Festival art see page 71
the University Quadrangle.
Technically, this is a show you can take all the family to enjoy; the classic Perrot fairytale revamped and acted out in a Fifth Element-style futuristic land. Fine as long as there’s no weak- hearted types present, them pegging it after one pyrotechnic too many could be embarrassing. And before you make a break for the hills crying ’half— baked buskers', this is no fumbling jugglers and fire eaters accidentally setting their legs alight type show.
Founded in 1991 and developed from a small street theatre collective, Turbozone return with their set (built out of four fire trucks), on which cranes, bungee ropes, mechanical sculptures, trapezes and various motorbikes and jeeps are put to work to tell the story. And there's fire. Lots and lots of fire.
The story remains the same, Cinders goes to the ball, gets jiggy with Prince Charming, loses a glass slipper and Charming gets on the hunt for his foxy one-shoed maiden. Performed to an eclectic soundtrack supplied by an on stage DJ, this is a true spectacular; full- on sensory overload. (Mark Robertson) I Cinderella (Fringe) Turbozone, The Quad (Venue 792) 530 3557, 4—74 Aug, 70pm, £72 (£9).
COMEDY PREVIEW Jeff Innocent: Undisputed Stand-Up Comic A true East Ender tel/s real life tall stories Contrary to popular belief, you probably wouldn't much mind meeting Jeff Innocent down a dark alley. True, as a genuine East Ender, he’s known a few shady types, but when it comes to fulfilling the East-end gangster stereotype, he is definitely innocent until proven guilty. ’1 don’t really know where all of this has come from. I do play with the whole stereotype, but only because a lot of that stuff's true.’ Innocent’s unique brand of observational comedy stems from his working~class East London upbringing, but he's keen to stress that there's much more to his performance than dodgy geezers and sharp suits. 'To be fair, where I lived, everyone in my generation had a brother or uncle who was involved in some kind of crime. So there is a bit of storytelling, but I see myself as part of a working-class stand-up tradition, it's a very honest show, really.’ (Olly Lassman) I Jeff Innocent — Undisputed Stand-Up Comic (Fringe) Jeff Innocent, Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, 3—28 Aug, 70pm, £7.50/£8.50 (£6.50/£7.50). Preview 3 Aug, £4.
THEATRE PREVIEW The Big Hoo-Hah
Hungarian’s return for a commotion
’This is my big hoo-hah!’ jokes Hungarian theatre-maker Eva Magyar, patting her hugely padded burn and thighs. It’s April in Budapest, and she's wearing the false flesh as part of the costuming for The Big Hoo-Hah. Magyar, founder of The Shamans, created this darkly political clown show
Trouser tearing comic antics from the deviant sons of Havana
COMEDY PREVIEW The Cuban Brothers - Good Morning Havana
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Mike Keats is one talented man. Better known to most people as Miguel Mantovani, head honcho of moustachioed DJs The Cuban Brothers, Keats has a host of other comedy characters under his belt. Doing the rounds this Festival will be Halifax Hospital Radio’s Barry Peters; Norwegian gay porn star Fitz Nice ’n’ fight; the sex-mad Black Tights Man; violent Canadian property developer Larry O’Devlin, and a crap Californian street performer. The one thing all Keats‘ characters have in common though, is the confusion they cause. ’Initially people aren’t sure what’s going on,’ says Keats. There's some wrong activity. But fifteen minutes into any of the shows and they're having it.’
Last Festival The Cuban Brothers packed out their entire run, winning lots of new fans with their mix of music, comedy, breakdancing and ’wee bits of nonsense’ as Keats calls it. This year former porn star Miguel is back with a similar format, joined once again by his extended ’family‘ and a selection of
guests.
’We're doing a live link-up with Miguel‘s brother who still runs the Good Morning Havana TV programme,’ explains Keats. ’And it’s a celebration of the twining of Edinburgh and Havana.’ But with a TV pilot in the pipeline and global fame beckoning, is the end in sight for these more intimate live gigs?
