STAND-UP SHAPPI KHORSANDI
Shappi Khorsandi hasn’t quite been on one of those legendary road to Damascus ventures (she’s of Iranian descent not Syrian, for one thing), her jaunt Edinburgh-wards in August still represented something of a massive sea change. Not in the Moses parting sense though, but in the way that she has obliterated almost all the memories of her less than glorious trip to the Fringe in 2003. Inspired by Omid Djalili, she picked herself up and showed that there was enough material in her armoury to match her appealing stage presence. In hindsight, her tame debut show might have been down to her problems with eating disorders or her status as an asylum seeker while her satirist father was being stalked by assassins under the sway of the Iranian regime. Only a hugely determined artist can recover from all that and come back stronger.
While the critics utterly crucified Khorsandi three years ago, she rose again with a strong show which very nearly earned her a slot on the first post-Perrier comedy shortlist. The Eddies, as it’s known to some. With Asylum Speaker, this diminutive comic with the vast wit spoke amusingly of her oddball childhood and the philosophical dilemmas and everyday conflicts of being a young Anglo-Iranian woman. So, is Shappi Khorsandi the Lazarus of stand-up comedy? Well, maybe. One final, shoehorned and utterly inappropriate biblical reference: Khorsandi’s partner is a nice man who once played in Rich Hall/Otis Lee Crenshaw’s band. His name? Christian Reilly, of course. (Brian Donaldson)
I The Stand, Edinburgh, Tue 7 Nov; the Stand. Glasgow. Wed 8 Nov.
Events are listed by date, then city. Submit listings at least ten days before publication to comedyGlist.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Sian Bevan.
Glasgow
The Thursday Show The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. 0870 600 6055. 8.30pm. £6 (£5—A£3 members). A remarkably clever line-up of Alun Cochrane. Al. Kennedy. Sandy Nelson and the BBC's Fred MacAulay. I’m sure if you don‘t understand it they‘d throw in some mother-in-law jokes. See caption for Cochrane.
Edinburgh
Heresy The Jekyll & Hyde. I 12 Hanover
Street. 225 2022. 8.30pm. £3. Come and release your comedy demons at Heresy. the stand-up night that relishes the dark side and would love to show your soul a damn good time. The Thursday Show The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £6 (£5—<£3 members). Nearly the end of the week. folks. so let your hair down with Roger Monkhouse. (iraeme Thomas and the delightful Kerry (iodliman. Joe Heenan hosts.
The Snatch Social The Liquid Room. 9c Victoria Street. 225 2564. l 1pm~~ 3am. £5. Comedy capers from Harry Ainsworth and Tony Carter at this cheeky cabaret-cum-disco.
South Queensferry
The Snlggering Stag Staghead Hotel. 8. High Street. 331 1039. 9pm. £5. MC Jojo Sutherland is joined by the Marks
Nelson and Rough for a night of comedy Queensfeny style.
Glasgow
Jongleurs Comedy Club .longleurs. UGC Building. Renfrew Street. 08707 870707. 8pm. £10. JoJo Smith. Neil [)elamere and Dougie Dunlop take to the stage this weekend. Have a bite to eat then dance in the club until 2am. included in the ticket price.
The Stand The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. 0870 600 6055. 8.30pm. £8 (£7—£5 members). BBC favourite Fred MacAulay hosts the evening. spending his weekend with Alistair Barrie. Sandy Nelson and woman of words AL Kennedy.
Edinburgh Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. ()mni Centre. (ireenside Place. 08707 870707. 8.15pm. £10. Enjoy the evening with Simon Clayton. Windy. Jay ()akerson and the brilliant Tom Stade. Munch some grub then dance in the aftershow club. open until three in the am. ()oh. your mother would weep. The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £8 (£7—£5 members). Joe Heenan hosts the weekend's frivolity. in the company of Roger Monkhouse. Shelley Cooper and the thoughtful ponderings of Glasgow-born Yorkshireman Alun Cochrane (see his caption).
Saturday 4
Glasgow
Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. UGC Building. Renfrew Street. 08707 870707. 8pm. £13. See Fri 3.
The Stand The Stand. 333 Wotxilands Road. 0870 600 6055. 8.30pm. £10. See Fri 3.
Edinburgh Jongleurs Comedy Club .longleurs. ()mni Centre. Greenside Place. 08707 870707. 8.15pm. £12. See Fri 3.
The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £10. See Fri 3.
Glasgow
Mrs Barbara Nice: Sunday Sparkler The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. 0870600 6055. 8.30pm. £8 (£6). The Stockport housewife. Tupperware veteran. mother of live and heckler hitwoman elaborates on her ordinary life. with homespun wisdom and a little help from the audience. Part of (ilaxguv! 2006.
Edinburgh
Whose Lunch is it Anyway? The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 1pm. Free. Banish that morning-after feeling with a dose of free (form) laughter frotn improv stars Paul (iraham and Stuan Murphy.
Monday 6
Glasgow
Dance, Monkey Boy, Dance The Stand. 333 thxllands Road. 0870 600 6055. 8.30pm. £4. The Monkey Boyz are back. Sandy Nelson. Allen Chalmers. Paul Pirie and Raymond Mearns bring out sketches. songs and stand-up for your delectation.
Edinburgh
Red Raw The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £1. Scotland‘s best new talent night sees more hopefuls having a go. while professionals Matt Price and Paul Pirie look after the little scamps.
Glasgow
Bed Raw The Stand. 333 Woodlands
Road. 0870600 6055. 8.30pm. £2 (£1
list
THE BEST COMEDY
Tony Carter Along with his buddy Harry Ainsworth, our favourite ex-New Dealer cuts up a cabaret rug at the Snatch Social. The Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Thu 2, 9, 76 Nov.
Alun Cochrane He might talk like a bold Yorkshireman but he’s Glasgow through and through as this towering comic (height and laugh-wise) gets all droll on our asses. See caption. The Stand, Glasgow, Thu 2 Nov; the Stand, Edinburgh, Fri 3 8 Sat 4 Nov.
Shappi Khorsandi The little Anglo-Iranian lass who disproved the doubters in August joins the SiStars! brigade. See panel. The Stand, Edinburgh, Tue 7 Nov; the Stand, Glasgow, Wed 8 Nov.
John Hegley The Lutonian with attitude chucks his Uncut Confetti upon us. The Stand, Glasgow, Mon 73 Nov; The Stand, Edinburgh, Tue 74 Nov.
Little Britain Is there no end to the Lucas/Walliams bandwagon? Nope. See 5 Things. Playhouse, Edinburgh, Tue 74 Nov.
Phil Nichol Fresh from scooping the big comedy gong in August, the former Corky Juice Pigger takes his Naked Racist schtick westwards. The Stand, Glasgow, Thu 16 Nov.
members). Fresh-faced new and new-ish comedians test their powers. with Allen Chalmers and Matt Price as the professional headliner and compere.
Edinburgh
The 50p Show The Canons‘ Gait. 232 Canongate. 556 4481. 8.30pm. 50p. Student-friendly comedy for only 50 shiny pence. with sketches and stand-up a-plenty.
SiStars! The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£-l»--£3 members). Proof that breasts don't suck out your sense of humour. as this all female line- up blows away myths about girls not being funny. Susan Calman. Shappi Khorsandi and AL Kennedy are the ladies in question. with well—behaved boys more than welcome. See panel for Khorsandi.
2—16 Nov 2006 THE LIST 37