COMEDY | Previews 74 THE LIST 2 Apr–4 Jun 2015
MUSICAL COMEDY JONNY & THE BAPTISTS The Stand, Glasgow, Mon 13 Apr; The Stand, Edinburgh, Wed 15 Apr
With the upcoming general election set to deliver the most uncertain result in living memory, the political landscape is proving fertile ground for satirists. Jonny & The Baptists (aka Jonny Donahoe and Paddy Gervers) are bringing a musical interlude to the party and after the success of their Stop UKIP tour, they’re back to Rock the Vote. And J&TB are like many of us: we know we don’t want Farage’s lot to prosper, but we can’t wholeheartedly admit to wanting anybody to actually win. ‘There is no undisputed “goodie” in British politics at the moment,’ reckons Donahoe. ‘I think that’s why people are shifting to the more radical right, and looking towards the more prejudiced and narrow-minded parties like UKIP for answers because they don’t feel there is a “goodie”.’
‘When you have a Labour Party moving so far to the right of the unions and working people, it’s no wonder everyone feels unrepresented and begins looking for anything else,’ adds Gervers. ‘They just want an alternative with a viable leader and stance, which in my opinion is something we don’t really have.’ Musically, the left has traditionally had the best tunes thanks to the likes of Billy Bragg, the Specials and Springsteen, while the right can lay claim to the two Garys, Numan and Barlow. But political songs hit new depths two years ago with DJ Mike Read and his ‘UKIP Calypso’, a truly appalling record that Frankie Goes to Hollywood should have tried to ban from Radio 1. ‘We can’t agree on the worst political song as there are so many duds out there, but the Hank Williams Jr song “The McCain-Palin Tradition” is definitely a contender,’ insists Gervers. ‘I mean it is so, so awful. I want to say “if you haven’t heard it, go and listen to it now”, but I don’t think we could do that to you in good conscience.’ (Brian Donaldson) ■ See list.co.uk/comedy for a Jonny & The Baptists q&a.
STAND-UP KATHERINE RYAN Òran Mór, Glasgow, Fri 15 & Sun 17 May
Katherine Ryan won’t be one for pushing her daughter into the entertainment business in order to follow in mummy’s footsteps. And perhaps little Violet might not be especially keen in any case. ‘She watches a lot of comedy but she thinks it’s really very boring,’ the UK-based Canadian comic admits. ‘I don’t think she’ll get into it. But I’d say she hasn’t shown particular talent for anything yet, apart from emotional maturity. Though that comes from hanging out with a lot of adults.’ No doubt Violet’s true abilities will come through one day, and her stand-up mum certainly hopes that the world will be in a slightly more enlightened place than it often appears to be now. Her current touring show, Glam Role Model, tackles the barbed areas of fame and female identity and the sometimes difficult point where they can crash into each other.
‘Fame doesn’t really work out for many people and it’s nice to just think that we are all contributing,’ believes Ryan. ‘People don’t realise that putting yourself out there, whether you’re the most popular girl at school or the weirdo (and I have been both), makes you very vulnerable and it’s more likely that people will attack you in some way. Luckily, I couldn’t really give a shit about any of that. I’m so fortunate because I take comfort in people not liking me; I think it’s lovely that we all like different things, and really, what person would expect everyone to like them?’ (Brian Donaldson)
STAND-UP DARA O BRIAIN SECC, Glasgow, Sun 10 & Mon 11 Apr; Edinburgh Playhouse, Fri 15 & Sat 16 May
The king of audience interaction is back, so if you happen to have booked yourself a spot in the front row, prepare to get involved once Irish wag Dara Ó Briain directs his gaze upon you. He describes his renowned bantering with the crowd as ‘a tremendous frisson. It’s like walking a tightrope. The audience love it because they can see you’ve got nothing up your sleeve and that things could very easily go wrong. They realise that this could go anywhere and you’re not given an easy ride.’ None of which means that Ó Briain isn’t a master at carving out excellent touring show scripts.
And after critical and popular hits such as Craic Dealer and This is the Show, Crowd Tickler looks like maintaining that excellent run. While the popular London-based County Wicklow boy is probably best known to the public as the laconic host of Mock the Week, Stargazing Live or on those Three Men travel shows with Griff Rhys Jones and Rory McGrath, his skills as both a storytelling raconteur and master of witty crowd control shouldn't be underestimated. ‘I’ll be talking about the awkward conversations we’ll have with our grandchildren about all the resources we’ve used up and all the wonderful advances we’ve casually wasted, like Concorde and the space shuttle. I’ll also talk about the angel therapist who is leading a campaign to remove fluoride from the water in Ireland because she thinks it’s poisoning the nation. For sheer energy, you have to admire her campaign.’ (Brian Donaldson)