PAUL KERENSA Failing the great playlist challenge .0
Although lots of love and forward planning have clearly gone into Paul Kerensa's show. his fuddy duddy. granny-friendly material taints the brighter. more likeable stuff. Taking his cue from Dave German. he designed a show around a comedy challenge by studying a new genre of music every month for a year. Musicals. classical. rock and the catch-all categories of dance and ‘music of black origin' are then dissected with the help of a PowerPoint show. his own DIY music video and several costume changes.
His polished. confident delivery doesn't slip up once. but for anyone who wouldn‘t class Sheryl Crow as a real country artist. or who fails to share Kerensa's passion for Roxette and Enya. many jokes will fall on deaf ears. Ten minutes from the end. he confesses he's the butt of the joke and just a big geek who hates clubs and prefers ‘R'n'R in a 888' to R'n'B music. but by then it's too late to win back the crowd. A good idea. but a disappointing end result.
(Claire Sawers)
I Baby Bel/y. 0844 545 8252, until 24 Aug, 7pm. £9.50—L‘I 7 .50 (£8.50—ElO50).
SHAZIA MIRZA
A stilted set about the big issues .0
A lot of Shazia Mirza's material deals with her social awkwardness. Juggling the roles of devout daughter of fundamentalist Muslims and trailblazing female Muslim stand-up. she's experienced her fair share of cultural dilemmas. But beyond the hype over her role as ‘an Asian woman who talks in public'. and no matter how eager we are to like her, her act rarely gets hotter than lukewarm.
As a comic giving rare insights into the racism. sexism and hypocrisy felt
deserves all the support it receives. So
(C8—C9).
CAROL LEIFER A Fringe debut to forget 0
Of course, it’s daft to generalise, but when heavily-anticipated American stars have come across to the Fringe they’ve either blown us away or totally bombed. In the happy former camp are Demetri Martin, Kristen Schaal and Doug Stanhope. In the discredited latter zone reside Nancy Cartwright, Wendy Spero and now, regrettably, Carol Leifer. One of the writers on masterclass sitcom Seinfeld, Leifer is reputed to be the direct inspiration behind Elaine Benes. Had Leifer suddenly burst into Elaine’s bizarre kicky- leg, flicky-thumb dance routine, it would have been less awkward than the atmosphere she creates seconds after taking to the stage here.
Naturally delighted to be at the Fringe for the first time, Leifer abandons any thoughts she may have had about connecting with her crowd and simply launches into a series of monologues from her life. Mind you, these are not monologues performed from her heart and acted out with passion; these are tales she is reading directly off some sheets of A4. Apparently a bunch of publishers are interested in turning her tales into a book next year, as she gleefully informs us at the beginning of the hour (well, 45 minutes tops). What we have been promised is a ‘one-woman show', ie one woman shows us a bunch of print-outs and reads off them.
The stories within (about her taking up lesbianism, deciding to adopt a child and seeing the Beatles perform at Shea Stadium when she was a child) are bland, unfunny and nowhere near as moving as she thinks they must be. Perhaps she couldn’t be bothered or maybe she’s been poorly advised. Either way, Carol Leifer’s heralded Fringe arrival, like the sitcom that helped make her name, is a show about nothing. (Brian Donaldson)
I The GBV. 220 2987, until 24 Aug. 4pm, EIO—L‘ 72 (SQ-l3 I I).
UMBRAGE SWAIN New Romantic heroes stand and deliver 00..
as a young British Muslim. her career
it seems a shame when. after eight years as a stand-up. she delivers a stilted set with watery gags about Ryanair and Facebook. There are a few moments when she goes off- script. and the relaxed. beaming comedian that steps in has the crowd in stitches. But when she reverts to her prim. defensive shtick. many of the jokes fall flat. With so much to say. she still doesn't seem comfortable saying it. (Claire Sawers)
I Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550. until 25 Aug. 9.35pm, $9.504) 70.50
The New Romantic Gentleman Thief (looking uncannily like Eddie lzzard dressed as Adam Ant). his Cure-loving sidekick and Tina Fray (an excellently faux innocent Felicity Wren) swash and buckle in battle with evil baddie The Darkness (no. not Justin Hawkins' band) in this mock heroic romp. Set in the 19805 and with a cast who can
probably remember it first time around. the landscape is pop references. day-
glo outfits. and Bucks Fizz at Eurovision.
Yes. The Magical Diamond of
72 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 21 Aug—4 Sep 2008
Bamtutiti smacks of the Mighty Boosh‘s Ruby of Kukundu — the company usually resides in the same London theatre where Barrett and Fielding honed their comedy capers — and yes. the humour borders on the moronic at times (fart gags. accusations of homosexuality) but the wit. warmth and vigour are evident in the fully committed performances. It's not big. it is clever. and it's what the Fringe was made for: romping around a dank cave inducing fits of laughter.
As the wise one (Mr Ant) once said.
‘ridicule is nothing to be scared of'. (Suzanne Black)
I Underbelly 0844 545 8252. until 24 Aug. 7.30pm. EQ—EIOSO (€849.50).
ARTHUR SMITH’S ARTURART
Artistic venture with knob gags .0.
Winner of last year's Spirit of the Fringe if .comeddie award. Arthur Smith's Arturart returns with another explosion of what its creator describes humbly as a 'vanity project'. Situated at 15 Queen Street. the fiftysomething stand-up
veteran's exhibition is actually a
showcase for his love of Dada and daft jokes and a chance for his comedy buddies to get a space for their own doodlings to run free. Everyone from old-timer Harry Hill to relative newcomer Simon Bird have pieces here. while on-site hapj')enings include Aliens Ate My Schnitzel! trapped in a kennel and head of security Ray Spinks wandering around making sure punters aren't fully armed.
An amazing amount of Smith's clutter has been thrown around for our amusement including some terrible reviews and the rules for using bad language in comedy. While Smith can laugh at himself. he's not averse to making us look stupid as you fall into the trap of an excellent practical joke. And his taped accompaniment includes a rarity on the Fringe: a good old-fashioned man-goes-to-the-doctor joke. (Brian Donaldson)
I Arturart, 0752 8 I 3 4829. until 23 Aug, 2pm—5.30prn. C5 (C4).