perfecting the timing between the two characters and less on any kind of script. Being billed as ‘worthy of Abbott and (‘ostello’ has drawn in the older crowd but there's little comic relief lor l‘ringe veterans or virgins alike.
(Brian Donaldson) (ii/r/erl Balloon 'Ii'i'rot, 665' I635. until 26 Aug, /0.J5/)nr. [9 [/0 (£8 £9).
Chris McCausland 000 are laughs and truths universally acknowledged aplenty iii the company of blind comedian ('hris .‘vfc('ausland with
There
his tales of planes. trains and shameful ordeals. He takes a pop at bargain airlines and cryptic crosswords. and jollies his way through disasters. notably involving cigarettes and moths. Mc(‘aUsland sets the story. journeys forth via ambulatory imaginings. btit eventually reaches his destination. A sometimes slow trip. btit a frequently excellent one. (l’eggy Hughes) Ixrughing Honda 1714' ('ounting Houvr'. 667 75.”. until 25 Aug. /0.20/)ni. tree. Dan Atkinson 0.. With shambolic hair and stately intonations. Atkinson looks and sounds like an endearineg mad university professor. He uses his amiable and rambling persona to enlighten the audience with talk of(ireek philosophy and nicely worked illogical theories. This is all interesting but it fails to raise many big laughs. To reference the show's title. it may be wise to know that you know nothing. but it‘s not very funny. (linima Lennox) I’lerrsrrnee ('ourtyunl, 556 6550, until 27.»trrg. 8.30an [8.50- tl‘).5()([7 [8). Amsterdam Underground Comedy Collective 00 If this is [)utch humour at its finest. I'm off to (iermany for my laughs. The Al l(‘(‘ may have a cult following back home btit there‘s little reason to believe that their comedy travels at all well in this lame. tame hour. The supposed heavyweight talents of Theo Maassen (with some decent satire) and Hans 'l‘eeuwen (who comes on all pseudo-nervous and slaps his face to the Popeye tune) are no better or worse than the jittery opening acts.
( Brian Donaldson) Asuv'emhlv'm‘ Iz'rlinhrogh (‘onierlv Room. 623 3030. until 26 Aug. [0.30pm. [8. 50 ([7).
Kitty Flanagan 0.. Opening with a darkly litiriiorous short film (that is almost worth the cost of admission alone). proceedings then lull as Flanagan embarks on an unoriginal stand-up routine that covers accents. children and therapy before lifting things by closing with an enjoyable song on the fashion for going commando. A sort of festival sandwich that fills a hole but requires a more substantial filling to make it a truly appetising experience. ((‘iordon lildrett) Pleusunee Dome. 556 6550. until 27 Aug. 8. 20pm. £8. 50‘ [9. 50 t {7— [8 ).
Greg Fleet with Mick Moriarty .0. Fleet has survived drug addiction and a guest part in .y’eighlmurs. Now. with the aid of a double bass and guitar-playing sidekick. he successfully battles tree frogs. a tiny but disproportionately vocal audience and being a punning private dick straight out of a film noir in a mix of confessional stand-up. self-deprecating political humour and songs. An eccentric bundle of skits from a seasoned performer. (Suzanne Black) Gilded Balloon ll'v'iot. 668 1633. until 27 Aug. 9.30pm.
£9. 50—170. 50 ( [850—129. 50).
Runaway Lovers 00 The sketch show has really struggled this liriiige and this supposedly upcoming troupe do nothing to elevate the form. There's a recurring gag about an arts interview show with people you'd imagine to be well~spoken btrt aren't (Ridley‘ Scott: he's a (ieordie. don't you know'.’) and predictable skits about (iordon Ramsay (he syy ears. don't you know?) (Brian Donaldson) I’leusrrm'e ('ourtvurrl. 556 6550. until 27.1ug. 6pm. [8.50 [9.50rt‘7 by).
Janice Phayre .0. Hill) ()r'r'rrsionu/ Showers is like a comedy hit and run: over before you know it has begun. it leaves you stunned by an onslaught of gags about relationships. sex and being an asshole. Its finale is so surreal and utterly surprising that not even the previous ~15 minutes could prepare you for it. It will stay with tile long after this liestival is over. ((‘ate Simpson) llr'ly‘t‘mul 'Iootu l'tltlll. 225 9764. until 27.}tug. 6.45pm. £6 ([5). Howard Read .0 performing with his animated sidekick Little lloward. this year's adult show has Read oti his tod with a show that iii theory is half-clean. half-dirty and you. the audience. decide which is funnier. The answer is that neither half lives up to its billing. with his somewhat awkward
l'sually seen
demeanour suggesting that he know s the biggest laughs of the night come from his drawings. ((iordon lildrett) (you). 0545 260 I234. until 27,-lug. 9.30pm. £9117). Alyssa Kyria 0.. as a comic actor are evident in this patchy but entertaining character act. (‘onipered by Ariadne the (ireek socialite. the show also features an Australian New Age diniw it. a snooty tennis-playing nymphomaniac and plenty more grotesques. While the quality of the
Kyria's talents
sketches and characters oscillates too much for unqualified endorsement. this is still an above-average performance from a gifted player. (Sam llealy ) Holy/‘rmrl 'loom‘f'uith. 225 9764. until 26 .-lug.
