Festival COMEDY
NICK HELM A one-man entertainment force
H e’s won plaudits aplenty as well as Dave’s Joke of the Fringe Award for the top gag in 2011, but there’s one thing that slightly niggles about Nick Helm: how the heck is he able to keep his voice intact with all that bellowing for a month? Having interviewed him a couple of times, it can be confirmed that, away from the stage, he is soft spoken to the point of a monk-like hush. Perhaps he takes a vow of silence in July.
Whatever his secret, a Nick Helm hour is a genuinely exciting experience which recalls the high-wire danger of a Johnny Vegas show during his late-90s peak. ‘I’m not a comedian, I’m an entertainer!’ was the wailed mantra
from that burly St Helens chap, but Helm puts comedy front and centre of his über-energetic set. ‘Do you like jokes?’ he will repeatedly yell in the face of a bemused front-row member. And the fact is, yes we do like jokes, especially your ones, Nick Helm. With his One Man Mega Myth about to blast its way onto the Fringe audience’s collective psyche, it’s time for Edinburgh to truly brace itself. (Brian Donaldson)
Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 3–26 Aug (not 7, 14), 4pm, £11–£14 (£9–£12). Previews 31 Jul–2 Aug, £7.
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HITLIST THE BEST COMEDY EVENTS
✽ Alfie Brown Having run the gamut of all the star-ratings last Fringe, the angry-ish
comic prepares to pull few punches again. See interview, page 41. Underbelly, Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, 3–25 Aug, 9.10pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10). Previews 1 & 2 Aug, £6.
✽ Mark Thomas 100 Acts of Minor Dissent has the London comic returning to his
mischievous rabble-rousing best. See feature, page 44. The Stand III & IV, 558 7272, 3–25 Aug (not 12), 7.30pm, £10.
✽ Aisling Bea Winner of last year’s So You Think You’re Funny crown goes full-steam ahead with her debut hour. See interview, page 38. Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 3 –26 Aug (not 13), 6.30pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8.50–£9.50). Previews 31 Jul–2 Aug, £5.
✽ Nish Kumar One of the break-out acts from last year gets set to consolidate all that skill. See interview, page 46. Underbelly, Bristo Square, 0844 545 8252, 3–25 Aug, 8.10pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10). Previews Jul 31–2 Aug, £6.
✽ Shit-faced Shakespeare The show where it’s perfectly OK to laugh at a drunk. See interview, page 39. C, 0845 260 1234, 31 Jul–26 Aug, 11.20pm, £9.50– £11.50 (£7.50–£9.50).
✽ The Pin Could sketch comedy be in safe hands with this pair? See feature, page 33. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 3–26 Aug (not 12, 19), 6.15pm, £9–£11 (£8–£10). Previews 31 Jul–2 Aug, £6.
✽ David Baddiel The acceptable side of laddism makes his first foray to the Fringe
in yonks. See interview, page 12. Assembly George Square, 623 3030, 1–11 Aug, 7.30pm, £15–£17.50. Preview 31 Jul, £7.50.
1–8 Aug 2013 THE LIST FESTIVAL 29