list.co.uk/festival Reviews at a Glance | FESTIVAL COMEDY
REVIEWS AT A GLANCE
For full length versions of these reviews, see list.co.uk/festival Burgess) Just the Tonic at The Caves, until 26 Aug (not 13), 12.10pm, £5 in advance or donations at the venue.
ALEX KEALY: A KEALY’S HEEL ●●●●● The liberal-left Remainer (you may have spotted a couple of those at this year’s Fringe), gives both barrels to Woody Allen, talks a lot about his current relationship, and is a little sad that his parents are not supportive of his career choice, albeit that they’re coming from very different angles of disapproval. Once the tweaks are ironed out, Kealy should be a sight to behold. (Brian Donaldson) Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, until 26 Aug, 5.15pm, donations.
ASHLEY STORRIE: ADULTING ●●●●● Storrie’s compere skills are well-known on the comedy circuit, as are her viral videos which have stacked up millions of views over time. But in her brand-new show, the stand-up takes centre stage as she reveals some hard truths about growing up when everyone still views you in some capacity as a child. Cheeky banter and region- specific jokes are appreciated, but it’s not only the Scots in the room that get on board. (Arusa Qureshi) Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, until 26 Aug, 8pm, donations. BREAD AND GELLER: PRIME TIME ●●●●● Ellie Ross and Andrew Bloomer have a great chemistry and instinctive quality, with their tight performance skills very much on display in the mafia scene where boss, doomed colleague, henchmen and daughter are all played by the duo. A few sketches aren’t quite as strong as others but nevertheless Bread and Geller are well worth an hour of your time. (Marissa
CATHERINE BOHART: IMMACULATE ●●●●● It’s little surprise to learn that Bohart has the perfectionist form of OCD, as her show oozes meticulous organisation. Immaculate ticks all the boxes of a Fringe debut: confident demeanour, a strong theme, quickfire gags and the ability to make you well up a bit. Her lines are well-honed yet there’s a supremely natural quality about her delivery. (Marissa Burgess) Pleasance Courtyard, until 26 Aug (not 14), 4.15pm, £8–£10.50 (£7–£9.50).
CHARLIE PARTRIDGE: I CAN MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD. BY COMPARISON. ●●●●● Partridge opens his show with a sustained faux-German accent, live beatboxing, and loop machine tricks from audio equipment laid out on a deconstructed ironing board. Eventually he drops the façade and embarks on a tale of unrequited love, a history of awful jobs and taking DMT in a fake ashram in San Francisco. Partridge is likeable, and at times warm and earnest, but his stand-up lacks pace and laugh-out- loud moments. (Kenza Marland) Just the Tonic at The Caves, until 26 Aug (not 13), 4.50pm, £5 in advance or donations at the venue.
CHRIS MCCAUSLAND: SPEAKY BLINDER ●●●●● As a blind comedian, McCausland is even more reliant than his peers on the laughter of an audience to sustain him. His retelling of a happy marriage to a hot-blooded Brazilian psychologist is peppered with hilariously caustic asides as he envisages using sex in
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order to better manage the utility usage in his household. A moving but never manipulative story with gags aplenty (Brian Donaldson) Underbelly Bristo Square, until 26 Aug (not 13), 6.35pm, £10–£12 (£8–£10). DANIEL MUGGLETON: MOUTH BREATHER ●●●●● This Australian stand-up’s material ranges from the everyday (arguments with his girlfriend) to the controversial (whether parents should smack their children) with a confident delivery and a sense of ease with the audience. After a final segment detailing an episode with his girlfriend, the jury is still out on whether Muggleton’s angle of trying to straddle the line of offensiveness is a winner. (Suzanne Black) Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, until 26 Aug, 4pm, donations.