76 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 23 Aug—6 Sep 2007
r\',J5/i)n. U) ( t5 ). Holly Burn 0. acting talent in Hello. llo/lv.’ bttt a laugh»
'l‘here‘s a genuine
free script does nothing to save her from dying here. Nice ideas like bringing to life the .-\nge| of the North and a horse actor recur with little weight behind them and Burns tortured. squealing finale merely reflect the audience's state ol mind at the finish. (llrian Donaldson) l’lerivunr'e Home. 556 6550. until 27xlrrg. 5pm. £7. 50 1}\'..5(l(£'6 [7).
Four Wenches and a Free For All 0.. spent in the company of these talented
:\n entertaining hour is
actors. The laughs aren't massive. with some jokes a little obv ioiis. but the more creative ones include the ‘\'odafriend' shop where you can exchange your old male for a newer model with more features. .-\s with many shows this year there are mock tensions between the players culminating in an enjoyable bitch-fest at the end. (Marissa Burgess) (ii/r/ei/ Balloon let'rot. 668 I655. until 25 Aug. l2..i'0/)nr. [7.50 («5.50 (1650 1.7.5“).
Hamell on Trial 00
be anything worse than someone banging
('an there
on about how wild life was in the (ills/early 7()s‘.’ l’ossibly not. and in [he 'Ii't'l'ut'ivm Ul Izi't't‘yrlrly’ l.tlr' cult hero llamell tortures the uninitiated with a string of shotity punkish anthems and marginally amusing tales such as the homophobe smoking the ashes of an .-\ll)S victim. (Brian Donaldson)
l 'nrlerhe/lv. 05'70 745 5045’}. rrntrl 26 Aug. 6pm. [N [9/7 {(5).
Dan Willis 0... Very few things that are this good are offered for nothing. Willis turns a potentially difficult venue to his advantage. ad—libbing off his audience and displaying obvious ease behind the microphone as people from the pub downstairs wander in and out. His set material doesn't always match the brilliance of his crowd chat. but Willis' sharp w it and comic timing ensure that it never fails to entertain. ((‘ate Simpson)
[true/ring Horny: \lr'mlon liar. 6r) ‘ “V”... ltlllll 3‘ 'ill;‘. V lip"! l'rt Patrick Monahan C. \y Ill) 1. .-.' the lure. \lonahan comes across as your archetypal loveable (leoidte but you‘d be hard pressed to feel anything btit relief at the end of this Devoid of any discernible stibiect matter other than friendly audience banter this is the equivalent ot being stuc k in a holiday camp watching the cabaret. a feeling heightened when the show closes vv ill) at) atttobiogtapliical rap song complete w ill) audience participation line it iordon l-ldrett)
I nil) Ilu‘llv. 0y?) "4" *0“. until 26 lug. ‘ jrrlvm go 5o 11)) 5H r g.\ 5r) go so, X-Files lmprov 0000
llagltiiid played langley. a nerdy
l)t'.tll
conspiracy theorist. in the phenomenally successful .\' l'rlev He uses the show 's format as a structure for some rmprov staples. and Il you've ever seen ll lruvr ltllr' rv rt .ltlyurn ‘you'll know the drill It's not original btit it is stupidly funny.
w ith llaglund's amiable quick w it making this a must for fans and good clean fun for everybody else
(lleiiry Northmoie) llli' Int. 22* ‘NSJ. until 2‘ slug (Hot 24). 5.45pm, 2-1 glue. 4pm. 1 /0 (15')
Butch .0. Skinny. elfeminate Merino Ktiiiper‘ has many things. including his wit. style and falsetto vocal cords. btit what he really wants is to grow muscles and date army captain ‘Sttid'. reasoning that: 'if Harry Potter can do it. why can't T." In a theatrical monologue. ls'uriper amuses with his songs and humorous outlook on the dating world in what is a gently enjoyable and heartfelt performance. (limma l.etino\) l’lr'rrvrmr e Home. 556 65.50. until 27,-lug. ///mr.
[H 19(1650 £7.50).
Heroes and Villains 000 this two—hander by Matt (ireene and Darren Richman features a pair of life's losers not quite wirititrig a huge fortune on the lottery and spending the nevi hour chatting about girls and their problems with some level of humour and verve. The piece thinks it’s a bit more dramatic than it actually is. but there's a winning play lulness that‘s hard not to enjoy. (Brian Donaldson) (‘hrrrrr/srr. 08-15 260 I234. untr/ 27,-lug. .i’lnn. £6.50 MC 50 (£5.50 £7.50). Christina Davis 000 unforgivable if a show called Mr failed
It woulle
to be funny. given the range of available material. I)av is' set avoids vyell<yyortt jokes. managing to be both surprising and intelligent. But Set ultimately suffers from a somewhat disjointed delrv cry and a tendency to tindersell her punchlines. muttering them dismissiver before the audience has a chance to laugh.
(('ate Simpson) (illtlt’tl Ital/om) 'Ii'vrot. 665’ 1635’. until 27.4142. Inn/night. 15' ‘1 (£7 (8').
As You Were 00. in for their observational stand-up. tag-
l’acking thern
team Roger llailes and Todd \Vomack and have catised quite a stir with a simple comedy club format. welcoming an alternative l‘ringe guest each night (on this occasion the sublirnely smutty guitar duo Stuckey & Murray). llailes has returned to the New York day job making the show wonh revisiting for Jeff Kreisler playing Bill Hicks to Womack's audience buddy. (Mark [idmundsom 'Ihe ()uthouse. 226 0000. until 25 Aug. 9pm.
free.