COMEDY REVIEW
Nick Wilty — Stand Up 0r Hunk? 13! Nick Wilty died tonight Of the ten people In the audience, two found him mildly amusing, one hated him and heckled mercrlessly, and the rest of us were crying With embarassment throughout the entire performance. This would normally be cause for sympathy, but he deserved every bit Of it. Not only did he request heckling in order to become more adept at handling it, he sIrnply was not funny. The discourse between Wilty and the heckler was akin to two very boring men bickerIng abOut Inconsequential details, and became so excrutiatingly cringeworthy that another member of the audience actually asked them to stop Dire (KIrsty Knaggs) Nick Wi/ty Stand Up Or Hunk? (Fringe) Cafe Royal (Venue 47) 556 2549, until 3] Aug (not 25) 8.30pm, [5
COMEDY REVIEW Ennio Marchetto “3? it “if it” as
Alter several years' absence, the wizard of ’human origami’ is back and better than ever. This big-eyed, rubber- faced Venetian uses cunnineg crafted paper and expertly selected mom for lip-syncand-dance lampoons of a host of international celebs and cultural Icons These run a gamut from Fidel Castro to Barbra Streisand.
Marchetto skewers public Images With an tiproarious, mocking affection. He is unique, a IIVing cartoon factOry whose transformations between characters literally litter the stage with sensational, spot-on invention. Elements of suspense, surprise and instant recognition combine and build and explode for our pleasure. His show is a sustained hour of heaven from an
theatre ° dance 0 comedy
entertainer touched by genius (Donald Hutera)
a Ennio Marchetto (Fringe) Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 37 Aug (not 25) 8pm, £8.50/f 7. 50
(f 7.50/f 6. 50).
THEATRE REVIEW
Why I Want To Shoot The President
sir-1k sir. fir
Those crazy Americans are so touchy. The Riot Group were fOrced to alter their work abOut John Hinckley's assassination attempt of 1981 from Why/ Want To Shoot Ronald Reagan. Luckily, the spirit remains in this piece dealing with the difficulty of language, media manipulation, the power of advertising and what happens when peOple don't fit in to the recommended course of society.
The four players give edgily impresswe performances as the tale swings back and forth from the apocalyptic millennium. Uncomfortable
and at times disturbing, Whyl Want To
Shoot The President, is ultimately greatly rewarding. (Brian Donaldson) % Why/ Want To Shoot The President (Fringe) The Riot Group, Garage Theatre (Venue 87) 221 9009, until 29 Aug, 8pm, £5 (£4).
COMEDY REVIEW Big Value Comedy Show . . . Early weew
The Iaughs-per-minute ratio is high for this fOur for the price of one comedy deal. Compere, Stephen K. Amos, kicks things Off amicably enough, and first lamb to the slaughter is Londoner Addy Borgh, a kind of puppish Marty Feldman wrth a nice line in stoned best mate patter. Next up, Jo Jo Smith is a stout blonde who seems to be on a mission to out-filth both Irvme Welsh and Jenny Eclair. But the
60 THE lIST 20—27 Aug 1998
Venus envy: Ennio Marchetto
COMEDY REVlEW Peter Kay *****
'Comedy is like marriage,’ explains Peter Kay. Well. whether you buy his analogy or not. if marriage is anything like his brand of hilarious stand-up it must be a happy and fulfilling experience.
Aside from the odd diversion or two. weddings are the main focus of his material. and it's an area that provides reams of good material. Crap Dis, drunken relatives. arsey photographers and boring buffets all receive his comedy treatment. His set is mainly aimed squarely at the twenty-something age group - those that have vivid memories of Jim'll Fix It. Rainbow and Rola-Cola.
However. even if you're not a member of the Tiswas generation, you will find his acute observations
hysterical. With the demeanour of a .
hyperactive five-yeanold, Kay sweeps the audience along on a wave of enthusiasm, causing normally reserved people to sing and clap along with the most ridiculous tunes such as the Cadbury‘s Fudge advert. With a number of successes already under
Groomed for stardom: Peter Kay
his substantial belt, including presenting BBC 25 The Sunday Show and filling in for Johnny Vaughan on The Big Breakfast. Kay has a long and happy honeymoon ahead of him. (Kirsty Knaggs)
% Peter Kay (Fringe) Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 31 Aug, 9.35pm,
£8.50/f7.50 (f7.50/£6.50).
real treat In Neil Jones, who Wins the day with his musrngs on Stephen Hawking's answering-machine message. The future of comedy might JUSI be fat and Welsh. (DaVId McNally) a Big Value Comedy (Fringe) Screaming Blue Murder, Cafe Royal (Venue 47) 556 2549, until 37 Aug (not 25) 8pm, [6.
COMEDY REVIEW Hello Again, We're the Nualas ease
Imagine three innocent-faced, heavenly-harmonied Irish Nana Mouskouris, who say 'feCk' a lot
The Nualas give good craic — easy on the ear, deadpan, self-deprecating, their off-the-wall songs deal wrth stand-ups, sex, romance and biological clocks. Musical pastiches range from Simon and Garfunkel- inspired ’Iazz' to hip hop — one Nuala bounces in the background, intoning ’motherfecker' menacingly; another celtically transposes ’one time’ to 'tea- time'.
In between numbers they contemplate the ups and downs of their new rock 'n’ roll lifestyle: the groupies and the showbiz sex. The Nualas offer a slick, dry hour's entertainment. Enjoy.
(Gabe Stewart)
% Hello Again, We ’re the Nualas (Fringe) Calder’s Gilded Balloon (Venue 38) 226 2151, until 31Aug (not 30) 8.45pm, £8 (15 7).
THEATRE PREVIEW The Taming Of The Shrew
Most Shakespeare productions don't involve appearances by Rolf Harris, Scooby D00 and Sister Wendy. Putting that straight, lllyria present 'uproarious romp' The Taming Of The Shrew.
Shakespeare's plays had so many contemporary references which we Will never understand because we weren't around 400 years ago,’ says Artistic Director Oliver Gray. ’We try to give a modern audience a similar experience by deftly referring to characters that they'll recognise.”
lllyria tour the length and breadth Of the country With their pacey productions which, while connecting Shakespeare to the present day, stay true to the riotous spirit of Renaissance performance.
'l’m fed up seeing Shakespeare performed in a dull, dry, monotonous way,’ says Gray. ‘I've always said he wrote for entertainment. He's bawdy, he's crude and the plays sh0uld be played at a rate of knots, not the four- hour epics that we get in Stratford.‘ (Fiona Shepherd)
m The Taming Of The Shrew (Fringe) lI/yria, Bed/am Theatre (Venue 49) 225 9893, 25—29 Aug, 8.05pm, f 7 (f 5).
STAR RATINGS '
*tttt
lJlIllll‘flvlhlt‘ \.t‘l\,’ i'ttgtitl '. Illi giwIII':
in I»