DAVID EPHGRAVE: MY PART IN HIS DOWNFALL ●●●●● No matter how hard Ephgrave tries in spiking some energy into the room or putting smiles on our faces, he seems too haunted by his past to plough forwards in comedy with any great conviction. There are serious issues at play here, with his mental health history pored over, but while his songs are good (if not especially funny), the humour doesn’t land often enough. (Brian Donaldson) Just the Tonic at The Caves, until 26 Aug (not 13, 20), noon, £5 (£4).
DOUGLAS WALKER PRESENTS: OF CHRISTMAS PAST ●●●●● With previous Fringe shows, Walker (also a member of the Racing Minds improv gang) has shown off a desire for recalibrating the stand-up / sketch comedy form. Here he is content to simply conjure up a yuletide yarn which may be wild-eyed fantasy, but sticks rigidly to its own rules of engagement and offers up a delightful late-night treat. (Brian Donaldson) Underbelly Bristo Square, until 26 Aug (not 14), 10.50pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10).
EGG: RICHARD PICTURES ●●●●● TV would probably benefit plenty from the strange, feminist sketch comedy and rubbery-faced characters brought to life by Anna Leong Brophy and Emily Lloyd-Saini, aka the comedy duo, Egg. A few accents could use some work but watching Egg cavort around proves that it really does take two to tango. When it comes to getting a break, Egg are asking for it. (Claire Sawers) Pleasance Courtyard, until 26 Aug (not 13), 6pm, £7–£10 (£6.50–£9). ELI MATTHEWSON: THE YEAR OF MAGICAL FUCKING ●●●●● Matthewson is back at the Fringe with a solo show about gay love, Grindr hook-ups and bullshit jock culture. His bratty, sex positive and smugly fabulous
patter is good fun and served with plenty double entendres alongside the occasional clearly very rehearsed, and great, Shania Twain impression. The delivery is confident although the ending fizzles out in a slightly anti-climactic way. (Claire Sawers) Underbelly George Square, until 27 Aug (not 13), 9.20pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).
HELGI STEINAR: COLD AS ICELANDIC ●●●●● A big advocate of thinking for yourself, this Icelandic’s outsider perspective makes for plenty of out-of-the-box ideas as he offers his views on marriage (including a great analogy for giving away the bride) and an interesting and possibly workable idea for world peace. This short show feels like Steinar is just dipping his toe into the Fringe, but it would be great to see him try a full hour. (Marissa Burgess) Laughing Horse @ Cabaret Voltaire, until 26 Aug (not 13, 20), 2.10pm, donations. HOLLY MORGAN: MADONNA OR WHORE? ●●●●● This is a musical retelling of history based on Freud’s Madonna-whore complex, which has been interpreted in contemporary culture to describe men only being able to view women as either virtuous, virginal saints or debased, sexual beings. Ably acted, beautifully sung, funny and poignant in equal measure, there are so many little touches that make this ambitious, whirlwind herstory a success. (Suzanne Black) Assembly Roxy, until 26 Aug (not 14), 7.35pm, £10–£12.
ISMO LEIKOLA: WORDS APART ●●●●● Finnish stand-up Leikola takes his deconstruction of the English language to a depth not often seen outside of a linguistics seminar. Despite pushing 40, there’s an endearing childlike quality to Leikola’s observations. Standing very much on the outside, he ponders the mysteries of language and life, filtering his observations through his somewhat absurdist yet essentially logical worldview. (Marissa Burgess) Pleasance Dome, until 26 Aug (not 13), 8.20pm, £7.50–£10 (£6.50–£9).
JACOB HAWLEY: HOWL ●●●●● Hawley brings us a very memorable, confident voice, full of white guilt, working-class self-awareness, smart views on the oxymoron of ‘lad culture’, and some good old-fashioned punchlines too. A down-to-earth talent who’s got it in spades, it’s an impressive, strong debut show that makes it feel like he’s already been doing this for years. (Claire Sawers) Just the Tonic at The Mash House, until 26 Aug (not 13), 3.40pm, £5–£6 (£4) in advance or donations at the venue. 8–15 Aug 2018 THE LIST FESTIVAL 63