4
Comedy
Mark Little 0.. until 37 Aug. ll) itipm ln v.1‘k' you hadn't noticed. tlic man we used In know ax .lnc \langle hax changed Indeed, he Icmmdx the
\xerIIbly Roomx.
audience Iliat he Ixn‘t .lnc \langle xn often he IIIakex it Iatliet dilticult tn forget that lact.
The real l.ittlc Ix a clIaIIxIIIatn peIInIIIIeI. with a glowinthcrdaIl. qut. a tIexlIly xhayen scalp and a nice line III Impioy Ixed banter. 'lhix magnetism helpx hIIII quxh aside a lew early glitches the xtaIIx IchIty minutex late and thc xIIInkc ltl.lvlt|tlt‘ won't start) and getx away with cnIIquiIIg Scotland with langland lt'x a pIetty IInnit eIInI. becatixc l.Ittle'x Iaigetx lnI the evening he globalixation and culttIIal xteIcntypIIIg lle attacks hix targetx with pungent one liners and bad poetry. but the show ax a w lInle lacks InoIIicIIItIiIi. and yniI'Ie left Ieelmg tliat l.ittle ix a line peI'InIiIIei III need nI a good ch‘Ipterter. t.lamex Smart)
The London Revue l’leasaticc Home. until 27 Aug. 5.5llpm langagmg channel hopping IIiultiIIIedia xhow cataloguing IIiIxadyenturex ol Ilie IIthly tamnux. Loose Ends IIII(‘ Radio .1. l’lcaxancc.
ll 18 .Atig. llain. Ned Slieiin'x IInnerIxical foray into a world of clam racing and pork truIIipetx recorded li\c tnI RadIn -I ll)\ Ited guests are e\pccted and please bring an
Manic Opera The l’.tlllt)ll\ Spiegelteiit. 13 3f) Atig. (ritlpm. Not to be mlxxcd comic a capella c\tra\ agaIi/a,
OGarth Marenghi’s Netherhead l’leasance. until I" Atig. 10.35pm. l.axt year‘s surprise l’ci‘I'IeI IInIIIInee returnx with more iIoII—xponky comic horror.
Marilyn - I Wanna Be Loved By You (‘Iow Iix Anony moux. KtHllL'tlld Soutliside. imtIl .‘o Aug. oll5pm. A new xIde of Marilyn ax she tries to make people ln\ c her by doing singing. dancing and \lttlttlilll). Marquez Brothers 0000
l’leasancc. until 27 Aug. 4.35pm. ('urrently being touted as Ilie latest hot property. w Itli a TV contract already sew Ii tip. The Marque/ Brothers are a name to watch. This show is a series of Iiiterliiikcd sketches exploring tlie nature ot IIIachiinIn in modern society. acrnxx different cultures. Among their comic characters are a star footballer who is trying to find more to life than women and lager. a pair of ( ieordic friends w ho find It hard to e\prcxx their feelings for each other. and tlie titular Marque/ Brothers. one a typical Spanish macho male. tlie other a lad ‘w ith Iio ballx'. Their obsei'yations about tlie male pxy che are spot-on. and their coIIIedy timing Ix close to perfection. .\chI should watch and
