Festival ComedyReviews at a Glance list.co.uk/festival
Matt Green ●●●●● Presented as a catharsis of his most embarrassing moments, it’s remarkable just how much risqué material Green gets past his audience. After warming them up nicely, his self-deprecating, loose demeanour lets him visit some pretty dubious places, preoccupations with paedophilia and scatology rising to the fore. (Murray Robertson) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 29 Aug, 8.15pm, £9-£10 (£7-£9). Michael Fabbri ●●●●● His show may be called Fabrications but the only apparent untruth in the show is the big lie told by his former best friend that led to Fabbri being chased by investigative journalists. He is an amiable and engaging storyteller and his tales from various points in his life are liberally peppered with excellent punchlines. (Marissa Burgess) The Stand II, 588 7272, until 29 Aug, 10.15pm, £8 (£7). Mike Newall ●●●●● Being effortlessly likeable is fine if you want to stay at the lower end of the comedy division, but given that this show is entitled Mr Famous (the nickname given to northerner Newall by his mates), an edge need to be brought to this Stockport wag’s set to gain anything like such a status. (Brian Donaldson) The Caves, 556 5375, until 29 Aug, 4pm, £7–£8 (£6–£7). Nathan Cassidy ●●●●● A disaster from Friztl-based start to ‘Royal Variety’ finish, The Frog that Says Sausages is a miserable affair by a man who should probably stick to the work he’s been getting as a Marc Almond impersonator. He might promise the ‘most offensive joke ever’ but simply delivers an over- egged, utterly boring hour. (Brian Donaldson) The Caves, 556 5375, until 29 Aug, 5.20pm, £6–£7 (£5–£6). Nick Sun ●●●●● Sun defies categorisation: firstly he’s Australian of Nepalese extraction but speaks with a north American twang. Then there’s the material; his is easily the most gloriously disconcerting experience you’re likely to see at the Fringe. During the course of his hour he confronts his crowd, outs the reviewer, crawls around pretending to be a pig and remains silent for a whole minute. Crazy, crazy man. (Marissa Burgess) The Stand II, 558 7272, until 29 Aug, 11.25pm, £8 (£7). Paul Sweeney and Tom Webb ●●●●● Tom Webb is 5’5’’ of nervous energy, has four insightful handy hints, two self-effacing stories and one audience survey. Paul Sweeney has one full moustache, four slight comedy songs, lots of good ad-libbing and some lovely tattoos. It adds up to an hour of average comedy with a respectable laugh ratio. (Suzanne Black) The GRV, 226 0000, until 29 Aug, 5.20pm, £5. Pension Plan ●●●●● Leisa Rea has been feeling a bit glum so she’s gathered together all her life failures in one big show and celebrated them through the medium of dance, song and a series of absurd short films. There are plenty of lovely touches from random victory jigs and foetus-shaped biscuits and it’s a pleasure to see a middle-aged lady dicking about. (Marissa Burgess) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 29 Aug, 2pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£8.50). A Perhaps-Too-Intimate Evening of Music and Hilarity ●●●●● The Young Dads gurn and 30 THE LIST 26 Aug–9 Sep 2010
rather lame sketches fall an awful long way short of the music. (Miles Fielder) The Caves, 556 5375, until 29 Aug, 2.15pm, £8–£9 (£7–£8). A Surprisingly Tasteful Show About Nudity ●●●●● With that same well-intentioned schoolboy charm shared by Russell Howard, it’s easy to be drawn in by Alexis Dubus, even if you are of the more prudish nature. Expect nudity, but in a context that goes some way to educate and entertain, taking in Greek mythology and naked theme- parks. (Thomas Meek) The Tron, 226 0000, until 30 Aug, 5pm, £5. Susan Calman ●●●●● Glasgow’s pint-sized, squeaky-voiced professional lesbian talks us through her obituary. Written when she was drunk, it’s a vitriolic manual in self-loathing. Calman deftly manages the tricky task of stuffing truth into a comedy-shaped bag tied up with a punchline to create a warm, believable package. (Suzanne Black) Underbelly, 08445 458 252, until 29 Aug, 8.10pm, £9.50–£11 (£8.50–£10). Susan Murray ●●●●● Murray’s bold and playful set is nothing less than you’d expect from a Weegie with a Brummie accent. Although the show isn’t necessarily joke-heavy, this lady has done her research and the material is interesting and intelligent, particularly as Murray is a dab hand at accents. (Rebecca Ross) The Stand III & IV, 558 7272, until 29 Aug, 4.25pm, £8 (£7). Tara Flynn ●●●●● Formerly one of the Irish comedy musical trio The Nualas, Flynn is clearly trying to relive past glories. The songs range from 80s electro to French folk with subjects as disparate as dating a ghost to the perils of being a cereal-based superhero, all linked by the fact that they are resolutely un- amusing. (Gordon Eldrett) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 29 Aug, 8.15pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Tom Allen ●●●●● People often think their witty pub pal could be a stand-up. They’re often wrong. It takes effort to pull off the role of gay BFF gossiping about recent dramas but Allen succeeds. His show about navigating social dilemmas with confidence is well-crafted and camply delivered. (Suzanne Black) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 662 6552, until 29 Aug, 7.30pm, £9–£10 (£7–£9). The Unexpected Items ●●●●● The Unexpected Items is a spirited rabble of punning linguists who embellish their clever feel-good sketches with satirical pop and spontaneous dance moves. The Oxford troupe’s tributes to Alan Rickman and Carol Ann Duffy are ebullient, while their middle-class folk-hero ‘Johnny Flange’ spotlights founder Tom Williams’ lyrical mastery. (Nicola Meighan) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 30 Aug, 4.30pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). WitTank ●●●●● Now whittled down to a lean and confident trio, WitTank’s evolution into a formidable sketch troupe is arguably complete. Performances are accomplished without being distant or over-rehearsed. Pacing is fluid yet relentless. Material is frequently excellent, with darkly plausible social scenarios abutting rambunctious grotesques. A roundly successful slab of high-octane/high-brow character comedy. (Sam Healy) The Caves, 556 5375, until 29 Aug, 6.15pm, £8.50–£9 (£7.50–£8).
