FESTIVAL COMEDY | Reviews at a Glance
life so far: his Nigerian roots and growing up in Hackney before gentrification. Mellow, laid-back and worldly wise, he advocates getting to know each other better and slowly begins to take in weightier topics of racism, xenophobia, and the anti-immigration slant in the media. Observations are made without apparent judgement allowing us to make up our own mind. (Marissa Burgess) Gilded Balloon at Pleasance Dome, 622 6552, until 30 Aug, 9pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£8.50). Gabriel Bisset-Smith Tells The Most Original And Funniest Joke In The Universe! ●●●●● Can Bisset- Smith really pull off his title’s promise? The entire show is one long build-up to a final punchline, a suitably circuitous trip through cheese blogs, dancing crocodiles and Kanye West on our way to enlightenment. It’s a faux journey of discovery that in many ways works as a canny parody of a soul-searching inner voyage. (Henry Northmore) Underbelly Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, until 30 Aug, 9.30pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Goodbear ●●●●● Goodbear bills itself as a ‘character-led sketch show which contemplates the big issues: life, death, our very existence’, and while that’s certainly true, it’s not all as philosophical as that. Structurally, the show is intelligently pieced together: characters are revisited, what seem like one-off jokes actually form part of a larger motif, and there’s a storyline at work which holds the individual scenes together. (Rebecca Monks) Underbelly George Square, 0844 545 8252, until 31 Aug, 9.35pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8.50–£9.50). Good Kids ●●●●● We’re greeted with enthusiasm, hugs and handshakes and off to an amiable if over-friendly start which then tips over into irritation as they throw around sweets, offer fizzy drinks and literally start swinging from the rafters. When the show eventually begins, we have a series of disparate sketches framed around the pair pretending to bicker with each other. However, few of the sketches elicit more than the faintest of chuckles and most of them linger for far too long. (Murray Robertson) Just the Tonic at The Mash House, 226 0000, until 23 Aug, 10.20pm, £6–£8. Graham Clark Reads The Phonebook ●●●●● For the first five minutes, Clark literally reads from the phonebook. There are a few nervous titters as the fear grows that this might be some esoteric concept piece and as the tension mounts he breaks from his monotonous diatribe to explain how he found himself stuck with this themed show. It’s quirky and often brilliant but gets slightly trapped by the confines of the concept. (Henry Northmore) Assembly George Square Studios, 623 3030, until 31 Aug, 5.20pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Ian Smith: Whereabouts ●●●●● If there was a prize at the Fringe for the King of the Call Back, Smith would be sure to win it as he ducks and weaves, returning to gags on topics as random as mannequins, bum bags and Mini Cheddars. The show is observational in the main but with a daft take on the delight of a child on holiday discovering that the remote control operates the caravan next door and a nosy at Postman Pat’s living arrangements. (Marissa Burgess) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 30 Aug, 7pm, £7.50–£10 (£6.50–£9). Ismo Leikola: Observing The Obvious ●●●●● At no point during his show does Leikola rant, gesture wildly, or even raise his voice. The Finnish comic is incredibly mellow, a chilled-out guy observing the world and stroking his beard with amused disbelief. The show is broadly about observation and while some of the gender material is a bit middle of the road, it’s a pleasure to spend an hour in his bemused company. (Rowena McIntosh) Gilded Balloon at Pleasance Dome, 622 6552, until 30 Aug (not 20 & 21), 4pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). 50 THE LIST FESTIVAL 20–31 Aug 2015
Jack Barry: This Title Came To Me In A Dream ●●●●● Twins man Barry makes his solo Fringe debut with a charming if uneven set of personal and observational stand-up. Having opened with strong material about the absurdity of working a social media profile for a high-profile fast food chain, this was undermined by some unsavoury gags about suicide and a joke about his grandparents’ homophobia. (Dave Coates) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 31 Aug, 7pm, £7–£9 (£6.50–£8.50). James Hamilton Is So Lonely ●●●●● It’s awkward when you accidentally stumble in on someone’s surprise proposal; even more so when the fiancée-to-be hasn’t turned up. This is the basis of Hamilton’s show, but throughout the hour jokes are totally turned on their heads for punchlines that come from nowhere. He has a line in the macabre and also jumps on the observational wagon, but his pacing is superb. (Kirstyn Smith) Voodoo Rooms, 226 0000, until 30 Aug, 9.30pm, free. Jessie Cave: I Loved Her ●●●●● Awkward in manner, with huge glasses and pigtails, Cave appears as a cross between the ‘Overly Attached Girlfriend’ meme and Matilda. Her cardboard props take homespun whimsy to a new level of childishness and are drafted in to represent the important figures in her life – her comedian boyfriend, her baby and the internet – as the socially anxious social media addict recounts her foray into motherhood. (Suzanne Black) Underbelly Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, until 30 Aug, 5.30pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Joe Hart: Dirty Rotten Apples ●●●●● The self-proclaimed ‘nerdy, surreal, gay dandy’ is a highly likeable performer, starting on strong footing with some audience interaction. But what starts out promisingly soon runs the risk of heading the same way as Newton’s apple as the material, genuinely interesting as