learn. xnIIIcIIIIIcx ynu really are thIx pathetic Ilsnxty ls'nagexi Mat And Mackinnon: One l’lcaxattce. until I“ \tIg.tI-15piii \l.tktll'_' It Into the gIaIId Iinalx nI bntli Sn \nu lhmk \nu'ie l‘llllll} arid tlIc ( )pen \IIc award Ix a pIetty good way In piccedc your IIIxt l IIIIge tun \ow xee tthII Ily Andrew Maxwell 0000 (irltlcd Balloon lhcatic. until 3" \ug'. (I ~1<pIII lhix cltm Ieattiied. twentyxnIIieIhIIIg lIIthIIaII IetuIiix tn xIng the praises nt vllllcal tIampx. wnild w eaIy Iadge kidx and l nglixh xcaxIde townx. diaw ing on Ical lIIc without being ciIIIei cynical nI abuxiye lhawn IInIII tlIc mnuld III those nthci gicat xInIytelchx Billy ('niIIInlly and l)a\c \llcn. \la\we|l Ix t|Ic uIIpIctciItinux bloke III the pub w Itli thc natuial kuII InI making people laugh hnyeI'Ically at tlic daft nI luxt plain peculiaI things III lItc
The only chmk III lIIx aIIIinuI ix that he dnexn't alwayx xchII to know luxt how much potential lIIx IIIaIcIIal hax ()nc lIneIx are clieekIly tnxxed In the w Ind when they could be e\paIIded and IheIe aIc ntcaxinnx whcie hix apologetic deliyciy uiIdeIxellx a gag‘x quality. An e\tIemely healthy perxpcctnc on a time linIIniIied ptactice t.\laI'k Rnbeitxnni Raymond Mearns t iilaea Balloon 'l'heatrc. ll 35 \ug. lliltpm, .\learnx has been described as ‘the new Billy ('nnnnlly '. Judge for yourself tInIII this BAl VIA awaId wmncr‘x hotly tipped new xhow Meet Me At The Bijou - Wild West Review ( ‘alitnrma Tra\ cl 'lInupe ot San l'rancixcn. ls’nckct (It South Bridge Resource (‘entre. tmtil lb .-\II:_'. lltm. Audience participation Ix a IIquI III this wild west. muxic hall. xIIIgalnng melodrama ll'Hltl the ('alitnrma Tray cl 'l'roupe nt San Francisco. ('ome and loin tlic tim‘ Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe l’leaxaiice Home. I“ 3“ Aug. lpm, (‘ome and emoy .i xhowcaxe nl the l’ringe'x bext actx teiglit per xhow l. \Vliy wade through the rubbixh III your search for quality enteI'IaiIIIIIent when .‘ylcry 'x alieady done II for you’.’ 'l'lu'ce stars from The list last year. Mickey D And Justin Hamilton Are The lndescribables ( illtlt‘tl Balloon ‘l'heatre. until 3“ Aug. llpin. The lndcxci‘ilmblex ha\c received critical acclaim xeparately. Together they 're unstoppable. (‘atch them before they 'I'c unsceable. Middle England Kirk and .\lexxmglIaIII with l.ucmda RaIkcx. l’lcaxaiice. until 3," Atig. (i.l5pm. l)ark. gntlIIc sketch comedy from BB(" peI'nt'IIIerx.
Rich Hall and Dave Fulton Present Terry Dullum Appeal Assembly Rooms. until 27 Aug. ll.-15pm 0... That long-standing. earnest l‘ringe tradition of charity comedy gigs has finally been held up for a few rounds of comic buckshot to be ripped into its chubby hide. And who better to do it than last year's Perrier champ. Rich Hall and fellow l'S stand-up Dave Fulton.
The only reason that tlie pair don't manage the full live-star quota here is that the premise — this is a benefit gig for a kid suffering from Tourette's Syndrome — is just a way in for the pair to knock out a few themed skits before launching into their regular material. Several sketches fall flat: and as Hall sagely predicts. this will be finely tuned if we retum in a fortnight. but tonight it'sjust too disjointed.
