COMEDY Chris Addison: Cakes And Ale bu
Unashamed Englishness in Edinburgh
Tall, implausibly lanky, and older than his ostensible years, Addison brings a furious pace to his routine. He bravely pursues the theme of Englishness, and makes no bones about his public
school background, which is, lets face
it, a very particular kind of Englishness. Discoursrng freely and quite satirically on subjects such as the Royals, sport and dogs, he ticks his many topics off
on a blackboard as he goes. So furious
is his lecture that some good material is a little wasted, for he doesn’t seem to want to let his comedy breathe through pacing. All the same, he represents engaging company for the evening. (Steve Cramer)
Chris Addison: Cakes And Ale (Fringe) Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 28 Aug, 7.30pm, £9/f950 ([8/£8.50). COMEDY Useless Guide To Scotland 2000: The Scone Of Destiny *‘k‘ki
Pie and poof-based insults
Pie suppers, bridle suppers, fish suppers and sausage suppers. Who’d have thought that chippy food could be this funny? ln Useless Guide To Scotland 2000, Bill Dewar and Brian Hennigan once again go on a hysterical mission to verbally abuse all things Scottish in a brilliantly haphazard way, and succeed in leaving at least the homegrown contingent of the crowd in stitches. With ’English poofs’ coming in for a particularly hard time, the duo race through their material like a pair of Billy Connolly clones and, like the great man, their comic secret lies in their ability to laugh at themselves. (Doug Johnstone)
n Useless Guide To Scotland 2000: The Scone Of
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, p 2000
THEATRE Boom Chicago Is Watching
*‘k‘k‘k
Improv, sketch and technology set off clever comic material
To say that this act exposes voyeurism, the media, and the meaning of the constantly watching eye of the camera in our society is to mislead. For though these are elements of the show, this is predominantly a piece of nicely-crafted, witty, light entertainment. All the same, it's frankly slightly freaky to feel as if their roving cameraman might pick you out and project you onto the massive screens erected on both sides of the stage.
This American group gets the audience on its side by satirising its own nation early on, and goes on to provide some nice sketch- based comedy and improvisation. Some audience participation is required, but the performers aren’t frightening, only their cameras. On this night, five people are selected to be ‘played’ by the Boom Chicago crew, in a succession of increasingly absurd situations. These random folk, 3 New Zealand basketball player, a New York filmmaker and an unfortunate comedy critic (not this one) among them, are targets, not so much of abuse, as gentle ribbing throughout.
Such highlights as the mock- Broadway homage to the doner kebab, a final parody of Big
Brother and a clever pastiche of boy bands are supported by good material throughout. Enjoy.
(Steve Cramer)
Destiny (Fringe) The Stand Comedy Club (Venue 5) 558 7272, unti/27 Aug, 7. 70pm, £6.
r: .3 "if
.sf Useless To Scotland: The pie‘s the limit
THEATRE The Heidi Chronicles **** Epic look at the Women’s Movement This is not, as you might expect, an adaptation of Johanna Spyri’s tale of the little Swiss girl who brings peace and love to all she meets, although it’s no less moving. It’s an epic tale, spanning three decades, which follows the fortunes of Heidi Holland as she struggles to find her place within the ever-changing Women's Movement. At over two hours long, it had the potential to drag, but the time flew by and every minute was a joy to watch. Full of poignant moments, witty repartee and perfectly captured snapshots of the past, this is a well- crafted and superbly acted piece of
Eye can see you: Boom Chicago
3 Boom Chicago ls Watching (Fringe) Boom Chicago, Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 28 Aug, 7.20pm, £9/f70 (£8/f8.50).
theatre. (Kirsty Knaggs)
The Heidi Chronic/es (Fringe) Festival Theatre USC — USA, Drummond Community Theatre (Venue 25) 558 9695, 24 Aug, 7pm, £5.
OPERA PREVIEW Genoveva Rare performance of Schumann’s opera There is usually good reason why certain operas are hardly ever performed, but, in the case of Genoveva, Steven Sloane, music mirector of Opera North, cannot think of one. ’It is a piece which is not done nearly as often as it should be,’ he says. ’Although now and then it’s heard in Germany.’ Schumann’s only opera comes to Edinburgh with Opera North under the directorship of David Pountney. ’He is a very fine producer,’ says Sloane. ’He really concentrates on the relationships between the characters, using a very bare stage.’ About the power of love at a time of war, the opera is, Sloane says, ’wonderful theatre, with wonderful music. It’s typical Schumann, but a combination of the big symphonic scores and his more intimate lieder writing. Written very late
.