ISY SUTl'IE The homespun revolution continues with Matlock’s character comic
'lt's called The Suttie Show; I knew I would use that title at some point,‘ explains Isy Suttie of the serendipitous naming of her new show. Though she won't be shoving her hand up the rear of a yellow toy bear, The Suttie Show sees her perform a series of characters who are following their dreams. ‘lt's about what you wanted to be when you were little versus what you end up being.’ Last year, Suttie debuted with Love Lost in the Brr'tish Retail Industry. set in a Matlock supermarket, where she played all the characters in the story.
The show was critically well-received and her kooky yet affable style led to her being linked with the likes of Josie Long and Pappy's Fun Club in their crusade against the apparent horrors of cynical comedy. It's an association Suttie didn't mind as she is good friends with both Long and the Pappy‘s boys. Though it was a little odd how the coverage made it sound like they'd got together and planned it out? “Yeah, you do the bit about the badgers and I'll do the bit about the aliens coming. That isn't the case.‘ she laughs. Though wouldn't it be brilliant if it were? All hail the second coming of the homespun comedy revolution. (Marissa Burgess) I Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 3—25 Aug (not 72), 4pm, $850—$950 (27—88). Previews until 2 Aug, E5.
LUKE TOULSON Kids TV space pirate channels his inner loser to do a personal show
‘I don't want to be a testosterone- charged alpha male on stage.’ says stand-up Luke Toulson. ‘l'm very aware I'm an idiot. and generally assume the audience is more intelligent than me.‘
It's self-deprecating talk, but then Toulson has written his entire show around the topic of failure. Overlooking
JOHN PINETTE
Fringe debut for big talent who opened for Sinatra and appeared in Seinfeld
A heavyweight performer in every sense, John Pinette never imagined he’d
be playing ‘a place where I have the best cholesterol in the country’. The 44-year-old Bostonian has been a stand-up comedian half his life and a muffin devotee far longer, earning acclaim for US comedy specials like Show Me the Buffet, I’m Starvin’! and I Say, Nay Nay, an updated version of
; . which he’ll be performing in Edinburgh. Recently recovered from a hernia
operation that required the insertion of surgical mesh (‘50 I guess I’m part
' f trampoline now’), this finicky eater issues a blanket nay nay to British
breakfasts and will only be sampling haggis ‘if I can get ten minutes of original material out of it, which I figure is impossible. A deep-fried Mars
Bar though, I might go for that. Once.’
In a singular career, Pinette was in the final episode of Seinfeld, proving
integral to Jerry and co being jailed, while as a young comic he opened for
Frank Sinatra: ‘I always get a good seat in some of the better Italian
restaurants in Chicago.’
i Blessed with a fine singing voice, from 2005 for two years and eight times . a week, Pinette pirouetted and crooned in a fat suit as Edna Turnblad in the
musical Hairspray, ensuring that ‘as a heavy, older woman, I was in the best shape of my life, even if I did look like Eddie lzzard: The Fat Years.
Now that they’re making Shrek: The Musical I’m wondering why I never got
the call. Me playing Edna on Broadway and John Travolta being her in the
film isn’t that weird because we actually read for a lot of the same stuff. We
acted in The Punisher together but I won’t be embracing Scientology
because whenever he mentions fasting, I leave the room.’ (Jay Richardson)
I Udderbe/ly’s Pasture, 0844 545 8252, 2—25 Aug (not 7 7 ), 9. 75pm, BIO-£72.50 (29—27 7.50). Previews 37 Jul 8 7 Aug, E7.
channelling his inner loser before his
. 7 Fringe return. Inspiration came after
one particularly hellish Edinburgh year:
. he got ‘shocking‘ reviews, was
dumped via email by his agent. then
1 fled to Italy to propose to his girlfriend. who politely said no.
But now he's moved away from the
T theatrical, surreal comedy he did with ; Harvey. towards something more
I personal. ‘It‘s not therapy or a list of
7 things I can't do. But your lowest ebb is often a great place to start in stand-
up.‘ Although he can't sing, dance or do accents (‘l'm gonna embarrass
. myself doing a Scot-off with real Scots
guess that‘s what they wanted.‘
(Claire Sawers)
I Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550,
3—25 Aug (not 77), 9.45pm. 88.50—29.50 (£7—L‘8). Previews until 2
Aug, E5.
ADAM RICHES
. A host of he-men and myriad of
macho types flex themselves
Last Fringe. Adam Riches introduced us to Victor Legit, the musclebound
bully who made a barely honest living
as a surveillance officer for the : Federation Against Copyright Theft.
This year. Victor is joined by a host of
is an Australian bartender who is a sexual predator. another is a boy band ' singer who can‘t get to grips with all
the endless rejections he's had since
. his teens. It's all about a man's ' struggle with himself and his
machismo.‘
While Riches has successfully made the leap from total theatre type to versatile comedy performer. he's acknowledging his roots by bringing up a play entitled The Sword of
. Maximum Damage. Based on the
r bizarre true story of murder in the
online gaming world, the play is
inspired by Riches' own sordid past.
‘Yes. I did play Dungeons and
' Dragons as a teenager, but I always
got killed straight away because I was _ laughing so much as someone hit me over the head while yelling at me in
Elvish.' Must be a guy thing. (Brian Donaldson) I Alpha Males, Pleasance Courtyard.
3 556 6550, 2—25 Aug, 2. 70pm,
$850—$950 (87—28). Previews until 7 Aug, £5; The Sword of Maximum Damage, Underbelly, 0844 545 8252. 2—24 Aug (not 73), 8.40pm.
' £9—E10.50 ($8439.50). Previews 37
. Jul & 7 Aug, £6.
2 GAVIN & GAVIN Irish sisters deliver a personal show that's distinctly close to home
‘I'm the feistier. gobbier one. Lauretta's
' quieter.‘ says Sharon Gavin about her
older sister. the other half of Gavin & Gavin. ‘But if you piss her off. she's the Incredible Hulk.‘
Tongue-in-cheek bitchiness and sharp-elbowed one-upwomanship is
all part of the routine for these sisters who grew up competing for roles in
stage musicals and BBC sitcoms
the fact he earned a Perrier Best Newcomer nomination in 2005 for double act Toulson and Harvey.
other creations out of the Riches locker, all under the umbrella of Alpha Males. ‘The characters have all gone
in the audience.“ he promises), he does make a very good seafaring felon, starring in CBeebies' Space
before teaming up to write comedy. : After quirky, demented character sketches in their past Fringe shows
followed by a Hackney Empire New Act award for his solo stand-up, he's
Pirates as Captain DJ. ’I turned up for
the audition hungover and grumpy; I
28 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 31 Jul—7 Aug 2008
: through crises of confidence about : their maSCUlinity,' growls Riches. ‘One
Cracking Up and Our Funny Bones.
they're back with their most personal