Fulton has refined his material since last year‘s Fringe debut and has hyped up his delivery past the Bill Hicks-ian draw-l be employed previously. Hall too. is consistently brilliant but has little to prove. making you think they would have been better off working up the poetry reading wrestlers and crustacean-afflicted children material. and steering away from the straight gags that won us over in the first place. (Mark Robertson)
32 THE LIST FESTIVAL some 9- '
a s
Midnight Comedy with Edd Case and Pete Kerr ‘I‘rixian Bakcr l’InductInnx. (~ n2. until It) Aug. IIIidIIight ltdd (‘axe and Pete Keri dcliyer an hour of ‘IIIeverent. iI‘Icleyant and outlandixh huIIIntII ‘ But will it Iock the l‘ritigc‘ l'hree xtaIx III 'I he Scotsman
Show ( illklt'tl Ballot)” Theatre. until 2" Aug. midnight \Vhiting. O'Rourke. (lake and BImonI have beeii described. Iexpectiyely. ax brilliant. Intriguing. a rising xtai and ximply brilliant l'hat'x more than you can xay Inr most things III the l-rIIige. xn thIx might be worth a look
Midnight Velvet Comedy Club Boom Boom at The 'lI'nII. until I" Atig. midnight The talented Brian llennigan cniIIpeI'ex a changing bill of xtandaupx III an intimate club setting. The Mitchell And Webb Clones O... Axxembly Roomx. until 3" Aug. Sl‘pm I‘m not sure what I've Iiixt seen: a kind of surreal play or a stream of bi/arre xketches .’ There‘s a man obsessed with xhaggmg hIx clone. a tiiIIe»tra\e|ler w Itli a scantily clad assistant and a \ll\[llk'lllll\l_\ Ken ('Iarke-qutie Prime Minister tdo .\litchell tk Webb know onIIthing we don't?) You get the impression that nothing was left on the cutting room floor at the time of planning. but this gleeful self-indulgence ix the show 'x major stIeiigth. The laughs come at warp-speed. from \ ixual gags to high camp and slapstick. from the topically erudite to real eyes-dow It groaners. The pull even succeed in pulling off a song pastiche with their rendition of ‘Send In The ('loncx‘. Ama/iiig.
t Allan Radcliffe)
John Moloney Live 000
l’leaxance ('ourtyard. until 27 Aug. 8pm. [Don't let appearances deceiye you. As John Moloney Is eager to point out. he isn't Kathy Burke in a sober suit. But the traditional attire ix a clue; what you‘re getting during an hotir with this cx-(ierman teacher ix not hip alternative fun. but good old-fashioned stand—up. The subjects he takes aim at are fairly standard comedy fodder". ugly babiex. (iermanx. sex. pub darts and. in particular. The \Vindsorx. Moloney gears up for a future Royal Variety performance by describing the Queen .\lum as a 'xy'philitic old whore'. l'IIlike some comics who win laughs by c\pnsing their ow iI vulnerability. glimpses of Moloney 's soft side are stranger disconcerting. He is. however. acutely funny at his deadpan and beautifully bitchy bcxt. t.\linnie Scott)
Monkey House Cabaret White Rabbit (‘ow boys. until 2o Aug. lllpm. ('abaret. comprising ‘the best. funniest. strangest and worst acts on the l-‘ringe'. Their own words. Tony Morewood In The Comedian’s Book Of The Dead Komcdia Southxide. until Io Aug. 8.05pm. A comedy equivalent of the Tibetan Book of the Dead. The Brighton Argtix thinks he's ‘hit on a comedy goldmine' and the San l-‘rancixco Sentinel reckons he‘s ‘an obvious talcnt‘. (it)llltl be good.
Julia Morris In Show And Tell Assembly Rooms. until 27 .Atig. 0.30pm. Julia Morris talks for AtIxtralia. Britain and the world. llear her entertaining rambles. Susan Morrison: My Life With The Titanic O... The Stand (’omedy (‘lub ll. until 2r» Aug. 2.55pm. Normally. anyone w ho tried to bend your ear for ax much as five minutes on the subject of the HHS Titanic would be consigned to a watery
gray e of their ow Ii. So. it's pretty miraculoux that Susan Morrison can spend an hour imparting the details of her obsession with the ill-fated liner and still make it wickedly funny.
