed from his most favoured of body parts and been attacked on stage in Manchester, an incident that not only provided valuable material, but thanks to some canny use of YouTube has in part ensured his profile is higher than ever.
As the show starts he wanders amiany to the front of the stage with an innocuous manner that belies what you are about to hear. Beginning with a recent family bereavement and moving through childhood anecdotes, paedophilia and the aforementioned cancer scare, he finishes off with a blow by blow account (complete with video footage) of the assault. Through all of this, Jeffries’ humour borders on the visceral, but you can’t write him off as simply a shock merchant; anyone can be gratuitously offensive but Jeffries never forgets that his prime task is to make us laugh.
By his own admission he’s not a genius and isn't trying to change the world but his willingness to offend combined with an openness of character makes him one of the most gratifyineg riotous comedians working today. So dig deep into your own moral turpitude and revel in each depth that is plumbed and each tear of laughter that peels your incredulous face as you check with your companion that yes, he did just say that. (Gordon Eldrett)
I UdderBELLY's Pasture, 0870 745 3083. unti/ 27 Aug, 9.50;)m, E 70—5 72 (ES—E 70).
18 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 16—23 Aug 2007
LAWRENCE LEUNG
How to be as cool as your brother 0...
A .‘ T'rln" " °~I 1" L .:.'.'Hr'* w l illi'ir; r\:.'.(°I‘,.i "".»\)‘L*"“"(1T'i,.~;Vi" ~tl.'.r\.‘..tr'il.. " <8: an all '.ti“" 2W uprr-a'i across h». 'a w» an: ls: l :l tiara W. a rnaf":\ Trait hi" i. twitreu’. .ef there r; ;' r'ietlii'ii i'irlnr‘ratil, trend. atV‘uY
his lrtli'"}zr 'sr", i’ .r.‘. man 1 [,eaH‘r ' \ Bree Ian. w He is tiotn a hopeless l‘en’ land a funk, nn lutii’fl as he “:halienzies ."lHl.‘$‘.‘lf tr t‘w as two; as his ,irler trrother, Dennis \.‘.”th .i riiix ’li photos, ‘.'|(I(:()‘3 and rn,:;pa<e
rriessriiys. 1 Milk) tries tr~ so,le earth
insarrnr,ii'itatilr- task of fashion girls. attitu'le and danr'w
4.4..
The laurihs are irrepressitile as he atteriipts to sell his own designer T shirt which reads in “chic' ()aritoriese lettering, ‘help me. I'm trapped in a sweatshop] or tries to pick up worrieri wrth advr(:e frorii ‘lhe Real Man Group' on ‘optiriial rnateship strategies. Some of the stunt (:oriiedy riiakes agonizing yiewuiri as proved by the crowd's shrieks of distielief, hut l eung carries us through wrth the sheer force of his cheeky and playful personality. Ari iriiriierisely entertaining and (:har'riiinr; show. the hilarious hreakdariciiig finale Will have every audience rneriiher cheering; for lawreriee l eunri. the coolest geek in town. iEriiriia Lenrioxi I Assernh/y (LGeorqe St, (593 3030. i/rit//2}'Ai/r}. 9.3)‘0prn, 5'11 l‘lé.’ (HO—5‘7 I).
HANNAH GADSBY Exploding smalltown ignorance .0.
Sleepy-i.'oir;ed. droopy-eyed and dressed in a uniforrn of cover-all black, Hannah Gadshy wants to bring us up to speed on her 28 years. Raised in a hick town in Tasriiania. and made to feel in turns 'big boned. retarded or 'dykey when growing up. she now seems mellow and happy. Hannah
(Arum. . ii. ..: _~e‘
with” . t .l:« ._§r\tlIiKItI-‘i\\\I\II\I'1:‘I\V\ "‘rli'law
lwa i'xi arm. 2 "
she il“‘.' autmii" ‘.t‘,I' ‘ltt irirle":;e ‘ae aheat a red ii if .t"t‘xl :Srtliri :9» \tfal‘. it helps expiazn» " ii unveil .inii 'wrrriatx‘uf 'w ".ioinii 'f§T§.it’il with Yillllll, ti x: .i"il seiualit‘. Craiisti. "r: {‘rui' ‘§l".ll"‘\l ["htl‘tll
appearance arm tines .1 door slatiqinii.
reassure PM" that lir'iiiled that":
when mime/Vii» i‘r‘i‘i‘ Trier: TA is ‘rltjltl tie see.“ ,i“. .1 man That ti.” “is; (up IYMH‘ilr‘ ‘lxuirii‘ .w‘li‘p ryirp-‘Qn‘ ]v\'|\'
that her “s.” we twirl. must he pref“.
wtiufleil' Ari wer'i, i‘ritir‘aI lllt‘tllo" .i.:;m provides lots iit iii ». id riiatenal, and explains the undo-rt \llfILii‘lTI, downbeat sr‘hti. k that leaws her sidhinr; over i'lt‘ lack of tir‘terms; she‘s. had in life Althr iiirih catharsis “)(L/‘itfiltllltlll‘, witweidhs ther llllt‘(I\_ her one wt llll.lll show is an f‘lllirliétlllllltl shruri of the shoulders, playfully flippinni The hird .it the small town riieritalities that once alienated tier i(}lairef3a.‘.er‘.i
. GI/(If‘fj H'l/i/iiiiri r’oiwrlr'. titih‘ ’tim‘m‘, untr/X/Arrd, ,‘prn, .‘l’w’ 5‘5) (.‘2' .‘I‘i‘i
ABIGAIL BURDESS
A sea of pointless creations 00
Coriiirir; out in a wheelchair and disarriiirig everyhody wrth her otfheat chatter, Ahioail Hurdess shows it". no hit; thing to break your foot if you're a coriiedian. She warms up the audience wrth her quirky, wrde eyed observations and quotes from her graridriiother, wrth everyone charrned and ready for the show to really begin But when the show does swung into action, Burdess lariihasts her audience wrth pointless, monotonous and Just plain ohnoxrous characters exhibiting little or no Wit or connection wrth reality.
Bundled, heinous accents for; the bizarre, baseless creations. as when she puts on a little hat and drones on in a goofhall voice. pretending to be a Buddhist; or when she dons a soldiirful wig and becomes someone else with a silly voice. One thing Burdess does do well is the in between banter. and a particular stand-out morrierit comes when she performs the Brit Rap entitled 'lt's .Just a Little Bit of British Patter'. but these inspired moments are lost in a sea of irrelevant. random, and bering Characters. insipid corrirnentary, and a very bizarre ending. (Carmody Wilson, I Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, until 27Aug, 6.50pm, {860—5960 (87—{8/