Edinburgh Heresy The Jekyll & Hyde. l 12
Hanover Street. 225 2022. 9pm. MC Rick Molland hosts an evening of depraved comedy. all for nothing. Just leave a tip it you have fun. ()K‘.’
The Thursday Show The Stand.
5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £8 (£7; tnetnbers £4). Make your weekend better with MC Bruce Devlin. Brendan Dempsey. Idm/‘s Seymour Mace. Jim Park and rising star John (iavin.
Events are listed by date, then city. Submit listings at least 14 days before publication to comedyelist.co.uk. Listings are compiled by Stan Bevan. Indicates Hitlist entry
Glasgow
The Thursday Show The Stand.
333 Woodlands Road. 0870 600 6055. 8.30pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Nice. Des Clarke is on. the smiley one who you‘ll have seen on telly and stuff. So are the very fine acts Ro Campbell. Maeve Higgins and Barry McDonald. with host Susan Morrison. You cannae go wrong. I tells yer.
Glasgow
Peter Powers Pavilion Theatre. 121 Renlield Street. 332 1846. 7.30pm. £10 £13. Hypnotist act from Powers. who has been called ‘the Ali (i ol‘ stage
HEATED DEBATE THE DEATH OF MICHAEL JACKSON: FUNNY?
The only sure thing in life is that one day we will all die. The next sure thing is that if you happen to be famous, jokes about your death will be zooming across the internet while your corpse is still lukewarm. Though in this 24- hour newsiverse, it’s not the dead famous folk that will be mocked, it’s the media representation of that person’s life and how it is informing their death that will be pilloried. In the case of Jade Goody, the hypocrisy of the tabloids was shown right up, their horrendous treatment of her (not always undeserved, mind) during her lifetime contrasting neatly with her quasi- deiflcation after a slow, lens-happy death.
With the semi-shocking news that the King of Pop was fading fast, it’s uncertain who was first off the mark with the gags, but you can be fairly sure that Frankie Boyle was not far off the pace and scribbling like fury for his Record column. That his bosses there didn’t enjoy the material simply puts into sharp relief the peculiar decision they arrived at in hiring him in the first place. Why trumpet your new columnist for his edginess then censor him when he stomps his way through the first universal news story of his tenure? ‘This just demonstrates the Record don’t understand their readership,’ believes stand-up Austin Low. ‘Post-death day I was sat next to a group of Record readers whose phones played a veritable text disco receiving dozens of MJ jokes. It was hard to tell if they were offended as they didn’t stop pissing themselves laughing.’
Maybe this outpouring of hilarity squares itself with that hoary old chestnut that rather than such situations showing humans up for the sick beasts they so often are, it’s simply our grand old way of dealing with the grief. Scottish Comedian of the Year Scott Agnew agrees: ‘I remember when my granny died, we cracked out the beers and had a good old gag session over her rotting corpse. It’s not a way of dealing with personal grief but more a mechanism for blokes in pubs to acknowledge something tragic has happened and they’ve been moved by it, but showing that they’re strong enough to shrug it off when in actual fact it struck a cord of some kind. It’s machismo is what it is.’ (Brian Donaldson)
hypnosis'. Please note the Friday show is a ‘l-‘amily liun Night' but the midnight Saturday show is over 2 l s only. Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. l,'(iC Building. l l Renti'ew Street. 0844 844 0044. 8pm. From £12. The very line selection of Rob Collins. (iary Little. Brendan Burke and Junior Simpson are all here to entertain you. a job made easier with the promise of beer. hot food and dancing alter the show to keep y'all occupied. DAM Fine Comedy Cale (iratnol‘on. 7 King Street. 552 7l77. 8.30pm. £5 (£3). Viv (ice and Rob Kane host this weekly foray into all things comedy for next to nothing. A different line-up every week. The Friday Show The Stand. 333 \Voodlands Road. 0870 600 6055. 8.30pm. £l0 (£9; members £5). See Thu 9 for line-up. but with Bruce Devlin replacing Mme Morrison.
Edinburgh Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. ()mni Centre. (ireenside Place. 0844 844 0044. 7.45pm. l-‘rom £l l. There's a time slot to suit everyone at Jonglcurs now. so you've no excuse to tniss the talents of Miles Crawford. Aaron Counter. Rick Right and Dave Johns. There may be more shows. btit there‘s still somewhere to get your dinner and a pint. so don't iit'cl.
