list.co.uk/comedy Tuesday 17
Glasgow Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. Mikey Adams herds the newbies. Edinburgh Rob Rouse: Great Escape The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £10. Hyperactive funnyman Rob Rouse rattles on about his life and family and their escape from the big city to quieter climes. We Happy Few Presents . . . The Banshee Labyrinth, 29–35 Niddry Street, 558 8209. 9pm. £3. All the fun of an eclectic Fringe show without the nagging feeling that you might be about to die. With sketches and stand-up from Ben Verth, Mickey Anderson, Hitch Hanrahan, Adam Mitchell, Clarisse Loughery, Niall McCamley and James Stewart.
Wednesday 18
Glasgow FREE The West End Comedy Basement Tennent’s Basement Bar, 191 Byres Road, 339 7203. 8pm. See Wed 4. Benefit in Aid of Orkidstudio The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £7 (£5). Des Clarke hosts this benefit for Orkidstudio, a design charity which benefits young people and communities worldwide. Lending their best funnies are sketch troupe How Do I Get Up There and Gary Tank Commander. Edinburgh Benefit in Aid of Fast Forward The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £7 (£5). A night to raise funds for the Edinburgh-based charity which promotes health and well-being among young people.
Perth Alistair McGowan Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, 01738 621031. 8pm. £20.50. The telly impressionist shows off his wealth of famous faces. Part of Perth Festival of the Arts. Stirling Hardeep Singh Koli: Chat Masala Macrobert, University of Stirling, 01786 466666. 8pm. £15 (£13). Mixing comedy with food and a sprinkling of special guests.
Thursday 19
Glasgow Milton Jones: Lion Whisperer Pavilion Theatre, 121 Renfield Street, 332 1846. 7.30pm. £15. Bizarre, beautiful and bendy one-liners from the Radio 4 veteran. See My Comedy Hero, right. Q-Fusion Improv Highlight, UGC Building, 11 Renfrew Street, 0844 844 0044. 8pm. £4. Throw your craziest ideas at the troupe and see what they come up with.
✽✽ The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335
8879. 8.30pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Host tonight is only Raymond flippin’ Mearns. With Alun Cochrane, John Scott, Gerry McDade and Viv Gee.
Edinburgh The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Billy Kirkwood makes the weekend that bit funnier with Tony Burgess, Julian Deane and Chloe Philip.
Friday 20
Glasgow Foster’s Comedy Live @ highlight Highlight, UGC Building, 11 Renfrew Street, 0844 844 0044. 8.30pm. £12. Joe Heenan and his razor sharp quips, succinct Tom Allen, Jeff Innocent and John Smith.
✽✽ The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879.
8.30pm. £10 (£9; members £5). See Thu 19 for line-up.
PREVIEW MY COMEDY HERO MILTON JONES Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 19 May; EICC, Edinburgh, Sun 22 May
Growing up, I was inspired by people in sitcoms such as Ronnie Barker and Leonard Rossiter. But the hero I’d pick would be Rowan Atkinson. I became aware of him when he used to do sketches on Not the Nine O’Clock News and it was clear that he was the star. Although he was doing different characters there was always a Rowan Atkinson angle on them and his was the line that the audience waited for. And as with all great people, even if his line wasn’t always the punchline, he managed to make each one funny. He has very good verbal and physical timing and it’s rare for that to come together. Because he’s done things like Mr Bean and The Thin Blue Line that
have been quite low-brow, he doesn’t really get the credit he deserves anymore. If I had to pick one it would be Blackaddder; he was doing one character but it varied through the ages and ended with the pathos of World War One where you thought, ‘Right, he can do a bit of that as well.’
I remember going to the West End to see his one-man show, and often there would be a ten-minute sketch with him saying four words and being totally mesmeric. I do think there is a bit of snobbery going on, with some of the choices he’s made like the Johnny English thing, but his work is very sophisticated and very few people can do what he does. (Interview by Brian Donaldson)
Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £15. Get all hyped up for the weekend with some comedic assistance from the chatty Janey Godley and compadres Patrick Rolink, Simon Bligh and Junior Simpson. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £4–£7. See Fri 29 Apr. Foster’s Comedy Live @ highlight Highlight, Omni Centre, Greenside Place, 0844 844 0044. 9pm. £10. With Curtis Walker and Nige. The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£9; members £5). See Thu 19 for line-up.
Saturday 21 Glasgow Foster’s Comedy Live @ highlight Highlight, UGC Building, 11 Renfrew
Street, 0844 844 0044. 8.30pm. £15. See Fri 20. Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £15. See Fri 20.
✽✽ The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335
8879. 9pm. £15. See Thu 19 for line-up.
Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £4–£7. See Fri 29 Apr. Foster’s Comedy Live @ highlight Highlight, Omni Centre, Greenside Place, 0844 844 0044. 9pm. £10. See Fri 20. The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £15. Ride the crest of the weekend with some laughs. See Thu 19 for line-up. Jekyll and Hyde Comedy Club The Jekyll & Hyde, 112 Hanover Street, 225 2022. 9.30pm. £8 (£6). See Sat 30 Apr.
Comedy
Perth ✽✽ Greg Davies: Firing Cheeseballs at a Dog Perth
Concert Hall, Mill Street, 01738 621031. 8pm. £18.50. The Inbetweeners show- stealer waxes lyrical about his previous career as a teacher and treats us to some impressions of his mad family. Part of Perth Festival of the Arts.
Sunday 22
Glasgow Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). Taking your mind off Monday are John Scott, Pat Burtscher, Martin Bearne, Pauline Goldsmith and Darren Connell. Edinburgh FREE Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. See Sun 1. The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). Chilled out Sunday vibes with Caroline Robertson and Derek Miller. Milton Jones: Lion Whisperer EICC, 150 Morrison Street, 0844 847 1639. 8pm. £15. See Thu 19.
Monday 23
Edinburgh Fit O’ The Giggles Out With the Old City Café, 19 Blair Street, 220 0125. 8.30pm. £3 (£2). See Mon 2. Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. New talent with hosts Rob Kane and Pat Burtscher. The Beehive Comedy Club Newbees Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £2 (£1). See Mon 2.
Tuesday 24
Glasgow Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. With host Pat Burtscher. Edinburgh Benefit in Aid of the Ruby Lambert Trust The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £15 (members £10). Fred MacAuley and others to be announced lend their support to a deserving cause.
Wednesday 25
Glasgow Best of Irish Comedy The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £7 (£6; members £3). Representing the Emerald Isle tonight are Owen O’Neill, Robbie Bonham and Dave Hurley. Edinburgh Best of Scottish Comedy The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £3). Mark Bratchpiece, Gus Lymburn, Jay Lafferty and host Bruce Devlin fly the flag.
Thursday 26
Glasgow The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Sprinkling their funny fairy dust on your willing heads are Ian Moore, Robbie Bonham and Dave Hurley with Susan Calman. Edinburgh Comedy Unplugged: Open Mic Competition Highlight, Omni Centre, Greenside Place, 0844 844 0044. 7.45pm. £5. See Thu 5. Fit O’ The Giggles @ Constitution Constitution Bar, 48 Constitution Street, Leith, 538 9374. 8.30–10.30pm. £5. See Thu 28. The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £8 (£7; members £4). With host Susan Morrison, Mondeo Man Barry Castagnola and more.
28 Apr–26 May 2011 THE LIST 51