FESTIVAL REVIEW
.‘I'AG
TIMI“!
presents an adaptation of William Shakespeare‘s
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\’ —l Cambridge Street, Edinburgh 3 Friday 14th—Saturday 29th August 1987 at 2.30pm (not Suns)
I 3 Tickets available from Lyceum Box Office. 031 229 9698.9 and
Fringe Box Office, 170 High Street.
MERMAID’S LEG
presents
HOURS BY THE WINDOW by Margaret Douglas This play explores the love story of Arthur and Cynthia Koestler which came to a controversial conclusion with their joint suicide in 1983. This IS an evocative and atmospheric theatrical piece. August 10, 12, 14, 18.20.22 at 7.30pm STEVEN NEWMAN DOESN’T EAT QUICHE by Sian Pattenden An exciting first play by Sian Pattenden with delightful insights into teenage life in the Eighties. August 1 1, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21 at7.30pm
Both plays are at the Calton Lounge, Calton Studios, Calton Road Tickets from the Festival Fringe Box Office or on the door
SPEAKOUT
Tickets £5 (U840 £4.50) Monday 24th August at 10pm
ASSEMBLY ROOMS
GEORGE STREET EDINBURGH
Box Office 031-226 2427/8
Th“ concert is not listed 1.". the ir'nnge programme hekeu are or sale ONLY at the Assembly Box Ollice.
FESTIVAL THEATRE
P.E.P. TALK AND THE TOKEN MALE
Thistrio. Lil Edwards. Hachael Fisherand Lawrence Smith. irom Coventry are the remaining core oithe company who brought us lastyear‘s ‘Cloud Nine' Fringe comedy. Their humour is. despite the show’s title. leminist in onlythe broadest sense — men are the objects at desire as well as ridicule. and they cheerlully send up theirown lair sex in the guise ottwo naughty. lascivious St Trinian‘s brats.
In between the songs and sketches the “token male‘ waxes lyrical on such masculine dilemmas as adolescent angst and the need tor designer clothes and other status symbols. Delivered in a sub-John Cooper Clark manner. his material is neither as clever noras iunny as the girls’. But when all three join
together in a couple otwell synchronised sketches- post mortems on the wild weekend-theircomic talent shines through. (Lily MacGilivray)
o P.E.P. Talk and the Token Male— in Cabaret. Calton Studios. Calton Road (Tic Tee 5 & 6). 556 7066. Until 29 Aug (not Suns), 10pm. £2.50 (£2).
LIP SERVICE/ LOOK WHAT WE’VE GOT!
Maggie and Sue are two innocent (well. slightly experienced) right-on leminist stand-up comediennes irom Manchester who tind themselves underthreat irom a pair otmagazine- show television presenters (coincidentally known as Margaret and Susan).
Fleeing irom danger. they go on a world tour. taking in some really quite iamous sights. a desperate train ioumey and an encounter with a very small man who vaults barbed wire lenses on a motorbike.
This show is ingeniously witty. onlya little bitrude. exceptionally late (but at least it only lasts an hour and a bit) and contains some completely useless advice about making babies. See it "you’re not tucked up by midnight. (Andrew Bumet)
0 Look What We've Got. Lip Service. Theatre Workshop. 34 Hamilton Place (Venue 20). 226 5425. Midnight, £3.00 (£2.25).
THE GILDED SHEATH
To describe this show as highly prolessional and extremely entertaining is to undersell it. its great charm
is in the well-iorged partnership (‘Briiderschatt‘ asthey describe it in one song) between these two genuinelylunny men. Deliciously camp Kit assures ustheir relationship is ‘strictly non-penetrative', while the Widow sits grinning sheepishly at the piano. ltis
a happy union.
The show itsell is a series otwittily scribed songs presented with elegance and vivacity and linked by the slickest oi patter. The lyrics are wickedly satirical. mildly obscene and
trequentlyrib-splitting.
