LIST.CO.UK/FESTIVAL REVIEWS FESTIVAL COMEDY
SILKY Keen to please but able to disturb ●●●●● CHRIS STOKES Tremendous tales of a nerdy loser ●●●●●
Unlike other performers that have descended on Edinburgh throughout the festival, Silky has opted not to plaster his posters around town. Going against the publicity grain, the comedian has instead placed his PR material on the underside of buses; and with good reason. Originally from Liverpool, Silky adopts a mild-mannered onstage persona, devoid of any arrogance, and is clearly eager to please. Such is the degree of his willingness to entertain that he confesses to gauging the reaction of each gag with a percentage-based rating system. Throughout the show he is also keen to engage with each audience member individually.
The content exhibited in Nut Allegory sways from self-depreciating humour, tales about a career on the comedy circuit and a moderately edgy gag about a teddy bear. As the show reaches its finale, though, there is a dark twist. Beginning with intensely potent shower gel, inducing temporary alcoholism and culminating in a face-to-face alterca- tion with his doctor, Silky divulges the details behind his life’s most harrowing episode. (Jamie Cameron) ■ The Stand II, 558 7272, until 26 Aug, 2.20pm, £8 (£7).
You can picture the club circuit of the alternative comedy boom-years being filled to the rafters with cardy-wearing anti-machismo vegan stand-ups. But in these post-post-ironic times, Chris Stokes feels almost like a novelty act. Lucky for him (and us) that he just so happens to be a very gifted young comic whose tales of being hassled for sex by a tramp and making a fool of himself at the recycling tip stay just the right side of credible and are entirely in keeping with the sad picture of a nerdy loser that he’s painted for us. Having to constantly skip around life’s alpha males is not an easy feat for Stokes to perform, especially when he has one right in the heart of his family, but a different kind of balancing act is required when his Christmas morning is ruined by tweets suggesting a colossal case of mistaken identity.
There are plenty comics of his chatty ilk who are half-decent company for an hour, but Chris Stokes has the talent to one day have the world at his feet. Even the most red-blooded Clarkson-carnivore would love him. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 27 Aug, 5.45pm, £8–£9 (£7).
MAGIC SHOWS Sidekicks, spoofs and syndromes
Magic shows at this year’s Fringe are mostly enjoyable affairs, with a few individual quirks setting them apart. Setting Chris Dugdale (●●●●●) apart is his smarmy, charmless stage persona, Teflon-coated to within an inch of its life and possessing no character whatsoever. The hilarious Ian D Montfort (●●●●●) manages to both spoof psychic abilities and make some jaws drop by deploying them, while amiable Doug Segal (●●●●●) openly admits that his ‘mind reading’ talents are just skills developed in the twin fields of psychology and marketing.
Alan Hudson (●●●●●) and Ian Kendall (●●●●●) both deliver autobiographical magic shows, Hudson performing a turn for each stage of his career and Kendall explaining how his obsession with trickery is a symptom of Asperger’s syndrome. The tricks at each show can be a little ropey, but both Hudson and Kendall are such genial hosts, it barely matters.
Victorian double-act Morgan & West (●●●●●) share with Pete Heat (●●●●●) a predisposition for side- kicks in their act: they employ a shadow puppet to help out, while Heat utilises the talents of a poorly-drawn weasel. Of the two, the weasel is a more entertaining assistant (he has a knack for bodily hypnosis), but Morgan & West deliver a stronger overall show.
Piff the Magic Dragon (●●●●●) is as ever a refreshing breath of sardonic air amidst the suffocating
atmosphere of enthusiasm at the Fringe. His tricks are a bit frayed at the edges and often fairly easy to figure out, but this chimes perfectly with his shabby, weary persona, and in Mr Piffles the Chihuahua he has the most adorable assistant a magician could want.
Standing head and shoulders above the rest is him-off-the-telly Pete Firman (●●●●●), whose visually spectacular array of tricks (he omits the tiresome ‘what’s written inside the envelope?’ malarkey beloved by other conjurers) is matched by quick-fire wit and proper charisma. (Niki Boyle) ■ See list.co.uk/festival for full show details
JAMES ACASTER Brings joy to surreal and eccentric comedy ●●●●●
A criticism levelled at James Acaster is that his material has been somewhat puerile. He’s been tipped as a young comedian with real potential but still in need of much improvement, something far from the truth in this confident and sharp routine. Acaster is a skilled and surreal raconteur, capa-
ble of commanding tales from gluten-free bread to crêpes moonlighting as pancakes. His taciturn deliv- ery won’t be to everyone’s taste, as the gig can lose momentum, but is swept up with seamless segues. The material is accomplished and creative, with an entire section on ducks drawing some of the biggest laughs. Most impressive of all is how Acaster pulls this eccentric collection of stories together. His style suits intimate venues far better than his television slots, as just a raise of the eyebrows can decide a punchline. Acaster comes equipped with props and space for audience interaction, rounding off a resourceful and assured set. (Andrew Latimer) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 26 Aug, 8.15pm, £10–£12 (£8.50–£10.50).
E N R O H T A L L U E V E T S
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