ASSEMBLY ROOMS
ASSEMBLY ROOMS HIGHLIGHTS
A sneak peek at the Fringe line-up • AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE WICKER MAN Greg Hemphill leads the National Theatre of Scotland in an offbeat tribute to the cult movie. ‘It’s a feelgood song- and-dance number about The Wicker Man,’ says Sheppard. ‘I think it will be a festival hit.’
• STEWART LEE: CARPET REMNANT WORLD The stand-up returns triumphant with the show he workshopped at the Stand Comedy Club last year.
• RETURN OF THE LUMBERJACKS Stewart Francis, Craig Campbell and Glenn Wool: three Canadian comedians for the price of one.
• JIGSY Les Dennis stars as a jobbing comic on the Liverpool club circuit in Tony Staveacre’s play. • CAMILLE Staying true to her Fringe roots, the Irish chanteuse (far left) gets dark and dangerous before her run in The Rape of Lucrece in the EIF.
• MOLLY WOBBLY’S TIT FACTORY From Belfast’s Lyric Theatre, a musical comedy by Paul
Boyd. ‘It’s a satire of nip-and-tuck culture,’ says Sheppard. ‘It’s jolly, upbeat, slightly risqué, and it’s a world premiere.’ • PHIL NICHOL: THE INTERVENTION Nichol plays a manic, creative and alcoholic son in this premiere by the Fringe First-winning Dave Florez. ‘It’s a sophisticated straight-ahead drama that packs a punch and leaves the audience buzzing,’ says Nichol. The cast includes Mike McShane.
• MAGNUS BETNÉR LIVE Sweden’s answer to Bill Hicks and Lenny Bruce returns to deliver a second helping of
shock and awe.
• RUSSELL KANE New show from the novelist, presenter and award-winning comedian. • BRIDGET CHRISTIE: WAR DONKEY Leftfi eld stand-up asks: ‘Why isn’t there a Spielberg blockbuster about donkeys?’
26 Apr–24 May 2012 THE LIST 21
‘IF I CAN GET THROUGH AUGUST WITHOUT HAVING A SINGLE QUEUE, I’LL BE HAPPY’
at the Assembly Rooms. And there are a few people who we’ve worked with, like Bridget Christie, who are going there, not so much because it’s a step up but there’s a different tone to it – it’s a bit more theatrical.’ If negotiations with the council are successful and if traffi c can be diverted off George Street, he’ll be putting a tent on the front of the building to create a festival hub and to give audiences an extra place to hang out. Even if that doesn’t happen, the venue will have a less hurried ambiance than elsewhere on the Fringe, chiming in with the more classy approach of neighbouring venues such as the New Town Theatre, the Traverse and St Stephen’s, as well as the Edinburgh International Book Festival. ‘The sub-Glastonbury atmosphere being created in the university area is a million miles away from where I want to be,’ he says. ‘The emphasis in the bars and the programme at the Assembly Rooms will be the best possible quality at the lowest possible price. And if I can get through August without having a single queue, I’ll be happy.’
In the meantime, Sheppard is like a child with a shiny new toy: ‘The Assembly Rooms always was the best venue on the Fringe and the council has spent £10m on it, so imagine the Assembly Rooms being fully air-conditioned, with new sound systems, 100 per cent new seating, new fl oors, sound-proofed, new bar areas and better circulation space, and then with a programmer saying, “You won’t have to queue – and you’ll pay less than you paid before.” I’m feeling extremely positive about it.’
Flingin’ wi’ Ceilidh Stomp, Sat 21 Jul, Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh. Fringe programme, Fri 3-Sun 26 Aug.