list.co.uk/festival Reviews at a Glance | FESTIVAL COMEDY
REVIEWS AT A GLANCE
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ABIGOLIAH SCHAMAUN: NAMASTE, BITCHES ●●●●● A confident and easy host, Schamaun’s new show covers the various cult-like activities she’s undertaken in the pursuit of wellness and community. Her chatty banter and easy audience participation, chanting back Bikram phrases, means the show doesn’t dip and a theatrical ending neatly ties up a positive hour. (Rowena McIntosh) Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 Aug, 7.40pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).
A K T U D O K R A M
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ADAM HESS: CACTUS ●●●●● The breathless, runaway train that is Hess hurtles through anecdotes about signing up for medical trials as a way to make cash and combat loneliness; his germphobic mum; and a fiasco involving a rowing boat and a leotard. The room seems split, with some enjoying the machine-gun approach, others wishing he’d slow down and flesh out the good bits. (Claire Sawers) Heroes @ The Hive, until 27 Aug, 6pm, £6 or Pay What You Want.
ADAM ROWE: UNBEARABLE ●●●●● This Scouser has written a show about how lazy, rude and up himself he is. Except he’s obviously none of those things. He turns most disasters (bad reviews, the purchase of a six-quid jacket from Primark, a first date to Liverpool’s Slavery Museum) into solid yarns, told in a self- deprecating but still deliberately gobby style. (Claire Sawers) Just the Tonic at The Mash House, until 27 Aug (not 14), 7pm, £5 or Pay What You Want.
ADITI MITTAL: GLOBAL VILLAGE IDIOT ●●●●● In our age of globalisation and hyperspeed communications, it can be easy to believe we know what’s going on all over the world. With the laughs evenly dispersed throughout (except when Mittal mentions Britain’s colonial past and the tension rises), the hour would benefit from a defined ending but is illuminating and unique without feeling like a lesson. (Suzanne Black) Underbelly Med Quad, until 27 Aug, 6.35pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10). ALEXANDER FOX: RINGO ●●●●● The main inspiration for Fox’s drumming career came from Ringo Starr, who acts as a pen-pal mentor until the tragic day that the letters stop coming. We can’t fault him as an all- rounder, but Ringo may have appeared less chaotic if Fox had channelled his efforts into creating a more coherent plot rather than just a stream of unorganised jokes. (Louise Stoddart)
Abigoliah Schamaun
Pleasance Courtyard, until 28 Aug, 5pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£9). £5 (£4) or Pay What You Want.
ANDY BARR: TROPIC OF ADMIN ●●●●● We’re in trouble: there’s turbulence and the plane is going down. Welcome to Barr’s show / desert island, a place governed by the image of Richard Wilson on a beach ball and a crazy school administrator called Andy. With its graphic costume changes and a load of shabby props, this is exactly what you should expect from a Fringe show. (Marissa Burgess) Heroes @ Dragonfly, until 27 Aug, 10.40pm, £5 or Pay What You Want.
ANNE EDMONDS: NO OFFENCE, NONE TAKEN ●●●●● Edmonds is just as capable acting the stereotypical mid-30s lady growing increasingly confused with men as she is exploring darker themes: the worst (or best) way to accidentally kill a friend, wanting to kill herself when she sees happy families. Her upbeat facade and natural ability for observational stuff makes the truly macabre moments all the more delicious. (Kirstyn Smith) Underbelly Med Quad, until 27 Aug, 7.55pm, £11–£12 (£10–£11). CALLY BEATON: SUPER CALLY FRAGILE LIPSTICK ●●●●● Beaton hangs the show around her experience as a single mother of an autistic son and this may have been the draw for a packed crowd. After introducing us to her domestic situation and a frequently- used flipchart of diagrams, she lets loose on a wide range of topics, though the logic of some of her set-ups doesn’t quite ring true. (Suzanne Black) Just the Tonic at The Community Project, until 20 Aug, 1.25pm; Just the Tonic at The Caves, 22–25 Aug, 10.40am,
DAMIEN POWER: UTOPIA – NOW IN 3D ●●●●● The Aussie stand-up’s vague premise is our never-ending quest for utopia which he defines as ‘a fantasy you never arrive at’. Most comics would kill for a ten-minute skit that slays the room but Power has three, covering modern church preachers, mainstream comedians, and the collapse of civilisation in the face of an oncoming asteroid. (Henry Northmore) Assembly George Square Theatre, until 27 Aug (not 21), 8.20pm, £11–£12 (£9–£10). DANE BAPTISTE: G.O.D. (GOLD. OIL. DRUGS.) ●●●●● Baptiste takes a look at the new altars we worship at: gold, oil and drugs. Throughout, he takes an unflinching look at the realities of being black such as the rush of adrenaline he feels passing police officers and the much higher likelihood of him spending time in prison. It can be uncomfortable, but the audience is rapt. (Rowena McIntosh) Pleasance Courtyard, until 27 Aug, 9pm, £12–£14 (£10–£12).
DANIEL COOK: FOR MONEY ●●●●● There’s delirium in the air as the breathless Cook takes to his stage, spitting out a hilarious ‘critique’ of his venue. Normally, such pace would inevitably drop but he somehow maintains it all the way through to his finale as he considers cash, greed, and the curious tale of Brian Eno and the watch. (Brian Donaldson) Just the Tonic at The Caves, until 27 Aug, 1.20m, £5 or Pay What You Want. DANNY O’BRIEN: RACONTOUR ●●●●● The Irish comic has energy to burn in his show about family,
Catholic rituals and motorcycles. He’s an amiable sort, but the serious material too often bumps up against the jovial anecdotes rather than offering a smooth, complementary ride. (Brian Donaldson) Underbelly Cowgate, until 27 Aug, 10.20pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8.50–£9.50).
DAVE CHAWNER: C’EST LA VEGAN ●●●●● You may well be wary of seeing a show that so boldly wears its colours on its sleeve but Chawner’s herbivorous title belies a humble, thought-provoking hour. He has a complicated history with food and throughout, he is at pains to stress he’s not trying to preach or convert: self-deprecation is more prevalent than barbs aimed outwards. (Kirstyn Smith) Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, until 27 Aug (not 25), 7pm, free. ELEANOR COLVILLE: BIGAMOUS ●●●●● Colville’s solo debut is a jaunt through Character Comedy 101: silly voices and deranged characters abound as she arranges for two audience members to get married. She slips in lines that seem throwaway but are self-referential and smart, linking the show in and out of itself, before tying it up in a successfully conceived bridal bow. (Kirstyn Smith) Just the Tonic at The Mash House, until 27 Aug, 9.20pm, £7 (£6).
FIN TAYLOR: LEFTY TIGHTY RIGHTY LOOSEY ●●●●● Following on with what he himself terms an ‘arrogant start’ in slagging off Bill Hicks, Taylor makes it clear that he’s unafraid to court controversy even if he does so with tongue firmly in cheek. Taylor is an exhausting and animated comedian with a wonderfully florid 17–28 Aug 2017 THE LIST FESTIVAL 53