The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£9; members £5). See Thu 1 for line-up. Saturday 3
Glasgow ✽ Ross Noble: Mindblender Pavil- ion Theatre, 121 Renfield Street, 332
1846. 7.30pm. £25. See Thu 1. Kevin Bloody Wilson: Cop-U-Later Theatre Royal, 282 Hope Street, 0844 871 7647. 8pm. £20.50. Australia’s cult comedy king. Michael McIntyre SECC, Finnieston Quay, 0844 395 4000. 8pm. £35. The dapper dafty on his biggest tour yet. Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £16. See Fri 2. The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 9pm. £15. See Thu 1 for line-up.
Edinburgh ✽ Stewart Francis: Outstand- ing in His Field Festival Theatre,
13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. 7.30pm. £20. See Fri 2.
✽ Jenny Eclair: Eclairious Brunton Theatre, Ladywell Way, Mus-
selburgh, 665 2240. 8pm. £17.50. A grumpy look at life from Ms Eclair. See feature, page 24, and My Comedy Hero, page 65.
✽ Kevin Bridges: The Story Con- tinues. . . Edinburgh Playhouse,
18-22 Greenside Place, 0844 871 3014. 8pm. £26. See Fri 2. The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive
1846. 7.30pm. £25. See Thu 1. Scottish Comedian of the Year Grand Final The Old Fruitmarket, Candleriggs, 353 8000. 7.30pm. £10–£20. Ten stand-ups of a Scottish or Scotland-based bent compete for the crown currently atop the bonce of Jamie Dalgleish.
✽ Stewart Francis: Outstanding in His Field Theatre Royal, 282 Hope Street, 0844 871 7647. 7.30pm. £19.50. Spot-on one-liners from the Canadian stand-up. FREE Wasasa Comedy Night The Halt Bar, 160 Woodlands Road, 353 6450. 8pm. See Sun 28. The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£9; members £5). See Thu 1, but Martin Beyer-Olsen is replaced by Lars. Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £15. With Susan Murray, David Hadingham and Colin Cole. Craig Hill: Jock’s Trap Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, 552 4267. 10pm. £15 (£12). Another slice of candid camp action. Part of Glasgay!
Edinburgh ✽ Kevin Bridges: The Story Con- tinues . . . Edinburgh Playhouse, 18–22 Greenside Place, 0844 871 3014. 8pm. £26. The biggest name in Scottish stand-up continues his reign. The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £5. See Fri 19.
Comedy
Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £5. See Fri 19. The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£9; members £5). See Thu 25 for line-up.
Saturday 27
Glasgow Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £16. See Fri 26. The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 9pm. £15. See Thu 25 for line-up. Edinburgh Absolute Improv The Tron, 9 Hunter Square, High Street, 225 3784. 8–10pm. £5 (£4). ToBeContinued turn audience suggestions into improv gold. Julian Clary: Position Vacant, Apply Within Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk Street, 668 2019. 8pm. £20 (£18). Julian is sweeping the nation in search of love. See 5 Things, page 61. The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £7. See Fri 19. The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £15. See Thu 25 for line-up.
McDonnell, Michael Downie and Keith Farnan flex their comedy muscles. Edinburgh Roy Chubby Brown Edinburgh Playhouse, 18-22 Greenside Place, 0844 871 3014. 7.30pm. £22. Blue comedy from the controversial comic. Best of Scottish Comedy The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £3). A Hallowe’en special with David Kay and Chris Forbes.
Thursday 1 Glasgow The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Raymond Mearns hosts with Tony Law, Caimh McDonnell and more.
Edinburgh ✽ Ross Noble: Mindblender Edin- burgh Playhouse, 18–22 Greenside
Place, 0844 871 3014. 8pm. £25. All hail the wild-haired Geordie, a man prone to surreal interludes and daft diversions. See Hallowe’en feature, page 19. The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £8 (£7; members £4). The musical charms of Mitch Benn with Keith Farnan, Derek Johnston and host Jojo Sutherland.
Sunday 28 Friday 2
Glasgow ✽ Ross Noble: Mindblender Pavil- ion Theatre, 121 Renfield Street, 332
Glasgow Julian Clary: Position Vacant, Apply Within Pavilion Theatre, 121 Renfield Street, 332 1846. 7.30pm. £20 (£18). See Sat 27. Scott Capurro: Islamahomophobia The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 7.30pm. £10. After his mother’s death, Capurro is questioning everything in a manner that’s best kept to those less easily offended. See First and Last, page 128. Part of Glasgay! FREE Wasasa Comedy Night The Halt Bar, 160 Woodlands Road, 353 6450. 8pm. Original comedians make this a thought-provoking, creative night.
Monday 29
Glasgow ✽ Greg Davies: The Back of My Mum’s Head Theatre Royal, 282 Hope Street, 0844 871 7647. 8pm. £21. The manic-eyed comedian returns with a new show about growing up (or not). See preview, page 63.
✽ Alexei Sayle The Stand, 333 Wood- lands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm.
£13. Godfather of the alt.comedy scene sets off on a warm-up stand-up tour ahead of something bigger down the line. See feature, page 24.
Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Newbees Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8pm. £2. See Mon 22. Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. See Mon 22, but with Davey Connor.
Tuesday 30
Glasgow Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. See Tue 23, but with improv gods Stu & Garry and Davey Connor. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Newbees Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8pm. £2. See Mon 22.
✽ Alexei Sayle The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £13. See
Mon 29.
Wednesday 31
Glasgow Best of Irish Comedy The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £7 (£6; members £3). Caimh 64 THE LIST 18 Oct–15 Nov 2012
DVD MOONE BOY (2entertain) ●●●●●
The imaginary friend is a recurring staple of much comedy and drama from the loveable Harvey to the satirical Fight Club. In Moone Boy, the unreal buddy is played by Chris O’Dowd, as the psychological crutch to 12-year-old Martin Moone (David Rawle), the youngest sibling and only boy of a large family in the west of Ireland. Set in 1989, this gives the creators plenty chance to wallow in the social and cultural rumblings of the time, both local (Mary Robinson campaigning to become the first female president of Ireland) and global (David Hasselhoff ‘singing’ on the crumbling Berlin Wall). The show started as a one-off Little Crackers episode on Sky One, the series in which British personalities (Harry Hill, Jane Horrocks, Jo Brand, Alan Davies) got the chance to write about their own childhoods while also appearing as a different grown-up character; hence this is essentially the semi-fictional memoirs of a young Chris O’Dowd, with all its attendant fears about puberty, sex and bullies.
Such a show’s success inevitably lies heavily on the central character and Rawle’s performance is a fine mixture of the gently innocent and comedically knowing. O’Dowd’s ‘Sean’ is actually a fairly incidental role with episodes in which he only briefly appears, and centre stage is taken more by the Moone parents (the excellent pairing of Peter McDonald and Deirdre O’Kane). Plus, there are fun cameos by Steve Coogan as a pervy entrepreneur and Johnny Vegas as the imaginary friend of Martin’s school chum Padraig. The end result is a series as cosily warm as the missing jumper being shouted about in the Sultans of Ping FC’s punky theme tune. (Brian Donaldson)