The Friday Show The Stand. 5
York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £l0 (£9: members £5). See Thu ‘) l'or line-up btit with Stisan Morrison replacing Bruce Devlin as host.
Glasgow Peter Powers Pavilion Theatre. 121 Renlield Street. 332 l846. 7.30pm & midnight. £l0 £l3. See l-‘ri It). Jongleurs Comedy Club longleurs. l'(iC Building. l l Renl‘rew Street. 0844 844 0044. 8pm. l‘rom £l2. See Hi It). Comedy @ The State The State Bar. I48 Holland Street. 332 215‘). 9pm. £6. The long-standing home ol' comedy. The State Bar features a different line-up of new and experienced comedians every week.
The Saturday Show The Stand.
333 \Voodlands Road. 0870 600 6055. 0pm. £l3. See Thu 9 tor line-up. but with Brttce Devlin replacing Mme Morrison. 'l'hey’re playing compere tag this week. innit‘.’
Edinburgh Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. ()mni Centre. (ireenside Place. 0844 844 0044. 6.30pm ck l()pm. l-‘rom £l l. See l-‘ri l0.
Russell Howard Festival Theatre.
l3/2‘) Nicolson Street. 52‘) 6000. 7.30pm. £l5. Comedy Hunt the boundlessly enthusiastic Bristolian who stars in BB("s topical comedy qui/ show Mock the “CU/x. Alter performing to enthusiastic review s at last year's lidinburgh l‘estival l-‘ringe lthe last titne he‘ll ever be doing it. he claims). he takes his whimsical show. lh’ng/n/m/im around the country.
The Saturday Show The Stand. 5
York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £13. See Thu ‘) tor line-up btit with Stisan Morrison replacing Bruce Devlin as host.
Glasgow
Ha Ha Raw Comedy lvory Hotel. Langside Avenue. Shaw lands. 8.30pm. l)ill‘erent line-ups every week in the heart of the Shaw lands. get in early tor a seat. Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand. 33.3 Woodlands Road. 08706006055. 8.30pm. £5 (£4; members £l ). Michael Redmond. the shaggy lrishtnan with a cult l'ollowing and a penchant for shoes. presents his weekly line-up ol‘ comedy goodies: Marcus Ryan. Andrew Learmonth. Bob (lraham and Stephen Callaghan.
THE BEST COMEDY
Maeve Higgins The genial Irish lass wore pyjamas last Fringe as comedy partner of David O'Doherty in a crazy kids show, but here she strikes out on her amiable own. The Stand, Glasgow, Thu 9—Sat 7 7 Jul.
Seymour Mace The man who played twins in Ideal pulls himself together for more raw stand-up lunacy. The Stand, Edinburgh, Thu 9~Sun 72 Jul.
Russell Howard He may never do the Fringe again (so he claims) but that won't stop him from popping our way from time to time to play the nice theatres. Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Sat 77 Jul.
Daniel Sloss The young snapper of whippers limbers up for his August madness as part of a saucy Sunday line— up. The Stand, Edinburgh, Sun 72 Jul.
Edinburgh Whose Lunch is it Anywaf?
The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. lptn. Another serving of tree lunchtime improvised comedy. courtesy of local comedy heroes Stu and (iarry. Hot food is available to soothe your hangover/missing church guilt.
The Sunday Night Laugh-In The
Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5 (£4; members £l ). [find your week in the comforting arms of compere Sttsan Calman. as she takes you on a trip tilled with funny weird boys such as: Seymour Mace. Daniel Sloss. liddie ()‘l)wyer and Ross Baillie.
Glasgow
Dance, Monkey Boy, Dance The Stand. 333 \Vtxxllands Road. 0870 600 6055. 8.30pm. £4. Raymond Mearns. Allen Chalmers and Paul Pirie present tnore stand-up. sketches and improvised l‘un. Proper entertainment and that.
Edinburgh
Fit 0’ The Giggles Absolute Beginners Beehive ltm. (irassmarket. 225 7l7l. 8pm. £2 (£1). Compere Barry McDonald and headliner David Hellron are joined by a selection of newer acts. as well as the odd seasoned performer testing out their latest gags.
Red Raw The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2 (£l ). Compere Rick Molland introduces a selection of new acts trying their luck at comedy. with an
assured headliner in the shape of Mr
Andy Sir.
(3—213 Jul 2009 THE LIST 59