8pm ~10pm
COMEDY PREVIEW
Stewart Lee
'If you only see two shows this year, don't see mine,’ says Stewart Lee. 'You should watch AI Murray and Greg Fleet instead '
But isn’t that a bit, er, unorthodox, advising people to see other comedians' shows? ’That's the great thing about Edinburgh, you can do what you like. You pay for the space, and you're not pissing off the
promoter if you fuci. up If you want to
lose £l0,000 on a show, It's up to
you ' z o 1 Our fabulous festival line-up includes-
Madisan Page, Brendhan & Radar and Lounge Lizards - plus much more!!!
Please ring for programme details. BOX OFFICE - 228 3765
VENUE 106 27 - 31 WEST PORI, GRASSMARKU, EDINBURGH
Grog Proops
He’s Not Coming
as THE LIST 6-13 Aug i998
theatre ° dance - comedy
Lee's new show is largely about stand-up Itself, and cheeriiy slaughters a few sacred comedy cows (Mr Bean, says Lee, is ’nothing more than a playground spazz act'). Next year's act will go even further into the unknown: 'lt’s gOing to be all about the Russian space flight programme. i think I can make that really funny' (Ed Grenby' 2a Stewart Lee (Fringe) Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 73 Aug, 9.25pm, £8 ([7)
THEATRE PPEV'E‘.‘l The African Julius Caesar
Witch doctors, dictators, riots, carinzbals. Not what you expert to fll‘rfl in the normally peaceful setting of the Royal Botanic Garden
Theatrum Botanicurn, which includes members of the National Dance Company of Malawi, have recently completed a tour of Africa. 'It was
amazing,’ says Roxana Pope, who plays -
Caesar's Wife in the [)i()(ltl(ll(i.’i. ’Everybody there knows the play, its been on their A Level course for about twenty years, They really don’t have theatre there at all so we were playing to audiences of thousands, all screaming and shouting It was great to be performing to that kind of enthusiasm.’
African drumming, tribal danCIng,
traditional songs and rap all have their place in this spectacular perfoririance. ’Shakespeare has been done so many times, you really need a good reason to do it again,’ says Pope. ’Our way of looking at it is so fresh, and I think Shakespeare really needs that ’ (Kirst Knaggs) a The African Julius Caesar (Fringe) T/ieatrum Botanicuin, Royal Botanic Garden (Venue 793) 9-37 Aug (not 74, 27, 28) 9.45pm, [5
COMEDY PREVIEW Sean Cullen — Wood, Cheese And Children!
In the absence of bOrster'ous Canadian comedy troupe Corky And Tiie Juice Pigs at this year's Fringe, two of their number are mounting their own shows. Sean Cullen has gone solo before, but has never been happier to stand alone than with his new show Wood, Cheese And Cliildreri’ wh'r it received the Mike Myers sea! of approval when it premiered in Toronto
Expect characters, impressions, singing and improvisation sciariibled together. ‘I do a song where I ask the crowd for their favourite hrle and then I devise a way of killing them with it,’ says Cullen. ’lt's called "The Food Of Your Ch0ice Will End Your Life Tonight".'
The show has already made it onto Canadian TV and there are other opportunities for Cullen Hopefully this does not signify the splinteririg of a Juicy partnership, like Geri leaving The Spice Girls.
'On no,’ says Cullen, ’If we split there would actually be an impact'
(Fiona Shepherd) a Sean Cullen — Wood, Cheese And
COMEDY PREVlEW Ennio Marchetto
surreal.
toun
Origami addict: Ennio Marchetto
Paper parodies of popular personalities! With music! Does it get any more bizarre than this? Ennio Marchetto is way out there in the land of the
In an act described as ‘human origami‘, he transforms himself, via the use of paper costumes, into various celebrities, with a soundtrack for each. The Pope, Stevie Wonder, the Venus De Milo and the Mona Lisa among others are subjected to his cutting form of mimicry.
Marchetto last played Britain in 1994, when he was nominated for a prestigious Laurence Olivier award. Since then he has sold out venues in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris and Berlin and supported Erasure on their world
With over 100 characters in his repertoire, Marchetto is constantly on the lookout for more. ‘lt's quite difficult to find contemporary characters because there are so many artists,’ he explains. ’It has to be people that the audience will recognize.’ New additions include the Teletubbies. Elton John. The Spice Girls and Celine Dion aboard the Titanic with a paper Leonardo and Kate perched at the bow of the boat. 'I don't know why the audience like that one so much,’ he says. ’I hate Celine Dion.’ (Kirsty Knaggs)
Ennio Marchetto (Fringe) Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, 781 Aug (not 77, i8, 25) 8pm, [8. 50/1? 7. 50 (f 7. 50/156. 50). Preview 6 Aug, 8pm, [ 5.
Children! (Fringe) Sean Cullen, Calder's Gilded Balloon // (Venue 36) 226 2 75 7, 7—37 Aug (not 77, 78) 8.45pm,
8i’f7. 50 (£7/[6 50)
COMEDY PREVIEW No Contest
5 There's So You Think You're Funny, The
3 Open Mic Award and, of course, the
Perrier. The management at Edinburgh
stand—up club The Stand, thinks three
comedy competitions are excessive and
is boycotting all of them. Director lane
Mackay believes awards are harmful to
l developing comedians ’One five minute spot on one particular night is
not a good way to Judge what people are capable of,’ she says,
The Stand takes a more nurturing
attitude towards young talent with
, workshops and open spots, All the
i performers at No Contest are
graduates of the club’s Sunday night newcomers show, Pint-Sized Comedy. Regular compere Allan Miller is Jomed by John Flint, Liane Ellis, Adie C, John
i Gordon and Martin Furby. The six have
been selected on the basis of ’promise
E and variety‘ and should offer good
, value. (Rory Ford) 2% No Contest (Fringe) The Stand
Comedy Club (Venue 5) 558 7272, 6 30 Aug (not 77) 8 30pm, {5(1‘4).
COMECY PRE‘ilFW Dave Gorman - Reasons To Be Cheerful
Dave German is clearly a nutiob Havrng won two BAFTAs in as many years for co-writing The Mrs Merton Show — and despite 'gettino paid a fortune for sitting around with three other northern Oaks trying to make ourselves Iaugh’ — he has chucked it all in to bring a stand- up show to Edinburgh An hour-long stand-up show An hour~long stand-up show about a four-minute pop song. Reasons To Be Clreerfu/ is based (and not loosely, either) on the Ian Dury song of the same name. Gorman inSists the show is the result of drink-induced bravado 'My mate bet me l couldn’t talk about that one song for an hour, and l stupidly refused to back down. l’ve prostrated myself on the sword of obsession But I won the bet, so I’m £10 richer for it.' (Ed Grenby) as. Dave German — Reasons To Be Cheerful (Fringe) Dave German, P/easance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 37 Aug (not 77, 25) 9 30pm, £9/[8 ([8/[ 7) Previews 5, 6 Aug, 9.30pm, £4.