Festival film see page 71 0 Festival art see page 79
denominator sexism when he felt he was losing his audience.
(Allan Radcliffe)
l Simon Evans (Fringe) Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) 228 2428, until 28 Aug, 9.45pm, £9/£ 10 (£8/f9).
CABARET
Ladyboys Of Bangkok *****
Glitz and glamour steal the show If you arrive with an open mind and a desire to be entertained, you'd be hard pushed to find another Fringe show as spectacular, flamboyant and gloriously good fun as the Ladyboys Of Bangkok.
Some may find it hard to reconcile their feelings about the divine creatures and others may see this show as nothing more than glorified drag, but that would be missing the point. Bedecked in stunning costumes and miming to a host of disco hits, the Ladyboys really do epitomise showbusiness glamour and the high camp of the comic turns is so hilarious that tears of laughter will run freely from your dazzled eyes.
(Catherine Bromley)
a} Ladyboys Of Bangkok (Fringe) The Meadows Theatre Big Top (Venue 789) 667 0202, until 25 Aug, 8. 75pm; 26 Aug, 7pm, £10/fi2.50(f8/f70).
THEATRE A Millennium Measure Of Measure For Measure
MUSIC PREVIEW Kate Rusby
Mercury-nominated folk star
Yorkshire folk singer Kate Rusby is modestly delighted at her current success, but having nearly sold out London's prestigious Queen Elizabeth Hall, she could easily afford to have more of a swagger. The eight-date tour she and her band recently completed was not the easiest set of concerts to pull together. 'These musicians (including celebrated button accordionist Andy Cutting, guitar maestro Ian Carr, bassist Andy Seward, and fiddler John McCusker from the Battlefield Band) all played on my Hourglass album, but they're so good, and therefore so much in demand, that it’s been crazy trying to put together even a short tour that everyone can do.’
So she’ll be solo for her Fringe gig (well, not quite solo, as her partner McCusker will be adding his multi-instrumental talents) showcasing songs from the Mercury Award-nominated Sleepless album. She talked about the effect of being involved in such a trophy-scramble: 'I didn't think they would even look at us; you fill in the forms, pay your
Opm- IODM IOIHVCI
'1’ hey said: "Who‘s this little lass from Barnsley with an acoustic guitar'?‘
hundred quid and send it off, all the while knowing *‘k‘k‘k the music-biz world is full of fibs. And though we Multimedia Shakespeare didn't win, we got more press — and more pictures in Bringing a whole new meaning to the the papers - 'cos people went: “What's with this little term 'office politics’, Shakespeare's lass from Barnsley with an acoustic guitar"?'
dark comedy is transported to the Brought up singing and spending most weekends at
folk festivals - her dad runs a PA sound system and both her parents are musicians/instrumentalists — this woman is only doing what comes naturally.
(Norman Chalmers)
Kate Rusby (Fringe) Scottish International At Dynamic Earth (Venue 78) 530 3557, 17Aug, 8.45pm, £70 (£8).
modern business world in this super- slick adaptation. Much more than a simple re-telling of the story, this is a multimedia experience, complete with an ultra-cool contemporary soundtrack, stylish images and video projection.
The story concerns Isabella, who must sleep with a judge in order to save her brother from execution. Various machinations follow which ensure she escapes her predicament, and her brother is saved from the hangman. The whole production simply oozes sex and sophistication, and is a highly successful millennium make-over. (Kirsty Knaggs)
a; A Millennium Measure Of Measure For Measure (Fringe) Seige Perilous
Project, Hill Street Theatre (Venue 4 7)
226 6522, until 28 Aug (not 76) 9.40pm, f 5/f 8 (£3/f6); charity performance 73 Aug, [70.
COMEDY
Sean Lock *‘k‘k‘k
Virtual surrealist with Michael Flatley hang-up
Perhaps he really does sit around all day staring into space as his shadow lengthens or stalking wrong-number diallers. Whatever Sean Lock is up to in his spare time, someone out there should be making him fill it by writing for substantial rewards. His material, invention and fervent imagination leave each sentence ending with a surreal twist and every idea taken to its
illogical conclusion.
Even his take on hackneyed old stuff like dogs and hair loss has a fresh vitality bouncing all over it. And you won't look at Michael Flatley in the same way again after Lock's perfectly reasonable destruction of him.
(Brian Donaldson)
3 Sean Lock (Fringe) Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) 226 2428, until 28 Aug (not 75, 27) 8pm, £9/£70 (£8/f9).
COMEDY
Scott Capurro tutti Confrontationa/ gay comic returns If you have ever had the misfortune to visit anywhere in California except San Francisco, you will know it is a humourless, legislative-friendly place. Scott Capurro must be like the antichrist to the saliva dribblers of Sacramento for he owns that precious American jewel: irony.
As viciously funny as ever, Capurro rips into all the usual straight targets with demented glee. By his own standards this is a minor show, as the Fringe comedy he was due to appear in — Resurrecting Liza (Queen Mum Minnelli) was cancelled due to production problems. Consequently, much of this show is off the hoof. And yet, it is still priceless. (Paul Dale)
:1 Scott Capurro (Fringe) Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 28 Aug (not 15, 27) 9pm, £8—f9 (£7—f8).
Sean Lock in the midst of another illogical conclusion
THE UST FESTIVAL GUIDE 81