COMEDY
£12. Award-winning Roisin’s new show is all about searching for things in life. Monday 4
Glasgow Roisin Conaty: Lifehunter The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £12 (£10). See Sun 3. Part of Glasgay!. Edinburgh Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. See Mon 21, but with Stuart Mitchell and host Susie McCabe.
Tuesday 5
Glasgow Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. See Tue 22, but with Stuart Mitchell.
Edinburgh ✽ Barry Humphries: Eat Pray Laugh! Edinburgh Festival Theatre,
13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. 7.30pm. £15–£75. Come along, possums, and bid a tearful adieu to Dame Edna. See 5 Things, page 65.
✽ Wicked Wenches The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £3). Kate Smurthwaite, Luisa Omielan (see preview, page 63) and Becky Price shake their comedy tail feathers.
Wednesday 6
Glasgow ✽ Wicked Wenches The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £3). See Thu 5, Glasgow.
Edinburgh ✽ Barry Humphries: Eat Pray Laugh! Edinburgh Festival Theatre,
13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. 7.30pm. £15–£75. See Tue 5. Paul Foot: Words The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £12.50. Surreal and chaotic humour from the 2013 Sydney Comedy Award-winner.
Thursday 7 Glasgow The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£7; members £5). Start your weekend early with Mark Maier, John Hastings, Luisa Omielan (see preview, page 63), Robin Grainger and host Raymond Mearns. WEST Brewery Comedy Night WEST Brewery, Building 4 Templeton Building, Glasgow Green, 550 0135. 8.30–10.30pm. £7. Comedy at the brewery with Scottish Comedian of the Year 2011 Jamie Dalgleish hosting.
Edinburgh ✽ Barry Humphries: Eat Pray Laugh! Edinburgh Festival Theatre,
13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. 2.30pm & 7.30pm. £15–£75. See Tue 5. The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£7; members £5). With Pierre Hollins, Kate Smurthwaite, Stuart Mitchell, Davey Strong and host Susan Morrison.
Friday 8
Glasgow ✽ Daniel Sloss: Stand Up The Garage, 490 Sauchiehall Street, 332
1120. 8pm. £13.50. Stories and smart gags from the youthful comedian. The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 7 for line-up. Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £10. With Jonathan Mayor, Phil Differ, Tony Hendriks and Des Clarke (see My Comedy Hero, page 64).
66 THE LIST 17 Oct–14 Nov 2013
Sunday 10
Glasgow Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). See Sun 20, but with John Hastings, Stuart Mitchell and Stephen Halkett. Edinburgh FREE Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. See Sun 20. Robin Ince: The Importance of Being Interested The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £12 (£10). The funnyman zeroes in on Charles Darwin and Richard Feynman.
Monday 11
Glasgow Craig Campbell: Thrilling Mic Hunt The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £15. Enthusiastic storytelling and sharp wit from the Canadian stand-up. Edinburgh Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. See Mon 21, but with Kai Humphries and host Gus Lymburn.
Tuesday 12
Glasgow Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. See Tue 22, but with Kai Humphries and Rob Kane. Edinburgh Jo Caulfield Presents . . . The Speakeasy Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. 8–10pm. £6. With guests including playwright / poet Kris Haddow, crime- writer Rod Vestibule, comedian Keir McAllister, a play by Jen McGregor and music from The Magical Fruit Dance of the Bengal Tigers. Melting Pot The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £5 (£4; members £2.50). Vote for the best of the new sketches from local comedy types.
Wednesday 13 Glasgow New Material Night Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 8pm. £3. See Wed 23. The Fun Junkies The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £5 (£4; members £2.50). Magic, sketches, musical breaks and weirdness from the How Do I Get Up There? boys.
Edinburgh Stephen Lynch Picture House, 31 Lothian Road, 0844 847 1740. 7pm. £20. Comedy singer-songwriter from Michigan. Craig Campbell: Thrilling Mic Hunt The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £15. See Mon 11. Thursday 14
Glasgow Ava Vidal Goes Dutch The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£8). Former prison officer Vidal talks about the ideas of community and responsibility in her new show. The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £10 (£7; members £5). With Brendon Burns, Simon Donald, Susie McCabe, Gareth Mutch and host Martin Mor. Edinburgh The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£7; members £5). With Josh Howie, Alan F rancis, John Gavin, Jay Lafferty and host Joe Heenan.
STAND-UP RUSSELL BRAND ●●●●● Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Sat 12 Oct
There are two versions of Russell Brand in the public domain. There’s the brilliant, fast-witted comedian and the tabloid caricature, a grotesque exaggeration of Brand’s worst traits, and a paper-thin construct reduced to the adjectives ‘randy comedian’. Unfortunately, for many, this image overshadows his genuine talent so the Essex dandy is perfectly positioned here to comment on the idea of false idols and the myth of celebrity. By way of introduction, there’s a short film distilling evolution into
two minutes and positioning Brand as the pinnacle of creation just as he enters stage right to Depeche Mode’s ‘Personal Jesus’ blaring from the speakers. It’s this sort of grandiose posturing that fuels his haters but if you’re actually paying attention you’ll realise it’s self-mocking theatre, with Brand amplifying his ego for comic effect. For his aptly-named Messiah Complex tour he compares himself
to great cultural figures: Gandhi, Che Guevara, Malcolm X and Jesus (with a dash of Hitler). The concept may seem overtly vain but Brand perfectly balances self-aggrandising with self-deprecation. The thrust of the show is actually humanising these icons, exposing how history is retold and examining the human condition while revelling in its absurdities and hypocrisies.
It’s deliberately near the knuckle but also incredibly smart. While the likes of Michael McIntyre and Peter Kay dance and jig for their laughs, Brand quotes Nietzsche, and discusses politics and religion. However, it never feels condescending and seamlessly segues into smutty sex gags and surreal flights of fancy. Stepping away from the gossip pages, this is probably Brand’s most coherent show yet, effortlessly delivering a solid 90 minutes of unashamedly intelligent comedy. (Henry Northmore)
Vespbar Comedy Club Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10–11.30pm. £8 (£6). See Fri 18, but with Bill Dewar, Martin Bearne, Sandy Boutell and MC Viv Gee.
Edinburgh ✽ Barry Humphries: Eat Pray Laugh! Edinburgh Festival Theatre,
13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. 7.30pm. £15–£75. See Tue 5. The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £8. See Fri 18. The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £12 (£10; members £6). See Thu 7 for line-up.
Saturday 9 Glasgow The Comedy Explorer’s Alternative Comedy Club The Flying Duck, 142 Renfield Street, 564 1450. 8pm. £4. Andrew Learmonth’s alt.comedy night; also featuring Derek Johnston and Elaine Malcolmson.
Comedy @ The State The State Bar, 148 Holland Street, 332 2159. 9pm. £7 (£5). See Sat 19. The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 9pm. £15. See Thu 7 for line-up. Craig Hill: Tartan About! Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, 552 4267. 10pm. £16 (£12). High camp buffoonery from the kilted comedian. Part of Glasgay! Vespbar Comedy Club Vespbar, 14 Drury Street, 204 0060. 10–11.30pm. £8 (£6). See Fri 8, but with Bruce Fummey, Martin Bearne, Iain Pollock and MC Viv Gee.
Edinburgh ✽ Barry Humphries: Eat Pray Laugh! Edinburgh Festival Theatre,
13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. 2.30pm & 7.30pm. £15–£75. See Tue 5. The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £8. See Fri 18. The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £15. See Thu 7.