FESTIVAL COMEDY | Previews
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TOP 5: SKETCH DEBUTS Five ‘broken comedy’ acts to watch
zazU A foursome (with a silent fifth partner) who appear to have emerged from the bowels of NewsRevue. Josie Lawrence and Matt Berry like them. Underbelly, Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, 2–24 Aug (not 13), 3.40pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £6. Aunty Donna Not, in fact, a polite family lady, but a trio of quite-rude, variably hairy Aussie chaps called Broden, Zachary and Mark. That nation’s Herald Sun said they produced ‘uproarious, high-octane comedy’. Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, 1–25 Aug (not 11), 10pm, £10. Previews 30 & 31 Jul, £5.
Gein’s Family Giftshop Earlier this year, Manc threesome Gein’s Family Giftshop won Sketchfest, an award scooped in 2013 by the Pin. That seems to be enough of a recommendation right there. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–24 Aug (not 11), 10.45pm, £7–£9 (£6–£8). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6.
Harvey, Garvey and the Kane Harvey (who used to be one half of Toulson and Harvey) worked with Kane in sketch group Men of War. Garvey rhymes with Harvey and was a half-wolf dad in CBBC drama Wolfblood. He also shares his full name with an early 20th century Jamaican political leader. Confused? Don’t be: it’s just a sketch show. Underbelly, Bristo Square, 0844 545 8252, 2–24 Aug (not 11), 4.55pm, £11–£12 (£9–£10). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6. Massive Dad Not, in fact, a huge family gentleman, but a trio of funny young women. A horse features in a number of their publicity pictures to date. We’re not too sure how significant that is. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 2–25 Aug (not 13), 6pm, £7.50–£9.50 (£6.50–£8.50). Previews 30 Jul–1 Aug, £6. (Brian Donaldson)
46 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014
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ONE MAN BREAKING BAD Get high on a new supply of the hit TV drama
Miles Allen is doing all the voices and I’m wondering how I’m going to write it down. ‘Yo, it’s kinda my thing, bitch,’ he says, with the back-of-the-throat stoner growl of Aaron Paul’s Jesse Pinkman. Then he switches: ‘One of the characters I didn’t expect to like is Skyler,’ he says, adopting Anna Gunn’s voice of controlled panic. Now he’s doing the nasal slur of RJ Mitte’s Walter White Junior and we fall into a discussion about the ethics of imitating (or not imitating) someone with cerebral palsy. If none of this means anything to you, then you haven’t worked your way through the five seasons
and 62 episodes of Breaking Bad and will be innocent to the story of Walter White, the mild-mannered chemistry teacher who becomes the producer of the purest crystal meth in the state of New Mexico.
Allen’s 60-minute distillation (that’s an average of one episode every 58 seconds) began with
a YouTube video in which he appeared as a homeless man, with thick beard and no shirt, doing Breaking Bad impressions for food. It clocked up more than a million hits and he realised he was onto something: ‘Why not condense the entire series into one hour when people are off their Breaking Bad meth fix? We can give them that high again.’ As if that was not ambitious enough, Allen also finds time in the show for pop-culture references to Family Guy, Pulp Fiction and The Lord of the Rings. ‘Imitation is the highest form of flattery,’ he says. ‘For me, One Man Breaking Bad was a huge love letter to the show. I’m glad I get to be a part of that experience of this beautiful nostalgia for it: you can come up and quote Jesse Pinkman’s “bitch” at me all you want.’ (Mark Fisher) ■ Famous Spiegeltent, 0844 693 3008, 1–11 Aug, 7pm, £15 (£12); The Stand III & IV, 558 7272, 13–24 Aug (not 19), times vary, £12.
TOM ALLEN Returning bon vivant regales us on life and style
Erudite raconteur Tom Allen comes to Edinburgh fresh from supporting Sarah Millican on tour. ‘It’s an interesting experience to step out in front of 2000 people who haven’t come to see you and to convince them that you’re worth watching,’ he says.
Posh Allen and Geordie girl Millican may seem like a chalk and cheese pairing, but Allen isn’t much into surface perceptions, a theme which runs through his new show, Life / Style. ‘I think you can send yourself into spirals of depression if you worry too much about what people think. For me, the image you project is about being happy with yourself. And not holding back. And wearing bigger hats.’ Allen’s return to Edinburgh after three years away is one such opportunity not to hold back. ‘It’s hard work, it’s hugely challenging but ultimately it’s one of the few places where you can perfect your craft and you can do what you want creatively. I always find whenever I step off the train that it feels like home. But apparently it’s changed since I was there: the trams actually move now?’ (Julian Hall) ■ The Stand V, 558 7272, 1–24 Aug (not 11), 4.15pm, £8 (£7). Preview 31 Jul, £7 (£6).
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