{COMEDY} Reviews at a Glance
Aidan Bishop ●●●●● After being dismissed as unintelligent and lazy his entire childhood, New Yorker Bishop is clearly still harbouring a great deal of resentment towards those who contributed to his misery as a dyslexic youth in the 80s. Bishop combines a bitter attitude with a wealth of charm, deep wit and the odd phonological error. (Jamie Cameron) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 28 Aug, 9pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£8.50). Andrew O’Neill ●●●●● The Alternative comedian ticks many boxes – vegan, transvestite, metalhead – but unfortunately doesn’t generate enough big laughs to check off ‘funny’. Random bursts of surrealism rely on their suddenness rather than content for humour, and while his hitchhiking anecdotes are amusing, the matey camaraderie of a truck cab doesn’t translate well to the airy expanse of an auditorium. (Niki Boyle) Assembly George Square, 623 3030, until 28 Aug (not 22), 10.30pm, £12 (£10). Armageddapocalypse ●●●●● One for action movie fans, this Cambridge theatre group gleefully ransacks the genre, and all its drug- dealing, wire-wearing, daughter- kidnapping clichés. Written by Footlights veterans, the hammy nonsense is enhanced with parkour shadow puppets, Bond-style single entendres, and nods to Inception and Bourne. Strong acting in a deliberately ropey plot. (Claire Sawers) The Caves, 556 5375, until 28 Aug, 10pm, £8.50-£9.50 (£7.50-£8.50). Ben Brailsford ●●●●● A bungling monologue this from a self-confessed geek and bassoonist, detailing his misfortune at being wrongly accused of aggravated trespass during the recent anti-cuts protests in London. His material is repetitive and the searing insignificance of his plight in the face of current turbulences is excruciating. Recorded musical interludes provide respite from this young performer’s harmless, yet monotonous, endeavour. (Rosalie Doubal) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 28 Aug (not 22), 3.25pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). The Beta Males ●●●●● A stonking show this one as a slick quartet channel the Dutch Elm Conservatoire for a rollercoaster of a journey on the sinister train, Olympus. Skulduggery is afoot with a cast including four manic businessmen, Stephen Byers and the Titanic love duo. A quality script merges with wonderful comic timing. All aboard. (Brian Donaldson) Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, until 29 Aug, 4.20pm, £10–£11 (£8.50–£9.50). Biscuit and Brawn ●●●●● Comedy duo Adele Cliff and Kate Cherrell have been performing respectively as Biscuit and Brawn for over two years and this works in their favour: the young duo’s chemistry goes some way to redeeming a mixed bag of sketches and monologues which work best when satirising pop culture (mononyms, Sugababes), but disappoint on cutlery declamations and Lidl jokes. (Nicola Meighan) The Vault, 510 0022, until 29 Aug (not 21 & 22, 28), 1.05pm, £5 (£3.50–£4.50). 48 THE LIST 18–25 Aug 2011
Casual Violence ●●●●● ‘Six bastards meet their death’ in this cheerfully absurd sketch show. Lively and loud, it’s an excellent instance of what wonders can be achieved with a lilo, George Michael and a depressive, vodka-swilling clown. Though the result is not quite the synthesis of the sum of its parts, the cast are nevertheless impressively versatile and accomplished performers. (Peggy Hughes) The Store, 556 5375, until 28 Aug (not 23), 10.40pm, £6 (£5). Chris Cox ●●●●● Finding the middle ground between a traditional magician and stand-up, Cox wins over even the most reluctant of audience participants with an engaging, geeky charm. Extra bonus points for highlighting his resemblance to the love child of Sue Perkins and Peter Crouch. (Lauren Mayberry) Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, until 29 Aug, 7.10pm, £12–£14 (£10.50–£12.50). Chris Coxen’s Space Clone Audition ●●●●● Framing his sketch show as a competition in which the audience decides which of Coxen’s four characters will be cloned to populate outer space seems unnecessary. This US comic’s creations – sleazy lounge lizard, deluded motivational speaker, shy weather marketer, aggressive kung fu dancer – put one in mind of Will Ferrell’s assumed personae and are certainly good enough to stand alone. (Miles Fielder) Cabaret Voltaire, 226 0000, until 28 Aug (not 22), 2.30pm, £5–£7. Chris McCausland ●●●●● McCausland’s London-centric material never rises above the mundane in a slow hour where jokes occasionally waft by. There’s some Neolithic stuff about budget airlines and how he’s joined a gym mixed in with the odd well-crafted gem. A vague effort which has all the structure and planning of a shanty town. (Murray Robertson) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 28 Aug, 7pm, £11–£12 (£9.50–£11). Chris Martin ●●●●● Martin certainly has swagger, but his comedy feels not so much natural but ‘learned’ (with honours from the Whitehall/McIntyre College of Advanced Observational Stand-Up). The initial promise of a show about being alone in a hectic world is ditched for musings on (I kid you not) loading dishwashers and how difficult it is to run in flip flops. (Brian Donaldson) Underbelly, 0844 545 8252, until 28 Aug, 7.35pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8.50–£9.50). Claudia O’Doherty ●●●●● As the proud presenter of a 26-part documentary about soil erosion that has inexplicably (to her mind, at least) failed to get a television deal, O’Doherty is a master of is-she-or-isn’t-she-in-character tension. Coming across as a lovably moonstruck, out-and-out freak, she’s definitely not for everyone, but this is different and outlandishly funny. (Laura Ennor) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 28 Aug, 8.45pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Conor O’Toole ●●●●● Young Irishman O’Toole turns teacher as he gives us a lesson in typography. The performance contains a good level of material especially during brief moments
