FESTIVAL COMEDY | Reviews
LIAM WILLIAMS: BONFIRE NIGHT ●●●●● An incendiary hour of politically motivated hardcore whimsy
Liam Williams has recently written that gig-ruining hecklers might be a thing of the past, with contemporary audiences considering stand-up to be an artform as worthy of respect as theatre or film. Tonight’s crowd is a case in point. The tail-end of a boozy Friday should attract ill-advised shouting within a packed space but only the odd muffled squeal is heard. Perhaps the new heckling comes in the form of temperature
abuse. Several times, Williams apologises for the room’s excessive heat, which seems unnecessary unless he left the radiators on all day. Appropriate then, that he turns the dial up with Bonfire Night, another ultra-smart and potently funny assault on both modern politics and ancient rituals (the fifth of November gets concise shrift) with dashes of hardcore whimsy, a bit of comedy hip hop (‘sad lad raps’ he dubs them) and some angry meta-exchanges with himself and the Fringe office.
His ‘John Cage approach’ inevitably results in, not exactly silence, but medium-length passages which aren’t always punctuated by a joke to break the tension. The denominator Williams is most interested in is the highest common one, demonstrated early by warning those who have accidentally stumbled into the gig thinking it was Shaggers to leave before they are treated to an hour more akin to ‘sulky lovemaking’ .
While his goals are ambitious, the means to getting there is still blessed with a light touch. He’ll merrily quote European political scientists before analysing how tricky it can be to operate some tin openers. The excitement of Williams’ act is that while you never quite know where you are or who you are listening to, the strength of the material and potency of the gags keep things bouncing along with true comedic verve. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters, 622 6801, 20–30 Aug, 7.30pm, free.
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MEGAN FORD: FEMINASTY Fast and loud multi-character show ●●●●● LOLLY Intriguing show about comedy and race ●●●●●
American comic Megan Ford is hopefully preaching to the converted for an audience of ‘artsy liberal cunts’. Though given the lack of delirious applause which greet a few of her character-led sections, the odd conservative or two may have sneaked their way in. Against a backdrop of newspaper and magazine front covers which range from the somewhat disrespectful to the downright salacious, Ford sets out her stall for her Feminasty hour. Why is society obsessed with seeing Emma
Watson’s labia as she departs from a parked vehicle of an evening? Have we moved on at all from the dark period of the 1980s, a decade crammed with ‘racial stereotypes and cleavage’? To back up her arguments, she introduces us to characters such as Lena Zerox, a bazooka-breasted video-games character, Maddy Mitchell, a right-wing family-values prospective congresswoman, and Trixie Lockwood, a pre-Depression-era flapper.
The lack of subtlety might make your brain hurt before its had a proper chance to think. Still, if the ‘patriarchy won’t fuck itself’, getting the word out fast and loud might be the only way to stop everyday sexism in its tracks. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Underbelly George Square, 0844 545 8252, until 31 Aug, 2.50pm, £8–£9 (£7–£8).
48 THE LIST FESTIVAL 20–31 Aug 2015
The deliberately bad comedian has long been a successful trope, with prime exponents including Neil Hamburger, Jeremy Lion, bits of Johnny Vegas and, this year, Zoe Coombs Marr’s ‘Dave’. Lolly Adefope deals in similar potentially hazardous terrain as part of her debut multi-character show. Set up as an open mic night, her Lolly ‘creation’
has been tipped for great things but, crippled by nerves, she’s unable to function on stage. Conversely, the über-confident ordinary girl Gemma delivers gags that are either terrible or insensitive, but it’s attitude that gets her through. Similarly, the gender-challenging ‘X’ is so off-piste that her strong convictions are ultimately formed on nonsense while John Legend’s father shows up to claim back his estranged multi-millionaire son. The whole event is held together with vice-like determination by Wendy Parks, a delusional host.
There’s something interesting going on beyond oberserving that modern comedy is a very broad field. The distinct racial make-up of this industry is touched upon with backstage chatter from all the acts seeping through to us, but it’s here and gone before it can truly ignite a debate. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 31 Aug, 4.30pm, £7–£9.50 (£6.50–£9).
JOANNA NEARY: FACEFUL OF ISSUES Unhinged, quirky character-based fun ●●●●●
Rather than her usual assortment of characters, Joanna Neary’s 2015 show features just one: Celia Jesson, loosely inspired by Brief Encounter’s Celia (played in the film by Laura Jesson).
Celia’s a canny creation: she’s a woman out of time, and Neary – a Perrier Best Newcomer nominee in 2004 – sets the kooky, slightly unhinged tone very early with a ditty about Britpop sung in 1940s-nostalgia style. The hour that follows is littered with weird, anachronistic references, from Bunty (the girls’ annual) to Buzzfeed (‘I laugh, but then I feel sullied’). It’s not a sure-fire crowd-pleaser by a long way – but if your humour leans towards the quirky, and your sensibility to this side of vintage, it’s enrapturing. It’s a shame that the space Neary’s playing in isn’t
a little better suited to her razor-sharp whimsy; its odd shape doesn’t quite suit the atmosphere. But Faceful of Issues still succeeds, helped in part by Neary’s lovely guitarlele-playing assistant Martin, who’s clearly loving every moment. It’s a smart, fun and exquisitely crafted show that’s well worth your time – if you like this sort of thing. (Yasmin Sulaiman) ■ Assembly Rooms, 0844 693 3008, until 30 Aug, 7.45pm, £10 (£9).
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