mumble their way through an evening of music (certainly) and hilarity (hardly) in a venue where all but the strategically- seated few will be able to see the on- screen jokes and wordy accompaniments to their silly songs and sillier dances about pop accountants and existential crises. (Brian Donaldson) C central, 0845 260 1234, until 30 Aug, 7.20pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£8.50). Pete Jonas ●●●●● He may have been awarded a no-star review by an eminent online comedy site, but this has perhaps even added extra edge to Aussie Jonas’ already bitter set about the women who have dumped him down the years. The material just about straddles the right side of offensiveness but there’s no excuse for the massive talking, squirting vagina at the show’s finale. (Brian Donaldson) The Caves, 556 5375, until 29 Aug, 10.55pm, £9.50–£11.50 (£8.50–£10.50). Phil Nichol ●●●●● Jazz poetry must surely be one of the art forms most ripe for parody, and that’s what Nichol does, wonderfully, as grizzly 1970s Baltimore bard Bobby Spade. The best part is that he’s not playing it completely straight – while the backing band are po-faced and genuinely talented, there’s a glint in his eye as he introduces a delightfully silly succession of unhinged underworld creeps. (Laura Ennor) The Stand, 558 7272, until 30 Aug, 6.50pm, £10. Russell Kane ●●●●● An acutely observed and deeply personal insight into the relationship issues when middle-class aspirations and sensibilities spring from working-class backgrounds, especially within the father/son dynamic. The continued use of a castle as metaphor for house and emotional prison gives Kane an anchor, allowing him to explore his themes without drifting too far off track in the superb show that Kane has been building up to. (Gordon Eldrett) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 30 Aug, 9.10pm, £10.50–£12.50 (£9–£11). Sammy J ●●●●● Exceedingly likeable and not above telling traditional jokes and singing conventional songs, this gangly Melbourne comic’s true talent lies in his transgressive flights of fancy. J’s opening routine concerning a ‘double cock con’ he was part of at a school and an extended aside about the significance of Kevin Costner’s archery in Robin Hood are impressive. (Miles Fielder) Underbelly, 08445 458 252, until 29 Aug, 9.50pm, £10–£12.50 (£9–11.50). Sex, Lies and the KKK ●●●●● A few Fringes back, bearded Irish comic Abie Philbin Bowman threw on an orange boiler suit and a crown of thorns for Jesus: The Guantanamo Years. In this show, he personally thanks George Bush for kickstarting his comedy career while building on that platform with this heavily-researched and compellingly- delivered hour about relationships and racism. He may actually cram too much into his set and isn’t afraid of the odd outrageous pun but this APB is one to keep an eye out for. (Brian Donaldson) The Caves, 556 5375, until 29 Aug, 1pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£8.50). Seymour Mace ●●●●● Since Mace has been accused of not putting enough of himself into his performance, he has thrown his whole lazy self into this year’s show. You’ll get a whole different kettle of joke to that of the mainstream Festival here with odd, witty and unexpected gags galore: lose some of the shouting and Mace is on the brink of brilliance. (Rebecca Ross) The Caves, 556 5375, until 29 Aug, 8pm, £8.50–£9.50. Shappi Khorsandi ●●●●● As Khorsandi’s reputation sky-rockets, her material about divorce and single motherhood falls disappointingly short of expectations. The show loses momentum for perceptible periods of time and if the jokes are a tad lacklustre, Khorsandi herself is characteristically effervescent, charming and still throws us a few morsels of edgier, un-PC humour. (Rebecca Ross) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 30 Aug, 7.50pm, £11–£12 (£9.50–£10.50). Shazia Mirza ●●●●● Shy comedy fans, beware. In this small venue, there’s no hiding, and she’s not afraid to go all the way to the back and accuse you of being a Guardian reader, or middle-aged or gay. If these things don’t deter you, then Mirza’s laid-back set of observations about atheists, parental pressure and sex chronology gone wrong might be just the ticket. (Carmody Wilson) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 30 Aug, 9pm, £10.50–£12.50 (£9–£11). Strong and Wrong ●●●●● This lively duo come across like a pair of children’s TV entertainers who can certainly hold a tune. The handful of comic songs employing guitar, ukulele and banjo that punctuate their quick-fire sketch show are punchy and well- performed. It’s a shame, then, that the