Pam Ann see Pam‘s air hostess evokes the age when flying was glamorous and exclusive. and cuts it through with plenty of bitchiness and self- obsession. Air travel should be a mine of observation but too much crowd-mugging and an inflexible script knock the highs. (Robin Lee) Pleasanee Courtyard. 556 6550. until 29 Aug. 8.50pm. £10—£I I ([8. 50-19. 50).
Slaughterhouse Live see The four Lancastrians could never be accused of giving a damn about how they appear. This extends to political correctness too. ls naming their ‘human clarinettist' Spacker Bilk beyond the pale‘.’
(Robin Lee) Gilded Balloon Teriot. 668 I633. until 28 Aug. 7pm. [850—1950 (£7.50—£8.50).
No Birds Go Into a Bar . . .
COO . . . and one of them makes us laugh. It isn't Ayesha Hazarika. whose jokes about race. religion and Glasgow are too predictable. Zoe Lyons has a neat line in impressions and some decent gay marriage gags. and she pulls this show out of mediocrity. (James Smart) ('ity Cafe. 07815 I96 828. until 28 Aug. 8.15pm. £7 (£6).
The Umbilical Brothers see
What a brilliant wheeze for the under- rehearsed comic: pretend the show is a rehearsal! While this is indeed a tad on the scruffy side. there are some inspired moments such as a fight to the death between the performers and two glove puppets. (Allan Radcliffe) I’leasanee Courtyard. 556 6550. until 28 Aug. 8.30pm. [I I.50—£I2. 50 (HO—{II}.
Up the Anti see Eddie Brimson has a fascinating tale to tell about his years of animal rights campaigning and trumped-up charges. He is an occasionally preachy but also likeable. engaging comic with a diverting show. (Allan Radcliffe) Edinburgh Comedy Room. The Tron. 226 0000. until 29 Aug. 3pm. [5 ([4). Bennett Arron C. If star ratings were given for sympathy. then the ‘Welsh Seinfeld' would be a safe five-star bet. Arron had his identity stolen. losing his life in one horrible fell swoop. Now with the horror behind him. he can just about laugh at it. Shame that his crowd felt differently. (Brian Donaldson) Underbelly. 0870 745 3083. until 28 Aug. 5pm. £8 ([7).
David Benson .0 We all love a good conspiracy theory. but unfortunately this show isn‘t so much about plots to kill Diana as a meditation on the inner workings of David Benson himself. Cute show tunes are all very amusing but the conclusion descends into sentimentality. (Rachael Street) Assembly Rooms. 226 2428. until 29 Aug. 3.05pm. [Ill-[I I ([9—[I()).
Bicycle Men 00 An American tourist‘s bike breaks and he‘s trapped in a French village of doom. Unfortunately. the plot is a device to support naff songs and jokes about fake boobies. sex and poo. (Robin Lee) Underbelly. 0870 745 3083. until 28 Aug. 7.20pm. £9--£10 (rs—£9)
The Bicycling Comedian’s One Man Show .0 This is essentially a bunch of street sign photos collected by Tom Scnyder. which are as funny as any forwarded email of the same subject you‘ve ever received. The finale is a schmaltz-fest set to Louis Armstrong‘s ‘lt‘s a Wonderful World‘. (Morag Bruce)
The Umbilical Brothers
Gilded Balloon Teriot. 668 I633. until 28 Aug. 2.45pm. £7.50—[8.50 (£6.50—£7.50). The Boy Who Cried Whale O. Suffering from an overwritten script and an unhealthy dose of overacting. this fails to create any comic tension. The last sketch is a twist on the first and characters from one sketch appear in another. Oh dear. (Robin Lee) Underbelly. 0870 745 3083. until 28 Aug. 5.30pm. [7. 50—18. 50 ((6—17).
Brendon Burns so Following on from last year's show when he attempted to throw off the shackles of his comic personae. Burns has managed the seemingly impossible by moving from biting comic genius to self-indulgent and needy in just l2 months. (Gordon Eldrett) I’leasanee Dome. 556 6550. until 29 Aug. 8.30pm. [IO—[II (£8.50—f9.5()). Craig Campbell so To describe Canadian Campbell as an energetic performer is a bit like saying Chelsea have a bob or two to spend. But passion. sweat and a brusque way of dealing with front row irritants does not make for comedy gold. (Brian Donaldson) I’Ieasanee (.‘oro'tyard. 556 6550. until 29 Aug. 9.55pm. £9.50~£I0.50(18—19). Sean Collins O. On another night. l can well believe that Collins would be a star turn. ()n this review visit. two monsters in the front row ruined it for everyone. not least the stand-up who had little ammo to deal with this war on terrible heckling (Brian Donaldson) I’leasanee Courtyard. 556 6550. until 29 Aug. 8.20pm. [9. 50—170. 50 (18-19). Robert Dubac .0 He may spend his hour-long set under the brightest of spotlights. but Dubac fails to shed any new light on the most hackneyed of stand-up sources: the differences between men and women. When the funniest part of your set is a chalk drawing of a pig. it‘s time to start again. (limma Newlands) Gilded Balloon Ii't'itrt. 668 I633. until 28 Aug. 5.30pm. £9--£I0 (18-19).
