TOMMY TIERNAN
Master craftsman with a divine comedy 00000
Not many comedians could get away with two potentially catastrophic errors from the kick off. Firstly, through no fault of Tommy Tiernan’s own, his show begins over half an hour late but he demands of us that we stay in our seats for the next 61 minutes, cancelling all plans for the rest of the evening. Secondly, utterly down to his own judgement, he has surely the most ornate backdrop to any comedy show in the Fringe’s history. This vast painting of a surrealist circus is so detailed that you could spend the entire hour (plus one minute) staring at its complexities (is that Bob Dylan wearing boxing gloves I can see in one corner?). Yet, it is testament to Tiernan’s sublime powers as a writer and performer that any tardiness is forgiven and his backdrop is forgotten within minutes.
The spectacular artwork is not the show’s only background as he takes us on a whistle-stop tour of a travel-heavy childhood from Ireland to Africa, off to England and back to Ireland, dropping in hilarious anecdotes of his friends, family and figures of authority. For source material, he may pick some of the genre’s staples (the differences between men and women, childhood, ‘the outsider’ and religion) but in his hands they are resurrected and taken to places that they’ve very rarely been; though his material about the crucifixion will no doubt have upset certain members of a community that has banged on his door decrying him for blasphemy on previous occasions.
Tiernan’s stage presence has often been acclaimed, his ability to wreak hysteria in an audience in one moment while forcing them to be hushed with silence the next as he shifts tones to blistering effect. For the most part, Loose is a shouty show, only one genuine pin-dropping sequence aside, but it’s all the more powerful for its isolation. And in the name of his art, the Navan comic is not afraid to look foolish, galloping across the stage, contorting himself into human misshapes and becoming emotional wreckage in his portrayal of a menstruating woman.
If some people are to be believed, Tiernan has never quite recaptured the form of his 1998 show which propelled him to Perrier glory. There may well be a case for that viewpoint, but he is still able to reach the comedic parts that the overwhelming majority of his stand-up peers can only dream about. (Brian Donaldson)
I Assembly Hall. 226 2428. until 28 Aug, 9.05pm, 5‘14 (FIB).
Camut - Kiting Kita - Walking
With Rhythm
The international phenomenon CAMUT BAND has returned to Edinburgh with a brand new show. with a mix of fantastic rhythms and passionate dance. 10.30pm, 24-27 Aug 11.00pm 28 Aug. Assembly Hall on the Mound.
21150-21350
assembly
Tickets are subject to availability and will be issued on a first-come first-served
basis. Claim early to avoid disappointment. please claim the tickets in person from Assembly Hall b0x office. Mound Place. This offer is not available on the phone or on the web. This voucher entitles you to 2 tickets per coupon.
Seymour Mace - Imaginary Friends Reunited
Single male. 36 seeks imaginary people to live in his head. Come along and laugh at a lonely man who has never had any real friends. and meet the freaks he made up to get by. 9.30pm. 24, 25 & 26 August only. 2850—21050
Tickets are subject to availability and
will be issued on a first-come first-served basis. Claim early to avoid disappointment. Please claim the tickets in person from Assembly Rooms. 54 GeOrge Street. This offer is not available on the phone or on the web. This voucher entitles you to 2 tickets per coupon.
Dr Bunhead’s Recipe for Disaster
This voucher entitles you to buy 2 tickets for the price of 1 to see the anarchic world record holding TV Scientist (Brainiac, Blue Peter) with his hit show and a kitchen full of extreme experiments! Pleasance Grand. Pleasance Courtyard. 12.15pm (1.15pm). £9 (£7). Valid 25-28 August. Assembly Rooms.
Subject to strictly limited availability.
Two tickets per voucher. one voucher per person. Please bring voucher to Box Office in person.
Lorilei
This voucher entitles you to buy 2 tickets for the price of 1 to see the critically acclaimed Lorilei; the amazing true story of a mother who fought to save her own child's murderer from execution in the USA. Pleasance JackDome, Pleasance Dome. 2.55pm (3.55pm). $28.50 ($37). Valid 24. 25 & 29 Aug.
Subject to strictly limited availability.
Two tickets per voucher. one voucher per person. Please bring voucher to Box Office in person.
25 Aug-8 Sci) 2005 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 83