Festival COMEDY
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TOM ROSENTHAL You wait for ages at the Fringe and then two shows come by at once
young Tom Rosenthal,
T he son of a famous ITV sportscaster, the cynical reckoned, would simply be here and gone in the world of showbiz, once his frail talents had been exposed and his route into entertainment revealed as a nasty bit of nepotism (unlike the good kind of nepotism). Those awful people have been proven to be massively wrong, as he delivered a beautiful debut Fringe show in 2011, Child of Privilege (complete with comedy butler), before returning last year with a show title in Bulgarian which pretty much broke the internet everywhere: except in Bulgaria, presumably.
Now, he’s back yet again with two Edinburgh gigs: one is Meme, Myself and I, a panel show which threatens to be utterly different from every panel show that’s ever
been assembled. Among the confirmed guests to date are James Acaster, David Trent and Nish Kumar (well, if your Edinburgh flatmates won’t help out, who will?), plus Holly Walsh, Ivo Graham and Carl Donnelly. No doubt a much more exciting prospect for some is Rosenthal’s other gig, a very late-night / early morning stand-up show called Work in Progress. Hope he’s cleared that name with his lawyers before Stephen K Amos and Stewart Lee get in touch? (Brian Donaldson) Meme, Myself and I, Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, 14, 18, 20, 22 & 23 Aug, 11.20pm, £10.50–£12.50 (£9.50– £11.50); Work in Progress, Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 15 & 16 Aug, 12.05am, £10 (£9).
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HITLIST THE BEST COMEDY EVENTS
✽ The Pin Alex Owen and Ben Ashenden (pictured) have only gone and pretty much re-invented the sketch wheel. Tricky sods. See review, page 43. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 25 Aug (not 11, 18), 6pm, £9–£11 (£8–£10).
✽ Tim Key The people’s poet warmed up rather nicely for this year with some storming
bed-based shows last August. Now, he’s fully back and with an amazing beard. See feature, page 16. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 14–25 Aug, 9.40pm, £12–£16 (£10–£14). Preview 13 Aug, £10.
✽ Bridget Christie The current Edinburgh Comedy Award crown-wearer insists she’s An Ungrateful Woman. See review, next issue. The Stand, 558 7272, until 25 Aug (not 11), 11.10am, £10 (£9).
✽ Nick Helm A pair of two-hour late-night shows in the Grand with Mr Hot ’n’ Heavy.
See feature, page 16. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 11 & 12 Aug, 11pm, £15.
✽ Liam Williams Another unconventional and frequently hilarious hour from the guy
who also dabbles in Sheeps, the sketch group. See review, page 40. The Cellar Monkey, 221 9759, until 25 Aug (not 11), 1.15pm, free.
✽ Sara Pascoe At the peak of her form, this could prove a big year for this unstoppable force. See review, page 48. Assembly George Square, 226 0000, until 25 Aug (not 11), 8.15pm, £10.50–£12 (£9–£10).
✽ Neil Hamburger The most reptilian man at the Fringe or a breath of ‘fresh’ air?
See feature, page 38. Underbelly, Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, 13–24 Aug, 8.50pm, £10–£12 (£9–£11).
7–14 Aug 2014 THE LIST FESTIVAL 37