Cartoon counterparts at the Edinburgh Festival.
This week: Johnny Vegas and Cartman
Aggressive, Northern character comedian Johnny Vegas shares a
big waistband and a bad attitude With aggressive cartoon
character Eric Cartman. The porky animated kid would call
you a ’dildo’ if he felt you posed a threat to his stash of
Cheesy Poofs, while portly gagmeister Vegas would
kick your poncified, arty-farty arse for looking at his
pint funny. (Birth and mirth apart, the pair are qune different. Beneath Vegas's forbidding exterior gleams a heart of purest gold and a deep need to be loved, while the Cartman chest contains nothing but blocked arteries, hatred and a deep need
to be fed. Plus, to our knowledge, Johnny Vegas
was never subjected to an anal probe by cow-
mutilating space aliens. Who knows, though? These
Perrier judges are pretty thorough.
Selling Out (Fringe) Johnny Vegas, Calder’s Gilded
Balloon (Venue 38) 226 2757, 7-37 Aug (not Tue) 70.45pm, £8 (£7).
Johnny Vegas At The Palladium (Fringe) Johnny Vegas,
Calder’s Gilded Balloon At The Palladium (Venue 26)
226 2757, 28—30 Aug, 8. 75pm, £70 (£8).
Autocrat
’A mechanical fire-breathing monster wreaks carnage SOCiety implodes through fear and suspicion .' So begins the description of Autocrat, - ‘ ~~‘ the new show by fire-performance outfit te POOKa ' '1“ —- the crazed geniuses behind Edinburgh's famous _,i.~’ "" . Beltane celebrations With Wild costumes, customised vehicles and flames a-plenty, this techno-medieval, future-shock fantasy shOuId Singe y0ur eyebrows. Best leave pets and petrol at home Autocrat (Fringe) te POOKa, The Quad (Venue 7 92) 220 5606, 7—20 (not 8, 70, 77, 77Aug) 70pm, £8 ([5).
Princess Sharon
Keynotes for Scarlet Theatre are bizarre material and inventive staging. This year, the London-based women's company is back With Princess Sharon. For this fable of sooal conformity, set in the Polish court, the company has hired male actors for the first time ever Do say: 'a preCise and lurid movement style deft and daft' (The Times did). Don't say' 'Is that a castle in your barnet, or is Eurodisney downsmng?’ Princess Sharon (Fringe) Scarlet Theatre, Traverse Theatre (Venue 75) 228 7404, 72—23 Aug, times vary, [9 ([6). Prewew show 77 Aug, 5.30pm, [6 ([4),
Blue House
Heading up the annual festive invasion of rootsy Australian bands is this sparkling threesome. Ploughing the rich vein of cabaret, their act takes in everything from rib-cracking humorous ditties to heart-breaking torch sOngs Three-part harmonms make up the pulsing s0u| of the music while diverse musmal styles add their own nuances. We , congratulate ourselves on resisting the temptation k I n . ,Ei " Allmfl’a‘ to mention something old, something new, ‘ ' something borrowed and something blue. Doh Blue House (Fringe) The Spiege/tent (Venue 87) 558 8070, 7—70Aug, 9pm, 73—76 Aug, 70.30pm, 24, 26, 28, 30 Aug, midnight, £7 ([5).
Blue blouse
8 THEUST 6—13 Aug 1998 ‘ Princess Sharon