8pm410pm
COMEDY REVIEW Sean Lock
fi' ‘3: 75::
Sean Lock: perfectly legitimate
Scan Lock lS no bastard. The hilarious offspring of Jack Dee and Salvador Dali, his parentage lS In no doubt whatsoever. By turns deadpan and dead weird, he weaves hrs comedy Spell with a cauldron full of magic ingredients -- Special Brew, masturbating monkeys and the Joy of Spuds
Using the kind of face you usually only see in Carry On films to full effect, Lock builds a solid set from smut, surreal asides and insight. But he’s let down» badly by a half-time film ab0ut a man north the head of a brayrng donkey which is, frankly, half—assed. (Peter Ross) fl Sean Lock (Fringe) P/easance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 37 Aug, 8 05pm, [9/18. 50/68 (£8/f7. 50/f7).
coI.IEo‘r REVIEW ‘fic it :3: is Chris Addison
Chris Addison is a raging snob. And proud of It He Is also anally retentive, prone to devratrng from his topics, and suffers from an enormous superiority complex Fortunately, he also possesses a ‘.‘.’|~L ked sense of humour, which
A HARD MlDSUMMER
SOUTHSlUE COURTMU 01316672212 AUEIUSI 17TH - 3018M 8PM. £6.00 (£5.00 CJNC) PLUEAFREEPIECE UFAYERSRUEK! LICENSEDBAR
44 THE LIST 27 Aug~l0 Sep i998
theatre 0 dance . comedy
allows him to get away with all the above. Allegedly the first step in a long campaign trail to become Prime Minister, his show is a social commentary from a very middle-class perspective which hits the mark more often than it misses. With architects, people with no social skills, office workers and mature students among his many targets, he certainly gets my vote. (Kirsty Knaggs)
a Chris Addison (Fringe) P/easance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 37 Aug, 9.30pm, £9/f8 (£8/f 7).
THEATRE REVIEW Crave ‘fi‘fi )3: ‘fit’
The Scottish debut of Sarah Kane, one of England's hottest and most controversial young playwrights, is remarkably low-key. Crave belongs to that school of dramatic disengagement favoured by the ageing Beckett. The four characters each want something from one of the others, yet their interplay is limited to brief exchanges and occasional unison cries of fury or desire.
Mostly, they srt detached, soliloquising about their cravings. The horrible violence of Kane's earlier plays is absent, but gurgling rust beneath the surface is a subtext of paedophrlia and self-disgust. The absence of plot diminishes our involvement, but energetic delivery and linguistic intensity conspire to make this an absorbing if uncathartrc 45 minutes. (Andrew Burnet)
fl Crave (Fringe) Paines Plough, Traverse Theatre (Venue 75) 228 7404, until 5 Sep (not Mons), times vary, f 9 (£6).
THEATRE REVIEW ‘fi'fi’ ‘A‘. W Tales From The Women's
Locker Room
Meet Daisi Dickie. Dreams Of Glass sees her doing some last minute revision for her practical exam in clairvoyancy, amid constant interruptions from her late Da.
When he passes on some information which changes her perception of herself and those around her, she realises that the time has come to reassess her life. Dreams Of Glass IS both hysterical and touching.
The second monologue in this new production by Scottish women's theatre group, Senga, rs An Audience With The Lizard Lady in which a human chameleon looks back on her turbulent life. Having developed her unique talent as a defense mechanism against her abusive father, she learns how to use it at will and finds fame and fortune. This beautifully written and acted piece illustrates human strength in the face of adversity. (Kirsty Knaggs)
a Tales From The Women ’s Locker Room! (Fringe) Senga Women ’5 Theatre Company, Diverse Attractions (Venue 7 I) 225 8967, until 29 Aug, 9.45pm, £5 (£4).
COMEDY REVlEW
Dylan Moran - Poncing About a a air.
shaggy fringe.
around. (Peter Ross)
Unlike the Murphy’s, he‘s very bitter. Dylan Moran ~ erstwhile domed. nice guy and ample shambler ~ makes Jonathan Swift look like Bob Geldof.
His set, though sprinkled with impromptu cheeky charm. is dominated by a critique of human indulgence that engulfs his own feelings in a tidal wave of vitriol. There's a piercing, repulsed vision peering from beneath that
Making the punters laugh seems a wholly secondary concern. Ending the set without vomiting at how awful us humans are with our sex and our booze and our 'complicated' food seems much more of a priority.
in fact, very rarely does Moran seem to be enjoying himself. He‘s up on stage because it's either that or ruin everyone's good time down the pub or rant on street corners. brown-papered bottle clutched in a trembling fist.
Sure. he'll make you laugh like few people can, but it's laughter in the dark. a concession to the genre. He jokes on this first night that he wrote the show two days ago. but he was spotted at noon. frowning at a pint and notebook, probably frantically penning some gags to leaven the bread of his spite. Dylan Moran may be poncing about. but he certainly isn‘t kidding
5% Dylan Moran ~ Poncing About (Fringe) Dylan Moran, Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until3l Aug, 9.40pm, [9 (£8.50).
THEATRE REVIEW The African Julius Caesar sir 'ft' 2% 33;
Edinburgh University graduate Toby (Bough and hrs Theatrum Botanrcum company are nothing if not ambitious. Julius Caesar, Gough tells us, is hugely popular in many African cOuntrres, where the connrvrng power struggles i between rival leaders resonate all too i readily This open-arr production was
devrsed for performance throughout that continent, and its cast divrdes evenly between African and British performers
The mark is a bizarre but largely successful hybrid, \NilK h gains drvrdends from the African costumes, drumming and dancrng, and vrbrates wrth an energetic spirit of fun. But there are sacrifices, too. It’s hard to attune the ear to — mostly well spoken tracts of Shakespearean dialogue when the staging is replete With such bersterous distractions. (Andrew Burnet) g The African Julius Caesar (Fringe) Theatrum Botanrcum, Royal Botanic Garden (Venue 793) no phone, tickets from Fringe Office or on door, until 37 Aug, 9.45pm, £8 (or I 72 as a double- bi/l with Linneaus Prince Of Flowers),
COMEDY REVIEW
Sean Cullen - Wood, Cheese And Children
a a. w
A fat geezer in a loud shirt with a Canadian accent, Sean Cullen (formerly of Corky And The Juice Pigs) relies on a kind of whimsical, surreal associational humour for his laughs. He seems more comfortable burbling along in a Jokey monologue, than pulling random suggestions from the audience, and improvising songs on them This said, the set-pieces are very funny, particular highlights being his entrance in clerical costume to perform a succession of blasphemous parables, and a parody of Van Morrison which was rrsible enough to cause bladder irritation. (Steve Cramer)
Ta Sean Cullen -- Wood, Cheese And Children (Fringe) Sean Cullen, Calder’s Gilded Balloon (Venue 36) 226 2157, until 37 Aug, 8 45pm, £8 (£7).
STAR RATINGS *tttt **t*
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