An Englishman, An Irishman, And a Scotsman . . . Exposed! so
It's a neat idea (tracing the possible history of the world‘s oldest joke) but
while the material is passable. there‘s one massive stumbling block: Gerard McCulloch is really bad at accents. His Scotsman grew up north of Brigadoon and his Irishman should return to whatever Blarney Stone it crawled from. (Brian Donaldson) Baby Belly. 0870 745 3083. until 28 Aug. 6pm. [8—19 (1-7—18). Noel Faulkner so Faulkner‘s narrative takes us from his childhood in small town Galway. where he first developed Tourettes Syndrome. through to drug smuggling in Columbia. It‘s an involved tale. but Faulkner's rambling renders it uninvolving. (Allan Radcliffe) Gilded Balloon It’l‘lul. 668 I633. until 28 Aug. 5.30pm. [8—19 (17—18).
Joy Gohring so Like a capricious missile. she climbs into the laps of two guys. ropes in a chap as her ‘perfect date'. and sings to another. I’m not suggesting she‘s desperate. but she leaves on better terms with the audience than her scant material. (Robin Lee) (ii/(led Balloon 'Iet'iot. 668 I633. until 28 Aug. I0. 4 5 pm. [8. 50—19. 50
([7. 50—18. 50).
The Great Australian Showcase 00 The material and comic skills are a touch disappointing. but these three southern hemispherians deserve a little indulgence. Personable and fair dinkum. there is charm. a pleasing lack of the usual Aussie subjects. (Robin Lee) The Stand II. 558 7272. until 28 Aug. 9.30pm. [7 ([6).
David McSavage so There‘s a decent spoof of earnest singer— songwriters but. unfortunately. he quickly runs out of steam. relying eventually on tired old stereotypes. (Allan Radcliffe) Edinburgh Comedy Room. The Tron. 226 0000. until 30 Aug. 6pm. [9(1'8). Mickey D C. When chatting to the audience. Mickey l) gets top marks for enthusiasm and exuberance. However. the main meat of the show. largely consisting of confessional pieces about his own shortcomings. ends too abruptly. (Marissa Burgess) Gilded Balloon TerioL 668 I 633, until 28 Aug. 9.30pm. [9—-£I0 (1'8—1‘9).
Steve Cram so With Denim. he has a set with its arse ripped out. on occasion stupidly amusing (the gay tramp). but usually just mundane (the redneck C&W star. Steve Woman). Nice theme tune. though. (Brian Donaldson) Pleasanee Courtyard. 556 6550. until 29 Aug. 7.35pm. £8.50—£9.50 ([7—[8). Eddie Perfect C. If you are in the least bit annoyed by the bits in musicals when they say: ‘And it goes a little something like this‘ before bursting into song. avoid this show. Genuinely excellent lyrics are drowned out by a pointless jazz band. (Morag Bruce) Assembly Rooms. 226 2428. until 29 Aug. 9.20pm. [Ill—£12.50 (£9—£Il.50). Charlie Pickering so Charlie resolves to be a better man after recreating the Rumble in the Jungle with email auto- reply messages. He joins a gym. invents a metal-free belt. and investigates whales with 4ft cocks. But he's striven a little too hard to find worthy material. (Robin Lee) Gilded Balloon 'Iet'iot. 668 I633. until 28 Aug. I 0. I 5pm. [ 8. 5 0—£9. 50
([7. 50—18. 50).
Lucy Porter .0 Porter delivers an amiable hour of stand-up. peppered with quotes and statistics delivered via a PowerPoint presentation. She may never pause for breath or drop her cheery smile. but you get the impression she‘s trying too hard. (Rachael Street) Assembly Rooms. 226 2428. until 29 Aug. [0.20pm.
[1 I—[lZ (IL/(LIN).
Romantic Comedy oe Terry Saunders is a likeable chap. and here he‘s baring his romantic soul. For the main part he tells how his split with his girlfriend resulted in a series of attempts to become a goth. Amiable storytelling but sadly the material tests the hour. (Marissa Burgess) C Electric. 0870 70] 5/05. until 29 Aug. 4.45pm. £7. 50 (£6.50).
Ben Willbond 0. Sketch comedy with two accomplices. However. Willbond‘s characters are predictable or dull: an incotnpetent hitman. a nauseous estate agent. a professor who happens to be geeky and troubled in matters of the heart. (Robin Lee) I’Ieasanee Courtyard. 556 6550. until 29 Aug. 9.20pm. [9.50-fl0. 50 ([87:19).
Battered Wives and Chips 0
The Durham Revue are back. cracking sketch after scene after skit. all greeted with hilarity by a suspiciously supportive audience. While there are a couple of decent performers in there. the majority over-act wildly. destroying any subtlety their routines may have once had. Still. corker of a title. (Brian Donaldson) Underbelly. 0870 745 3083, until 28 Aug. 3. I0pm. [7-1.8 (16—17).
Cracks in the Garden 0
Telling bad jokes in the name of ‘ironic' humour won't wash. padding out your set with the supposed breakdown of your comic partnership is dull. and being stood in the wrong place when a spotlight comes on is so old and creaking it trips over its own beard. (Robin Lee) The Zoo. 662 I222. until 29Aug. [0.30pm. [7 ([6). Danny Hurst O llurst‘s big idea was to cycle from London to Edinburgh. en route writing a show about his experiences. He's certainly come up with enough material to ramble on for more than an hour but there‘s a woeful lack of laughs. (Allan Radcliffe) Baby Belly. 0870 745 3083. until 28 Aug. 4.45pm. [7—[8 (to—£7).
25 Aug-8 Sep 2005 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 85