it sometimes is, is just too thin on laughs. (Emma Newlands) Gilded Balloon at Pleasance Dome, 622 6552, until 31 Aug, 2.45pm, £9–10 (£8–£9). John Hastings: Marked From The Start ●●●●● Hastings is a master storyteller, treating his audience to a show that feels like a single coherent narrative rather than a series of bits. He creates an intimate atmosphere, occasionally hopping onto a bar stool as he tells a personal tale of how he, and his dyspraxia, fit into a large Canadian family. His delivery is relaxed even when he’s mock seething with quiet anger, brushing against controversial topics including Christianity and economics. (Rowena McIntosh) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 30 Aug, 9.40pm, £8–£10 (£7–£9). John Robertson: Let’s Redecorate! ●●●●● With his shock of white hair and black attire, Robertson vividly resembles a pint of Guinness. He remarks that he needs no amplification and, dispensing with his mic, prowls around the stage and in among the audience like a panther. Robertson is a master at engaging with individuals as if it’s all part of his scrupulously written script, and the unpredictable cadence of his performance is remarkably theatrical as well as consistently funny. (Murray Robertson) The Stand 6, 558 7272, until 30 Aug, 2.50pm, £10 (£8). John Robins: Speakeasy ●●●●● When his girlfriend heads off to Australia for a month, Robins is primed to have the time of his life. Except the ‘legends’ in his contacts have got lives of their own and dropping things to accommodate Robins’ booze-fuelled intentions just isn’t practical. Speakeasy might tickle some of the right places but it won’t especially tax your mind and the overall effect is of a decent club set drawn out to fill an hour. (Brian Donaldson) Assembly George Square Studios, 623 3030, until 30 Aug, 8pm, £10–£12 (£8.50–£10.50). Julian Deane ●●●●● Deane’s hour starts innocuously enough, with some
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Funmbi Omotayo: Legal Immigrant
rather humdrum observational one-liners about drugs, work and women. But about 15 minutes in he starts to tell the story of how he ended up in Belmarsh prison and how it changed him. He isn’t afraid to get earnest, dropping in the occasional jibe at the inefficacy of the prison system, or a hint of the added perspective being a young father gives. Quite unexpectedly, the show builds towards a rather heart- warming end. (Laura Ennor) Just the Tonic at the Tron, 0330 220 1212, until 31 Aug, 9pm, free. Katia Kvinge: 140 Karakters ●●●●● Performed with unshakeable exuberance, Kvinge’s show is a madcap mission to introduce the audience to 140 different characters in one breathless hour. Sure, that means taking a few liberties here or there and some imaginative maths from the audience member in charge of counting them but there’s still an awful lot of material packed into this show. Unfortunately, there’s often a sacrifice of quality in favour of sheer quantity. (Laura Ennor) Just the Tonic at The Caves, 0330 220 1212, until 29 Aug, 7.45pm, free. Keith Farnan: Anonymous ●●●●● ‘This may sound like a TED Talk from a maniac’, Farnan says after 40 minutes of discussing data sharing and internet privacy. It’s a well-structured, confidently performed stand-up set from a very likeable comedian as he explains that his gripes and fears about modern technology have been heightened since the birth of his daughter (he worries about data, she just says dada), and some of his strongest material comes from the ‘tired new dad’ angle. (Rebecca Monks) Underbelly Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, until 30 Aug (not 25), 6pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10). Kelly Kingham: Inside Out ●●●●● Most Fringe fans are well versed in the language of comedy and realise that not everything said on stage is true. And we hope that’s the case for Kingham who paints a rather sad picture of a lost figure living an unfulfilled life. Made redundant, considering divorce, his only friend is his dog Colin. Starting off as an old- fashioned stand-up, he heads into more uncomfortable territory at which point he loses the crowd. (Henry Northmore) Just the Tonic at The Caves, 0330 220 1212, until 29 Aug (not 25), 5pm, free. Kirsten Macgregor: Hello Cruel World ●●●●● For an 18 year old who is still at college and has experienced more than her fair share of difficulties in life, MacGregor does pretty well. She’s honest about her stints in psychiatric hospital and is at her best when she’s dips into dark humour, a quality she’d do well to develop. (Marissa Burgess) Laughing Horse @ The White Horse, 557 3512, until 30 Aug, 12.15am, free. Laura Lexx: Lovely ●●●●● If there’s one thing an Edinburgh show needs it’s a theme and Lexx would just love a life crisis or traumatic incident to base her show around to make it interesting. But she can’t, so Lexx tells stories about lovely things: strangers helping her on the motorway, documentaries about penguins, her perfect boyfriend. She is blessed with a wonderful anecdotal style but jokewise it is a little lukewarm. (Graeme Connelly) Underbelly Med Quad, 0844 545 8252, until 30 Aug, 4.05pm, £9–£10.50 (£8–£9.50). Letluce In Sea Men (A Naval Tale) ●●●●● After playing both the front and back of a pantomime horse in 2014’s Show Pony, LetLuce’s 2015 offering is an aquatic-themed panto-esque romp. Comparisons with the Mighty Boosh’s stage shows are apt and all the requisites of the genre are in place: the idiot / cynic dynamic; the absurdity; the whimsy; catchy ditties; scripted ‘ad-libs’. LetLuce do a credible job of keeping the silliness flag sailing but their prodigious chemistry is the only thing keeping it afloat. (Suzanne Black) Just the Tonic at The Caves, 226 0000, until 29 Aug, 4pm, free. Lewis Schaffer Is Free Until Famous, £5 ●●●●● If you found