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the Gently Progressive Behemoth double act with Nadia Kamil. Having stepped out on his own, Roberts proves to be in possession of an astute and able comic mind and has learned to cut into the more rambly moments in the Behemoth canon to deliver a tight and funny debut solo hour. Kamil does make a screen
appearance as critic Anne Bancroft, a figure of the pair’s previous shows, who has been kidnapped and possibly tortured, and may only be set free if she writes up a five-star review of this show. Roberts opens by pleading with us to ignore the sounds of screaming throughout – of which there are many – but we’re too busy worrying about the insult he may throw at us from his big book of audience insults. A deliciously decadent hour of silly stand-up from a swiftly rising star. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, until 30 Aug, 8.10pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8–£9.50).
JOSH HOWIE A gag-happy clown tests his crowd ●●●●● Two years ago, Josh Howie made a name for himself at the Fringe with a show about the mad old upbringing he had at the hands of his mum, the PR guru, Lynne Franks. The show, Chosen, featured some highly personal detail that must have made subsequent Sunday lunches very awkward, enlivened by some of the best/worst puns this side of Tim Vine. For 2010, Howie is jumping a generation to now discuss his grandmother, whom he had gone to live with for a spell while he and his pregnant wife Monique (in attendance here and giggling knowingly throughout), got their affairs in order to secure a home of their own. And the same intimate material and
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JOHN MOLONEY Stand-up crooner is a little out of tune ●●●●●
There’s a down-to-earth honesty and genuine sincerity about John Moloney that is warmly appealing. It’s not the first night of his long-awaited Edinburgh return, but he looks properly touched and consequently has nothing amusing to say about the fact that he has a packed room to perform to with such a wide choice across town. It’s a shame then, that what comes afterwards is distinctly flat. We came expecting some trad but trusty stand-up but left feeling that while the world has moved on, Moloney’s comedy has not so much stayed still but gone into full lockdown mode.
Of course we’d expect a comic with two decades of observational work behind him to be disgruntled with the feckless youth of today, but to have little quality material at his fingertips about this area is less forgivable. Instead he falls back on tales of his days as a German teacher, some stuff about how we treat animals better than humans and bits about how men and women aren’t the same when it comes to communication. Dressed in suit, shirt and tie, and perched atop a stool, John Moloney is the old crooner of stand-up. Let’s hope he brings up a different song sheet next time he does the Fringe. (Brian Donaldson) ■ The Stand II, 558 7272, until 29 Aug, 9pm, £10 (£8).
JOHN-LUKE ROBERTS A decadent and deathly hour of brilliance ●●●●●
CAREY MARX Debunking some myths with craft and guile ●●●●●
A veteran Pontin’s bluecoat recounting tales of his 19-year-old magician- self, Carey Marx’ fresh and well-judged set focuses on debunking the myths of phony spoon-bending, séance-leading practitioners. Hitting a surprising tone from the off-set, his ruminations are loosely based on a very believable encounter with a group of prankster Pontin’s pals. Alone in a disused outhouse, young Marx pulls a séance out the bag, his colleagues take him seriously and all sorts of coincidences unravel. The good bit is that Marx is utterly on our side. He gets that it is weird for adults to pull coins from behind people’s ears and understands that spirits, ghosts and that all-forgiving spiritual scapegoat ‘energy’ just aren’t real. And most slyly, he manages to make his crowd feel like they are being told something that they didn’t already know. Underpinned with strong storytelling, impressive skills and an unprecedented crescendo that climaxes with Marx taking a pop at that ‘big fat all-over-the-place cunt in the sky’, this is supremely-crafted comedy. (Rosalie Doubal) ■ The Stand II, 558 7272, until 29 Aug, 7.50pm, £8 (£7).
It’s common and understandable knowledge that many a comedian harbours homicidal feelings towards their critics whether they happen to be plying their negative trade quietly in print or loudly from the back row. But should a comic really be attempting to off one of his crew during a show? This appears to be the goal of John- Luke Roberts who has indulged in similarly offbeat shenanigans as part of 28 THE LIST 26 Aug–9 Sep 2010
great/terrible jokes are present and correct here. While Chosen relied heavily on a
family slide show for much of its poignancy and humour to hit home, Gran Slam has Howie paring it all down to simply write on a whiteboard the ten-point survival plan for living with an old person. Armed with a cheeky smirk that indicates an awareness that the patience of his crowd is being tested to its limits, Howie is nonetheless a skilful comic whose ability to layer gag upon gag is unlikely to be surpassed at this Fringe. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 29 Aug, 9.45pm, £10–£11.50 (£8.50–£10).
ALUN COCHRANE Making the world a cheerier place ●●●●●
Alun Cochrane has come to the Fringe this year with a different goal. He’s here to simply deliver a bucketful of jokes. And he does in fact walk on stage armed with a bucket full of jokes from which he’ll pluck out some one or two-liners for the audience to vote on whether they should stay in his act or get chucked in the bin. Seems that a heckle he received last Christmas imploring him to do more jokes has been taken to heart and some of that storytelling stuff might have to take a backseat for a bit.
But Cochrane being Cochrane (double denim and all), he can’t fully stop himself from setting up a life scenario which tugs a little at the heartstrings before making us pay for our weakness with a killer punchline. In the last while, both his wife and mum have been dealt some bad news, all of which has put life into context and brought him even closer to his young son. ‘What’s the point?’ he queries on a few occasions. When there are comics in the world like Alun Cochrane, there’s plenty of point. (Brian Donaldson) ■ The Stand III & IV, 558 7272, until 29 Aug, 9.15pm, £9 (£8).