Festival Comedy
JAMIE KILSTEIN US political comic veers away from obvious targets ●●●●●
Word has it that Jamie Kilstein got a rough time of things after one of his Fringe shows last year from some army types unhappy at his anti-war material. The only person who might be waiting outside this show to have a word might be Jamie Kilstein’s younger self. For he comes out of Revenge of the Serfs rather poorly, with the apparent sins of Papa Kilstein shown to be a misunderstanding of the reality which Jamie believed to be witnessing though his furious adolescent eyes which were often blurred with a dope-fuelled myopia. Certainly, for those who simply
wanted a rant for an hour, this might prove to be a letdown, but the set seeks bigger goals than mere political point-scoring. Which is not to say that there isn’t a swathe about the Bush era and the difficult first months of Obama. While Kilstein openly campaigned for the first black president, he’s not up for letting him off the hook. The material on his sense of betrayal over the rose-tinted view he had of Britain before he moved here is also spirited. He may not be the new Bill Hicks, but Jamie Kilstein could prove to be a whole lot more. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Assembly Rooms, 623 3030, until 31 Aug, 9pm, £12–£13 (£11–£12).
REGINALD D HUNTER Consummate stand-up disappoints with weak material ●●●●● Sitting through Reginald D Hunter’s The Only Apple in the Garden of Eden and Niggas, is a frustrating experience. A consummate stand-up with a punchy delivery and comic timing to die for, Hunter’s commanding stage style is, sadly, victorious over this year’s content. The first half hour, in which the Georgia-born comic deals with his status as a fish out of water, having lived in the UK for the last 12 years, is the most polished segment of
the show, both in terms of the strength of the material and the energy with which it is delivered. But, audiences familiar with Hunter’s stand-up are likely to have already heard his deconstructions of language as well as the frustration at losing touch with his ‘inner nigger’.
There’s a brief, compelling segment where Hunter addresses Obama- mania, angrily denouncing the President’s failure to repeal the Patriot Act. This powerful moment offers a glimpse into the show this could have been, but, perhaps thrown by the lack of belly laughs, Reg quickly diverts into some fairly obvious jokes about Michael Jackson’s death, before returning to grumbling about living in Britain and being mistaken for Lenny Henry. A badly missed opportunity. (Allan Radcliffe) ■ Udderbelly’s Pasture, 08445 458 252, until 30 Aug, 10pm, £12.50–£15 (£11.50–£13).
SCOTT AGNEW Award-winning stand-up with a debut that just about delivers ●●●●●
Marching on stage with the Scottish Comedian of the Year tag dangling round his neck, Scott Agnew may have felt the pressure but being a seasoned hack at this comedy game by now, he was determined not to show it. More a contractual obligation than a chosen title (given the material, Ganglands and Gangbangs might have worked better), the SCotY is glossed over fairly swiftly on his way to the main theme for his full Fringe debut, his sexual awakening and close shaves with the seamier segments of Glasgow society. Mind you, most things in Agnew’s
world are done at a pace; he offers a tiny apology to those of a non-Scottish persuasion who find it hard to follow him, but life is short up here and he has loads of words to pack in. And
JULIAN CLARY Former Joan Collins Fan Club turns national treasure ●●●●● ‘Are there any heterosexuals in here?’ asks a nervous-looking Julian Clary, ‘because if this is an exclusively gay and lesbian audience I’ll do a completely different show.’ It’s an odd question to be asking of the packed crowd in the cavernous Purple Cow, which appears to be made up of older people and heterosexual couples and groups, who cheer and applaud wildly when the veteran comedian mentions his recent appearance on Strictly Come Dancing. Could it be that the one-time Joan Collins Fan Club, who once made eyes water with his outrageous innuendo and suffered serious career derailment after cracking a joke about fisting the then Chancellor of the Exchequer is now – whisper it – a national treasure? In fact Clary’s show is pretty much what you would expect: the performer sparkles from hat to shoes, there’s a heavy reliance on the double entendre and numerous catty jokes at the expense of the clothes, hair and accessories of the people in the front row. The hour is padded out with a bizarre ‘psychic test’ involving two members of the audience. All the innuendo about rimming, fisting, crevices, alcoves and going down provokes a nostalgic thrill, but the thing that stays with you long after this show has finished is the warmth emanating from the audience and the bizarre sight of middle-aged men and women shrieking with laughter at the use of the c-word. (Allan Radcliffe) ■ Udderbelly’s Pasture, 08445 458 252, until 30 Aug, 8.35pm, £14–£15 (£12–£13).
what he delivers is a fine set of true stories which never wane in intrigue and emotion even if they’re not always raising the roof with laughter. A hulk of a guy with gargantuan talent to burn, Agnew’s time will come when he settles back into being a plain old Scottish comedian. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Underbelly, 08445 458 252, until 30 Aug, 7.50pm, £6.50–£10.50 £8–£9.50). SIGNSPOTTING Sarcastic and quirky signs and comments ●●●●●
A couple stare at a wall and decide whether or not the sign they are looking at is meant to be amusing. ‘Warning: access to roof is prohibited’ it reads but there is no discernible humour to be gleaned and so they move on. This sign just happens to be a regular, permanent, stridently unfunny one in the outdoors part of the Princes Mall Shopping Centre where Doug Lansky has curated Signspotting, a collection of the daftest road signs from across the globe. It’s certainly drawing plenty of
interest with the peoples of the world who have currently merged in Edinburgh coming to stare at signs such as ‘No Trespassing Without Permission’, ‘Dead Peoples Things for Sale’ and ‘Slow Church Services’. While some signs are inherently funny (the wheelchair-user careering rapidly downhill towards the open jaws of either a croc or ‘gator) but Lansky has added sarcastic, quirky or telling remarks to act as an extra punchline to the visual joke. As the peoples of the world take their photos and record a mental note to visit the original location of a particular sign, the couple have moved on reassuringly to a sign about elephants that is neither regular nor permanent but is quite funny. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Princes Mall Shopping Centre, 557 3759, until 31 Aug, 9am–7.30pm (Sun 10am–6.30pm), free.
78 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 27 Aug–10 Sep 2009