of audience interaction. The show is severely hindered however by his shy and nervous delivery that results in the routine appearing unrefined and at times difficult to follow. (Jamie Cameron) The Store, 556 5375, until 28 Aug, 4pm, £7.50 (£6.50). Craig Hill ●●●●● Veteran comedian Hill returns with his latest batch of material performed with the same high- octane attitude that led him to be one of the most recognised faces in Scottish comedy. Ensuring that nobody is safe, Hill’s wicked sense of humour is hidden behind an innocent front in what is a laugh-out-loud performance from beginning to end. (Jamie Cameron) Udderbelly’s Pasture, 0844 545 8252, until 29 Aug (not 21), 7.30pm, £12.50–£14.50 (£11–£13). Dana Alexander ●●●●● The Canadian comic meanders through a flat set in which she discusses cake, weight, big bums, the cosmetics industry and stretch marks, while observing that Chinese people are small and Italian mothers are domineering. She has the style and patter down but with subject matter and content as lukewarm as this, it’s difficult to keep caring. (Brian Donaldson) Underbelly, 0844 545 8252, until 28 Aug, 8pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). Danny Bevins ●●●●● Former soldier, jailbird and dysfunctionally raised red neck, Bevins is a gifted and dyspeptic stand-up, stringing together material on the ancient theme that all humanity is excrement. Like a mildly less political Bill Hicks, Bevins likes to confound and outrage. This is muscular, funny and a little bit dangerous. (Paul Dale) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 28 Aug, 6.30pm, £8–£9.50 (£7–£8.50). Danny Pensive’s Map of Britain ●●●●● This character comedy is so assured, odd and sweet, that you can easily see the self-styled Sunderland simpleton becoming the next score keeper on Shooting Stars. During his whistle-stop recollection of a three-year trip around Britain, Pensive highlights with uncanny accuracy and unerring honesty the stupidity of places and people. Catch this comic idiot savant before Vic ‘n’ Bob snap him up. (Miles Fielder) The Caves, 556 5375, until 28 Aug, 5.20pm, £6–£7 (£5–£6). Delete the Banjax ●●●●● A couple of smart musical numbers and an inspired repeat joke involving a flipchart can’t distract the overall feebleness of this sketch quartet’s material. An unfunny extended pub quiz skit is a particular lowlight, and the excitably shrill performances lead to a suspicion that the cast is having more fun than the audience. (Allan Radcliffe) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 29 Aug, 6.20pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7–£8). Don’t Trust Salmon ●●●●● Pretty much every year at the Fringe there’s a sketch troupe or a stand-up who attempts surreal comedy by simply stringing a series of random words together. The Mighty Boosh and the like may have made it look effortless but there’s an art to it and this lot sadly don’t get it right. (Marissa Burgess) Zoo Roxy, 662 6892, until 29 Aug, 4pm, £8 (£6) Edward Aczel ●●●●● It’s pretty ballsy to begin a show in an unassuming, downbeat manner. Aczel’s deadpan delivery is self-deprecating to a fault; he barely looks up and mumbles so much that some jokes fail to register. It’s a sad day when a PowerPoint presentation livens things up, finally bringing our host to life. (Murray Robertson) Underbelly, 0844 545 8252, until 28 Aug, 7.20pm, £9.50–£11.50 (£8.50–£10.50). Elis James ●●●●● The jovial Welshman is excellent company, but the killer show that he has been promising for a while might have to wait till next year. His curious lifelong obsession with ITV sports pundit Jim Rosenthal culminates in a highly memorable confrontation at a previous Fringe, but there’ s an awful lot of filler to plough through before getting there. (Brian Donaldson) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 29 Aug (not 18, 20), 8.15pm, £9.50–£12 (£8–£10.50). Flood ●●●●● An ensemble sketch show with an overarching detective narrative, rife with jizz-sodden jokes, flapping genitalia and an indulgent meta- ending shouldn’t work at all. The political satire certainly doesn’t. But enough lands (the hectoring narrator and moments of abstract silliness) for the unsuccessful titting about to be eclipsed by cheekily capable tomfoolery. (Suzanne Black) Surgeons Hall, 0845 508 8515, until 27 Aug (not 21), 10.50pm, £8–£9 (£6–£7). Fred Cooke ●●●●● Playing the gormless Oirishman to a fault, the Tommy Tiernan-endorsed Cooke has one distinct ability: he’s a human jukebox when it comes to playing requests on his soprano melodica. As a stand-up, though, he opts for physical shenanigans instead of interesting wordplay and even the better moments (a case of mistaken identity, being polite to a friend’s dad) stay way beyond their welcome. (Brian Donaldson) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 29 Aug, 1.15pm, £7.50–£8.50 (£6.50–£7.50). Frimston and Rowett ●●●●● Almost every sketch this duo bring out has a great play on words or a pleasingly silly concept at its heart, but far too often they pass the point where the sketch should naturally end. Trying to make quantity do the work of quality where their beloved puns are concerned, they’ve made a show that is no more than mildly amusing. (Laura Ennor) The Store, 556 5375, until 29 Aug, 7pm, £8 (£7). Gareth Richards ●●●●● A Best Newcomer nominee from 2010, Richards should have more faith in his material. His topical routines, while nicely observed, are delivered in an apologetic manner that doesn’t inspire confidence. He seems more relaxed when performing his clever, verbose songs, which touch on everything from working in the Co-op to Cameron and Clegg’s symbiotic relationship. (Allan Radcliffe) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 28 Aug (not 18), 8.30pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7–£8). Gemma Goggin ●●●●● Goggin gives a show about breasts, breasts and breasts. While the primary topic of discussion in a performance titled Double G does not come as a surprise,
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