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Every fortnight, The List slices through the hype to get to the heart of what’s happening In Glasgow
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m ‘v‘.
I For the f sharpest writing, pick f ‘ up The List I fortnightly F from " Thursday 28 ' August
64 THE LIST 22—-28 Aug 1997
FESTIVAL 8pm —lOpm
THEATRE REVIEW The Paradox Of Insanity! I Mean Humanity!!
* * it * Rick Almada's off-puttineg titled one- rnan show has 'Fringe spirit’ written all over it, and it's more of an engaging curiosity than a wholly successful entertainment
Consisting of eight very different monologues, and eight short taped dialogues to fill in during tostume changes, it is basically a vehit le for Alrnada’s brilliantly |Il( IsIVe characterisations The st ript itself is not bad, but it's Almada's perfect rendition of the physical and verbal tit s of his characters that keeps the audience
amused They are funny because they
are only the slightest exaggerations of people we see every day
A whimsically funny show With the potential to really (att h fire (Ed Grenby) I The Paradox Of Insanity/ lMean Humanity” (FT/Ith’.” Seventh Son Productions, Greyfriars Kirk House (Venue 28) 225 3626, until 30 Aug
(not 28), 9 30pm, [5 ([4)
COMEDY REVIEW The Topp Twins
‘ki‘k‘k
Camper than a row of tents and as l dykey as a little Dutth boy's finger, the
KIWI Topp Twins don't seem to know which team they're batting for
1 Audiences watching their slit k gender i transformations are likely to be rust as a confused Breathing fresh life into the
ailing form of song-based (omedy, the Twrns mix cross-dressing, st hmalt/y ditties, yodelling, grotesque taritatures and some mean spoon playing II Jest not) to create a kitst h show packed With light-hearted humour You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll sing
(Jonathan Trewl
I The Topp Twms' (Fringe) Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) 226 2428, until 30 Aug (not 25) 8pm, [7 50/[8 SO
([6 50/17 50)
The Topp Twins: two little boys/girls
THEATRE REVIEW Up The Duff it *lGet A Life t
Mother Nature must've been a bitch. Imagine landing your own kind with all that puking, pain and stretchmarks caper. Still, there's always the alleged rosy glow, not that there’s much sign of it here. First up are three women with very different reactions to the big news that they‘re Up The Duff. Going from morning sickness through to methadone, with many a hiccup en route, none of them are of the husband, home and stable bank- balance mould either.
As with any body part or function, there's much comic mileage up for grabs which these Kiwis wring out heavy-handedly, while occasional attempts at a serious storyline
J
(
seem misplaced considering the sensational family baggage — gay hubbies, ménage a trois with your ma, that sort of thing. Sure to kill any clucky
inklings stone dead.
And yet the baby boom continues in Get A Life, which sees an unlikely bond develop between a cleaner and a woolly middle-class PTA and church
socials type, both on the receiving end of the archetypal can't-keep-his-flies-
done bloke.
Unconvincing characters, a ridiculously OTI’ plot twist and some cringeworthy songs and dialogue make for a rough ride. Maybe you had to be there. But surely the birth experience can't be any more painful than
this. (Claire Prentice)
I Get A Life (Fringe) Hourglass Productions, Marcos (Venue 98) 228 91 16, until 30 Aug, 8.50pm, £5 ([4). Up The Duff (Fringe) AHA! Sister City Sisters From Dunedin, New Zea/and, Roman Eagle Lodge (Venue 27) 225 7226, until 30 Aug
(not 28) times vary [5 (£4).
f THEATRE REVIEW -
The Handwriting, The Soup
i And The Hats
t t *
Annex Theatre from Seattle have come up with possibly the most tryptic title of the year, and a somewhat baffling play Handwriting does play a part,
while soup and hats are entirely peripheral What it's really about Is
three women linked by a rather less- than plausible series of (()|ll( Idences A struggling at tress, a writer and a
dental hygienist then have to come to terms with issues of identity, personal
history and their own frustrated ambitions It's a slightly awkward blend of comedy and pathos, but the (omedy wins out A slender piece of
theatre, but there's some fun to be had ’ along the way (Stephen Naysmith)
I The Handwriting, The Soup And The Hats (Fringe) Annex Theatre, South Bridge Resource Centre (Venue 723) 558 999 7, until 30 Aug (not 24)
9. 75pm (26, 28, 30 Aug, noon) [6 50 ([5 50)
COMEDY REVIEW
i Bill Bailey
*irii
After a slow start 'ungrilled' he called It - Bill Bailey got into the kind of stride \Nlll( h almost landed him the PQUIC‘T last year Even if some of his dope-induced ramblings were familiar from 96 I calculated 43% rehashing - he still Wipes the floor With most stand-ups and all musical-based
i comedy, bar none
' /
Up The Duff: or maybe inst plain duff
His parodies of Billy Bragg and Chris
‘ de Burgh hit the mark, as did his ; analysis of the ages of iron and bronze
'everyone came third in the Olympics ' He even touched on the devolution question. In a haphazard, rambling, Bill Bailey kind of way, of course (Brian Donaldson)
I Bill Bailey (Fringe) George Square Theatre (Venue 37) 650 2007, until 29 Aug, 9.45pm, [9 ([8).
Still rising: Bailey's English Cream
STAR RATINGS
*‘htr'k * Unmissable
it t a it Very 00d
* t t Wort seeing
it * Below average
it You've been warned