Festival

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HITLIST TIM KEY Having pretty much cornered the market in ‘Slut’ comedy show titles, the ex-Coward bravely sinks to wonderful depths in a big bubbly bath with this exquisite new Masterslut hour. See review, page 34. Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, until 29 Aug, 9.45pm, £12–£14 (£11–£13).

WitTank A near-perfect display of sketch show hilarity from three boys who have seriously upped their game. See 5-star review at list.co.uk/festival. The Caves, 556 5375, until 28 Aug, 6.15pm, £8.50–£9.50 (£7.50–£8.50).

Luke Wright Aisle 16’s co-founder delivers a withering analysis of Britain. See five-star review at list.co.uk/festival. Underbelly, 0844 545 8252, until 28 Aug, 4.15pm, £9.50–£10.50. (£8.50–£9.50). Andrew Maxwell The Irish clown gets back to his best with a show fuelled by magnificent imagery. See review at list.co.uk/festival. Assembly George Square, 623 3030, until 29 Aug, 9pm, £13–£15 (£12–£14).

BUG Hosted by Adam Buxton Mr B makes a bold return with his popular London night in which he does his irreverent thing while some music videos buzz away. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 25–29 Aug, 10.30pm, £15.

Lee Camp The rabble-rousing US comic comes over here and steals all our laughs with a brilliant show full of twisted barbs. See review at list.co.uk/festival. The Stand III & IV, 558 7272, until 28 Aug, 11.45pm, £8 (£7).

Tom Rosenthal Son of Jim and star of Friday Night Dinner produces a funny hour about privilege. See review at list.co.uk/festival. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 29 Aug, 9.30pm, £9.50–£12 (£8–£10.50).

Russell Kane Last year’s Edinburgh Comedy Award winner fails to rest on his laurels with another stunning show about blokes. See review, page 30. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 26 Aug, 8.50pm, £17.50 (£15.50).

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE 5–29 AUGUST Top 5

TOP OF THE PROPS

Comedians have not just been laden with jokes this year, so what were the best props on the comedy conveyor belt?

A levitating dog Brave old Mr Piffles might have his own polo neck jumper, but for the purposes of this column, he’s a prop, right? In Piff the Magic Dragon’s super show, he floats above the very ground (with no strings attached?) at the grand finale. See review, page 28. A liver Given the task of breathalysing Arthur Smith’s guests to make sure they’re suitably soused, an Edinburgh council licencing department guy gives a talk on the dangers of alcohol and the damage it does to the liver. He holds up a drinker’s liver (actually a cooked one) compared with a non-drinker’s liver (raw).

A bag of piss For one of his many tiny acts of rebellion, Rich Fulcher brings on a snap-shut plastic bag of his own urine which he pours into his beer. We’ll leave your imagination to run wild about what happened next . . . A taco kit Sam Simmons tells a story about growing up in poverty, when having an Old El Paso Taco Kit was a special one-off treat for the whole family. To recreate that magical moment on stage, he opens the sachet of seasoning powder and pours the entire contents into his mouth, immediately coughing it all up saying, ‘It doesn’t taste the same!’

A cock costume In this year’s Behemoth show, Nadia Kamil has a brief backstage break, appearing dramatically in a full ‘cock costume’. Word on the street suggests that she temporarily lost her phone in said outfit. See edfringe.com for full show details.

25 Aug–22 Sep 2011 THE LIST 27

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