COSTUME DRAMAS
In the sea of comedic froth at this year’s Fringe, two of the big rollers standing out from the foamies are Simon Brodkin and Luke Wright. Brian Donaldson hangs ten with the new wave.
n a festiyal dominated by comedians dressing up like Jesus and/or chatting about their amusineg bleak childhoods. you are always on the look out for something different. So. how does a tall Iissex performaiw‘e poet who slam raps about crap Laureates from the early lh’th century or a small doctor from London who deconstructs the comedic process while slowly browning up before our yery eyes sound to you'.’ Neither of those things can be seen eyery day. and the Fringe. if not the broader comedy world. is all the better for it. Let‘s get that potentially thorny issue ottt of the way first. Simon Brodkin has a quartet of characters in his show. livery-one Bur Himself: There‘s (‘hris Young. the insensitiye rep from 'I‘hird (‘hoice Holidays who does his utmost to polish life's turds but gets it horribly wrong: trustafarian llugo Victor-(irant is a Bush— hating Africa-head who probably couldn‘t find it on a big map of Africa; Lee Nelson is the kind of Violent-happy greased-hair chay' gee/.a you would happily leaye the country to avoid. neyer mind cross the street: and finally. the afore-hinted l)r ()mprakash. whose attempts at reassuring terminally ill patients are a killer.
‘THERE WAS A ROWDY CROWD AT THIS COCKTAIL PLACE
AND THEY STARTED THROWING LEMONS’
'The character came about just like any other — he was a person I had encountered on the day to day dealings on the ward.‘ explains Brodkin. ‘Sure. he has a different skin colour. but all the characters are equal members of British society. If anything. he is more empowered than someone like l.ee Nelson who is a poor working class person who suffers and continues to suffer in today‘s society.'
For performance poet. Luke Wright. what you see is pretty much what you get. As a member of ‘poetry boyband’ Aislelb. Wright already has a strong cult following which will only rise now that he has branched out onto the solo stage with Poe! [nu/rare. where he is getting it wonderfully right with his multi- media odes to Olympics and meters about Motion. But unlike the eruptiye schisms that lead most pop idols to go it alone. Wright‘s reasons for branching out from Aisle l6 are less hysterical. ‘The plan had been to do
Simon Brodkin as Lee Nelson (main picture) and his other characters (right) . Dr Omprakash, Hugh another theatre show next year. but since then vacuwcram and Chris' Ross Sutherland has decided he wants to Young
concentrate on being an academic and a
20 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 17—2 »1 Aug 2006