They cover a range 01 topics .
irom the Tories (‘a partyto handle/any kind oi sexual » scandal‘) to Joan Collins,
; whose ears, we may rest
assured. do not meet
behind her head.
(Andrew Bumet) o The Gilded Sheath. Kit and the Widow. Cale Royal Bistro Theatre, 17 West Register Street, (venue 78). 557 4792. Until 29 Aug..
1 10.15pm, 23.5003).
NICK REVELL
A largeraudience would make all the ditterenceto Nick Hevell's engaging
stand-up comedy routine.
l
His observations are sharp and topical. with the odd lengthieryarn breaking the monotony oi constant one-liners. (Hattie Evans)
0 Heriot Watt Theatre (Tic Tee 2 6 3), 30 Grindlay Street, (venue 7), 229 3574. Until 29 Aug, 7.15pm. £3 (£2.50).
sxmr VIDEO
SKINT VIDEO open by telling the audience to put clingtilm on theirtongues and snag theirneighbour (these boys are socially aware). Social conscience seemsto run high inthe minds otthe sell-styled ‘most disgusting slobs in comedy' who are here in Edinburgh lor ‘the quasi-religious experience oi being able to drink until tour in the moming’. Their lyrics are biting, abusive and always iunny. Jeitrey Archer and Edwina Curry come in tor a blasting. Cecil Parkinson is ‘tying a blue-ribbed condom', even Col Oliver North has an anthem that Don MacLean would have been proud oi (Hi, Hi it's an American lie,
CABARET SHOWS
it's a big one. it's a Nixon. it‘s a real perky-pie). Beer-swilling leit-wing, vitriolic and proud oi lt;l wasn‘t surprised when Skint Video apologised tor not doing many love songs. (Tristan Davies)
0 SkintVideo. Assembly Rooms. 54 George Street, (venue 3). 226 2427/8. Until 29 Aug. midnight. £4.25 (£3.50)
NEWSREVUE ’87
One at the tunniersketches in this annual show deals with new ranges oi condoms, like ‘the lrangate -you can pull it out. but it‘ll leak all overthe place‘, but iokes oi similar quality are tew and tar between. lhad high expectations at this show. with advance
I publicitybilling it assome
kind oi satirical least. the best at the sketches pertormed in the continuously-updated London show, and the stage, screen and radio credits oi those involved. It was Denis Healey. lthlnk. who once described a mauilng irom Geottrey Howe as ‘Iike being
savaged by a dead sheep‘.
Well, Howe would be like a Bengal tiger next to Hewsrevue. who seem content to namedrop their subiects rather than go tor the jugular. Relying onthe expectation that a mention oiJeitrey Archer, Ollie North or Bob Geldoiwill raise a laugh by itsell, no matter how threadbare the material, is just not good
. enough.(Mab) ; oHewsrevue‘87.StMary‘s
Hall. St Mary‘s Street. 557 4829. Until Aug 29. 9.30pm
(10.45). £4 (£3). Aug 21 and 2012.45am (2am).
BLOOLIPS
This visually extravagant and outrageously camp troupe bring two shows and
i a dazzling array ot irocks to . the Fringe.
Siungback and Strapless is the elaborate saga othow a Hollywood actress became Mao Tse Tung's secretary. Fartrom consistently iunny. it has some marvellous moments like their human ilower show on stage. Bette's diatribe against men. or that unexpected guest appearance irom Mao’s mouth. Less inventive is their newer show Trash,
My gut reaction is ‘can’t sing. can‘t dance, can amuse a little‘. but many oi the audience would disagree. An acquired taste perhaps. (Stephanie Billen) o Bloolips. Assembly Rooms. 54 George Street (Venue 3) 226 2427/0. 10pm. Teenage Trash: Until 20 Aug. then 2527 Aug. Slungback and Strapless: 21-23 Aug and 28-29 Aug.
12'I'hc 1-15131 Aug — 3 Sept