‘The last thing I want to do is kick the arse out of anything I do,’ says Keats. ’But there's still so many people who come up to me after the show and say it’s the best laugh they’ve had in ages, so while it’s working I’ll have some fun
with it.’ (Kelly Apter)
I The Cuban Brothers — Good Morning Havana (Fringe) Gilded Balloon ’5 Cave (Venue 38) 226 2757, 4—5, 70—72, 77—7 9, 24—26 Aug, midnight, £9 (£8); La Belle Ange/e (Venue 707) 225 7536, 6, 9, 73, 76, 20, 23, 27—28 Aug,
midnight, £9 (£8).
with three of her native country’s most promising young stars of stage and screen. Their inspired playing levitates a sobering comedy about a society's confused struggles against a powerful yet puny dictator-on-wheels. Magyar herself fights uphill battles within Hungry's patriarchal theatre system. ’People usually look at me as an actress, a woman, not a leader. I'm lucky because I can escape by working abroad.’ There's been recognition and
opportunities in Scotland. In 1998 The Shamans collaborated on a project with Theatre Cryptic, after winning a Herald Angel for two superb shows on that year's Fringe. ’Edinburgh is a main jumping-off point in my art and life,’ Magyar gratefully claims.
(Donald Hutera)
I The Big Hoo-Hah (Fringe) The Shamans, Club Pleasance (Venue 23) 556 6550, 5—75 Aug, 70.20pm,
£7. 50/£8.50 (£6.50/£7.50).
Intant Karma with BBA And Proud
MUSIC PREVIEW Barb Jungr - In Cabaret! Chanson - The Space In Between
The inspired chanteuse is really Brel
Barb Jungr can discuss her voice in terms of pitch, performance and delivery. But can she describe its quality? ’|mpossible!' the English singer asserts. 'That’s like asking me to talk about my family. I have no objectivity.’ Her pipes are smoky yet smooth, like a cross between a less gin-soaked Marianne Faithfull and Doris Day with a crust of experience. ’I started singing for my supper at age 22,’ admits Jungr, now 46. She returns to the Fringe with a cabaret of jazzJpop standards, and in a longer run of a show in the Chanson style. The atmospheric material, freshly translated, ranges from Jacques Brel (of course) to Elvis Costello. ’Most of the popular music we listen to has roots in American blues, soul and gospel,’ Jungr explains. ’ln Chanson, we’re trying to find a way back to the connection we had with English and European songs.’ Listen and learn. (Donald Hutera)
I Barb Jungr — In Cabaret (Fringe) Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, 7, 9—72 Aug, 7am, £3 (£2);
Chanson — The Space In Between (Fringe) Club Pleasance (Venue 23) 556 6550, 9—28 (not27) 9pm, £7.50/£8.50 (£6. 50/£ 7. 50). Preview 8 Aug, £3.
MUSIC PREVIEW
Fro gy Stjle - Francois
Ra enau
Classic musical morsels are iven a bit of French dressing and ng/ish relish
Of the many shows dedicated to la chanson francaise at the festival this year, Raffenaud’s superb set offers full Gallic flavour. No frills, no superfluous lyricism, no cheap pathos; sobriety, sincerity and humour are the bywords for this show where Raffenaud sings songs of his childhood by Trenet, Brel, Gainsbourg, Piaf, Ventura or Aznavour. ’The lack of sets and props is deliberate. I want people to be left free to imagine the universe of each song,’ explains Raffenaud who has ten year's experience with the French National Theatre, and regards himself not just as a singer but also a storyteller. ’With French songs, the story is paramount.’ Which explains why two thirds of the set is sung in English translations, some his own, some never heard before. And to show that translation need not slavisth follow the original, he sings two very different versions of the same song. The show climaxes with an English rendering of Pierre Perret's famous ’Le zizi' (the willy) an explicit, but extremely funny musical ode to the penis.
True to the chansonnier tradition, Raffenaud captures the heart and imagination c’est extra. (Gilles Robel) I Froggy Sty/e (Fringe) Francois Raffenaud, Hill Street Theatre (Venue 4 7) 226 6522, 4—28 Aug (not Wed) 70.70pm, £6.50 (£5).
3-10 Aug 2000 THE UST FESTIVAL GUIDE 89