Hay ing been let out on day -release. and chaperoned by comperc Donna Krachan. Morrison ix determined to xhare the details of her obsession. from fantasies about
learn;
Men should watch and
gI'a/Ing an Iceberg In the fro/en tixh section nt the supermarket to attacking James ('amernn‘x limo Though worryingly clued- up about hei xubiect. she coanxteIitly reigns In her annrak tendencies to hold our attention throughout Just don't mention that bloody Iilm «Allan Radcliffe) Richard Morton Assembly Rooms. until 2“ Aug. .\ 45pm Richard Morton returnon the Axxembly Rooms atteI pay mg the way with a sell-out show in I‘NS
Dave Mountield Is Lying t‘omctty Dairy. Komedia Southxide. tititil ll Aug.
5 ~1tipm Star of l.\\”l”x Slightly liilthy Show has a potentially funny look at lying
Colin Murphy l’leaxancc. until 27 Aug. “pm. The Irish rogue sold ntit here last year. though The List marked him down to three stars for weak cnriierx In his set. (ireat presence thntigh. so worth a tIy. The Musical Baby Wants ('andy. (' Venue.
uiItIl 3b Aug. 7.55pm really are this pathetic
Marquez Brothers
('hicagn'x hottest Improv group return to lidIIIburgh with music and laughs galore. Lee Ness: The Gay Bernard Manning Rau- lill‘tls l’roductions. llolyrond Taycrn. until 26 Aug. times vary. l.ate I‘uimer Nexx ix outrageous. twisted and show x no mercy.
New Zealand’s Brat Pack (illtlt‘tl Balloon at Tey iot Row House. until 27 Aug. llNlpm. Antipodean Iipxtaits front the l’ulp (illlllctl) stable.
Newsrevue 2001: Nenty-flrst Birthday Edition ('aiial ('afe 'l'heatic. (' \‘enuc. until 2o Aug. ltlpm. Nasty but funny sketch xhow. Three stars in The Scotsman. Phil Nichol O... l’leaxance. until 27 Aug. ll).l5pm. l’hIl Nichol makes being yelled at almost a pleasurable e\pcrieiice (not in a xe\ual sense. you understand) though I'm glad I w axn't one of the audience members he picked on. Managing to work their way into the show on this occasion were: a man who bore an uncanny resemblance to Jesus. a pair of bespectacled l’roclaimerx clones and a squad of loud- Iiiouthed xtudcnt luv vies. I want to know if these characters are planted there every night. as they became such an integral part of Nichol'x exploration of noise and all its joys. Then again. maybe he's ~Iust a comic genius who can take any old crap and transform it into something jaw-achingly funny. (Allan Radcliffe)
Nicky Silver’s Raised In Captivity l‘estiyal Theatre l'S(‘ l'SA. l)rummond ('ommunity 'l‘hcatre. until 23 Aug. 7pm. liuropean premiere for acclaimed Festival Theatre l'S(’ group with Mametian
Noble And Silver Pleasance. until 27 Aug. 0.40pm. Drink in the Noble & Silver approach to comedy: non-comedic. thought- confusing. bamboo/ling surreality‘. And that's just the easy bits. Strongly recoIIiIIiended. l-‘our stars in The (iiiardian. Ross Noble l’leaxance. until 27 Aug. 8.45pm. The (ieordie japester returns with a show which includes some scripted mayhem as opposed to his semi-made-up ramblings.
A NonSense Of Ireland (illtled Balloon Theatre. until 27 Aug. 5pm. Anne (iildea of the Nualax and Kevin (iildea. both acclaimed in their own right come together to take us on a journey of Irish nonsense incorporating bacon. football and mighty bacon footballs. Separately and respectively described as ‘genius' and ‘exceHenr.
Goodbye - We Were the Nualas Assembly Rooms. until 27 Aug. 7.30pm. Allegedly the sw an song of this all-singing. all-eating comedy trio.
For hour by hour daily listings see
Listings Supplement.