list.co.uk/festival Reviews | FESTIVAL COMEDY
ANDREW O’NEILL’S BLACK MAGICK FUN HOUR Bewitching and eloquent comedy ●●●●● THE STARSHIP OSIRIS Sci-fi pastiche and high-energy romp ●●●●●
LUCY PEARMAN: MAID OF CABBAGE Immersive trip into the vegetable patch ●●●●●
Andrew O’Neill spells magick with a ‘k’, so you know he’s serious. Any remaining doubt is dispelled when he begins the show in rams’ horns, swinging incense and intoning an invocation. He asks the gods Mercury, Hermes and Thoth to inspire him to write a great Fringe show and proceeds to explain for 60 minutes how magic manifests in daily life. George Vere: writer, director, producer, actor. This self-proclaimed genius is convinced that his tacky Star Trek rip-off is a work of staggering brilliance, but the rest of his cast aren’t so sure. Pitched somewhere between Galaxy Quest and The Play That Goes Wrong, The Starship Osiris would be a perfect companion piece to Kill the Beast’s Don’t Wake the Damp from last year’s Fringe.
When Lucy Pearman enters the room in her Edwardian-style maid outfit, there’s a deceptively unassuming quality about her. ‘Traditionally, unmarried maids were sent into the vegetable garden to choose the perfect cabbage,’ she tells us. But this task proves far from easy, with her ‘bad side’ threatening to rear its ugly head.
At first bewildering – O’Neill fires one-liners,
It starts as a sci-fi pastiche – complete with crappy Relying heavily on the participation of her
unaccompanied punchlines, musical interludes and very old references at a blistering pace – he uses his intelligence and eloquence to combine anecdotes about his wife, musings on the power of words, absurd imagery, nods to his metal-headedness, and excavations of what makes comedy work to induce an incantatory state of near-constant laughter.
Not many comedy shows prompt the audience to re-examine their worldviews and theories of knowledge. O’Neill accomplishes this while remaining gut-bustingly funny. Mercury is also the god of commerce, which bodes well for O’Neill’s bank balance, though it would be a shame not to give the man himself credit for this bewitching, beguiling and bombastic hour. (Suzanne Black) ■ Liquid Room Annexe, until 27 Aug (not 21), 5pm, free.
special effects, rubbish robots and cheesy songs – before descending into mutiny as Evans (Adam Willis) breaks character and leads the revolt against their pompous leader. The first half is funny but the second half really shines, personal grievances bubbling to the fore as the cast bicker and brawl.
The ingenious script blurs the line between fact and farce with Vere and Willis excellent in their dual roles but Lola Claire, Molly Bird and Jo McGarry also deserve praise for their performances, alongside Ian Fleming who provides live music and the odd deadpan one-liner. It’s worth noting that there’ll be a special performance on the last day of the run of Vere’s ‘masterpiece’ in all its glory as ‘originally intended’ by the man himself. (Henry Northmore) ■ Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 Aug, 5.20pm, £10.50–£11.50 (£9.50–£10.50).
audience, Maid of Cabbage is in many ways an involuntarily immersive experience. One person becomes Joey the horse, while another is her soldier lover, identified by the occasional snippet of ‘Crank That (Soulja Boy)’. But despite the unpredictability of people’s reactions, Pearman does well to respond to whatever is thrown at her.
The search for that elusive cabbage may form the basis of an outlandish plot, but it’s the sudden transformation from maiden to monster that highlights Pearman’s eccentric approach to clowning. The combination of the dramatic change of lighting, sound and quick costume switch-up works to draw attention to the absurd nature of both character and storyline. (Arusa Qureshi) ■ Heroes @ Monkey Barrel, until 27 Aug, 12.30pm, £5 or Pay What You Want.
SARA PASCOE: LADSLADSLADS A curiously unsatisfying new hour ●●●●●
Breaking up might be hard to do, but such a traumatic event can prove to be a trigger towards greatness for creative types. This is most markedly felt in the world of music, where everyone from Sinatra to Adele has released albums scratched from the pain of separation. As Sara Pascoe details at the beginning of LadsLadsLads, she became single last Christmas for the first time since 2001. Not that she’s been in a solid relationship for 15 years, just that she’s been ‘overlapping’ a lot.
This break-up is with fellow comic John Robins, and is told in rather exploitative detail (others might call it ‘honest’) as the festive season turned sour. Robins cried a lot, which is fine for Pascoe as men’s tears turn her on. Of course, chances are that this is her version of an alternative fact, as the truth appears to slip and slide all over the place here. Pascoe’s stage garb (stockings, sequins, spangles and shoeless) is certainly not a prime example of her regular wardrobe. And while it’s unlikely that she really is in favour of certain aspects of incest, maybe she’s telling it straight when claiming to be bored by galleries, theatres and, well, art of pretty much every kind.
The truth might be hard to get a handle on during Pascoe’s
new show, but the laughs are never too far away. She has great lines about old people and Brexit, failing to realise exactly where Costa Rica lies on the map, and taking down a bloke who dubbed her ‘too tamponny’, but ultimately this feels like a show without a clear purpose and devoid of an obvious destination.
It’s usually a good sign when a Fringe hour culminates and you’re left wanting more. But in this instance, the vague flimsiness that’s just passed might leave some feeling decidedly unsatisfied. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug, 7pm (& 3.30pm 20, 22 Aug) £10–£13.50 (£9–£12.50).
17–28 Aug 2017 THE LIST FESTIVAL 41