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COMEDY
BOOTHBY CHAFFOE
Boothby Graffoe may be the circuit's best-kept secret. It‘s almost ludicrous that after ten years of solid graft. a stand-up this diverse and confident should never have been introduced to the world of television or radio. but as he says: 'l‘m not a big fan of stand-up on telly.‘
Graffoe has a distinctive look and remarkably versatile hair. going from shaggy dog to skinhead overnight, then back. then ...look. it‘sjust sort of normal at the moment. But it‘s almost impossible to describe his act — except to say he's hilarious. with an overwhelming and sometimes surreal charm.
He‘s kept the new show close to his chest. but it won’t be an hour of straight gags to mic. By way of explanation. Graffoe offers this: ‘Do you remember when Bucks Fizz won the Eurovision song contest and they had a little dance routine. then next year every nation had a two boy/two girl dance troupe with little dance
Boothby Grattoe: hair today
routines?’ Er. yes. ‘Every year you get a different bandwagon and l‘mjust one of the onesjurnping from one bandwagon to another. desperately trying to get on.‘ He's lying to you. but you get the idea. (Cait Hurley)
I Boothby Grattoe (Fringe) The Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550. until 2 Sept. 9.25pm. £7/£8 (£6/£7).
COMEDY NEWSREVUE
The success of Have I Got News For You? and newsroom sitcom Drop the Dead Donkey Show that the time-honoured formula of satirising current news is as popular as ever. One of the longest running is Newsrevue ’ which started its unbroken run of comedy bulletins sixteen years ago.
Now something of a cult. the London-based Newsrevue team has been a breeding ground for writers who have later gone on to work for the better paid television shows. The Edinburgh show has traditionally been a ‘best of‘ compilation which acts as a kind of comedy review of the year's major news events. However. as demonstrated by the recent reruns of Dead Dun/rev. which was scripted hours before the first transmission to
FESTIVAL
" ’ V
include topical references.
news satire has a short sell-by date.
So this year Newsrm'm' aims to cover news events breaking during the Festival. with up to 30 writers faxing gags to the performers in Edinburgh. Actor lan Angus Wilkie. who describes himself as Edinburgh ‘born. bread
and buttered'. reckons any
subject is fair game. ‘We just try everything the writers send us and see which are funniest.‘ Wilkie says. Don‘t expect too many jokes about Bosnia and child murder. (Ben Brown)
I IIewsrevue (Fringe) Marco‘s (Venue 98) 228 9] l6. ll Aug—2 Sept (not 27) 9pm. £7 (£5).
I Embarquez I Vélo Thétitre
I Nada Thétitre
Three French companies at venue m Theatre Workshop Tel: (0131) 226 5425
hesented by the Institut {ranges d’frosse with the support of Edinburdi District (ounai
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fl visual feast!
12h45 16h30
22h00
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Comedy songs? Dontcha just hate ’em. 3 Yep, with a blood-gorged vengeance. And yet and yet - courtesy ot pin-point ' harmonies and scabrous minds the ' Doug Anthony All-Stars rehabilitated the torm, before handing on the baton to tellow colonials Corky & The Juice Pigs who, thanks to songs about cheese and donkeys, have wowed Edinburgh in a sold-out stylee tor the past tour years.
But now they too are (momentarily) standing by - mainly through pregnancy (Greg’s wite) and solo projects (Sean brings Dame Sybil Thorndyke to the Gilded Balloon this year) - and ushering in similarly- minded Canadians Radio Free Vestibule. ‘Razor-sharp musicianship and an impertinent attitude to pop culture,’ quoth The Toronto Globe & l
5 Mail. So there.
The Montreal trio are part at the Crack Up Canada package being
1 hosted by, yep, the other Juicey Pig, 3 3 Phil IIicoI. While his colleagues are
1 otherwise engaged (and while his wite I ‘ presents her Dog, Food, Dad show at . the Gilded Balloon), IIicoll has been .
can and the mice P
a; 7.1;; w igs: the Canadian comedy club working on material predicated round
f his Scottish background. “I’m working
on an idea that I’m not actually
Canadian,’ he says. ‘That’s what I’m
gonna be talking about, culture
appropriation. You got Greg Budetsky, j they got me.’
The third act is stand-up Mike
Wilmot, ‘a very Canadian comedian’, ’ according to Nicol. Guite what that . means will surely become clear at
Crack Up Canada. Or at one at the we’ve-iust-decided-what-the-hell
f Corky & Juice Pigs ‘Best Ot’ shows.
It’s all very contusing isn’t it? (Craig
McLean)
'3 Crack Up Canada (Fringe) Crack Up 3 Canada, Gilded Balloon ( Venue 38) 225 2151, 11 Aug-2 Sept, 8.30pm, £5.50
(£5.50).
A lot of People Ask Me . . . An Item With Dame Sybil (Fringe) Cilded Balloon (Venue 38) 225 2151, 11 Aug—2 Sept, 8pm, £5 (£4).
Corky & The Juice Pigs (Fringe) Corky & The Juice Pigs, Palladium ( Venue 25) 555 5969, 28 Aug-2 Sept, 9.15pm, £8.50 (£7.50).
COMEDY ?
§ John Moloney
comedy circuit, John Moloney’s
; year with his show Only Moloney
. which mixed his engaging bloke-ish
i observations with a delve into his Irish ‘ roots, bodhran and all. This year the
more immediate past - as a French
tree periods.
. French classes in a large, inner city 1 London comprehensive, Fringe
7 at least you're standing In tront at
people who want to be there,’ agrees
Moloney, “but in some ways teaching
f is like stand-up In that you’ve got tlve minutes to prove yourselt when you
After paying his dues on the London
Edinburgh breakthrough came last
cuddly stand-up will be discussing his
teacher. So sit up straight and pay attention; there could well be questions at the end. Using a loose classroom structure, Moloney will jump trom subject to sublect with no
Compared to keeping order during
hecklers must be a doddle, eh? “Well,
walk into the classroom. You have to
John Moloney: ‘lncomlng chalk-duster’
look like you know what you’re doing or you won’t hold the kids’ attention.’ So no staring out the window - Moloney’s a crack shot with the chalk duster! (Eddie Gibb)
John Moloney's Class at 95 (Frlnge) John Moloney, Gllded Balloon (Venue 38) 225 2151, 11 Aug-2 Sept, 8pm, £5. 50 (£5.50).
50 The List 11-17 Aug 1995