list.co.uk/festival Previews | FESTIVAL COMEDY
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ADRIENNE TRUSCOTT Performance artist-turned-comic on gimmicks, Andy Kaufman and fooling around
Adrienne Truscott has cracked the code that marks the transition from feminist performance artist to stand-up comedian. After last year’s uncompromising Asking For It, her new show is a reflection on how she clawed her way out from being typecast as ‘Gimmicky Pantless Rape Lady’. ‘It’s really different in that it’s not about rape,’ she says of Adrienne Truscott’s a One-Trick Pony, a riff on discovering her comedic voice after spending two years finding the funny in a serious subject. ‘My first show was a real gamble in terms of subject matter. I had to keep goofing and distracting the audience from the weight of the material or the hour could have gotten a bit heavy. But that requirement isn’t in this show.’
That’s not to say One-Trick Pony isn’t just as offbeat: in fact, Truscott makes no bones about
referencing her influences. ‘Someone I always adored was Andy Kaufman. He was always a comedian but he never ever told jokes.’ This aesthetic blends nicely into Truscott’s own comedy. A background in theatre, circus and dance gives her an elusive quality, making it difficult to slot her act neatly into any one genre. ‘There’s certainly political humour in my new show, but I don’t think I have to do anything other than write and deliver it well to make it work; so the other stuff is just having fun, being a bit of an idiot and a fool on stage.’ Sure, there are clowning elements in her work, but it would be remiss to forget that Truscott is an artist who is on the way to mastering her craft and who understands the danger that lies in getting too comfortable. ‘I still have a lot of surprises up my skirt. Literally.’ (Kirstyn Smith) ■ Gilded Balloon, 622 6552, 8–17 Aug, 8.15pm, £12–£14 (£10–£12). Previews 5–7 Aug, £7.50.
JOE LYCETT Still fond of a punning show title, Lycett delivers a love letter to Birmingham
Even if you go no further than reading a Joe Lycett show title, it’ll still give you a groaning chuckle. His 2012 Best Newcomer-nominated Some Lycett Hot was followed in 2013 by If Joe Lycett Then You Should’ve Put a Ring on It. This year, it’s the turn of That’s the Way, A-Ha, A-Ha, Joe Lycett. Does he think he’ll run out of bad puns? ‘I’m hoping to keep it going for the next 30 years, minimum.’
Since he emerged on the Manchester comedy scene in 2008, while still at university, he’s always had a lyrical way with words. A recent routine about a woman in an overly heated parking enforcement office in Birmingham, describes her as ‘like a bit of wet scrambled egg in a chair’. ‘I’ve always loved a good turn of phrase. This show is a bit of a love letter to Birmingham, a bit of an analysis of a stag do I went on, and a bit of a piss-about. It should be a right laugh.’ If the previous shows are anything to go by, we’ll Lycett a lot. Sorry. (Marissa Burgess) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 8–30 Aug (not 10, 17, 24), 8pm, £10–£12 (£8–£10). Previews 5–7 Aug, £6.
P H O T O © M A T T C R O C K E T T
Magic AT THE FRINGE
Here are fi ve festival illusionists seeking to make jaws drop in August
PIFF THE MAGIC DRAGON Fresh from appearing on America’s Got Talent (where he won over an initially sceptical Howard Stern), Vegas-based Londoner John van der Put brings us some eye-wateringly delightful tricks alongside his unbearably cute doggy sidekick, Mr Pifl es. Underbelly’s Circus Hub, 0844 545 8252, 14–29 Aug, 10.40pm, £12.50–£13.50 (£11.50–£12.50).
NEIL HENRY It’s hard to see the image of a brain in a frying pan (à la Henry’s poster) without thinking of poor Ray Liotta eating his own matter in Hannibal. Fear not, though – only mind- blowing trickery will be at play here. ‘A mix of Rowan Atkinson and my ironmonger’ once stated Stephen Fry. Pretty sure this is meant as a compliment. Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, 8–31 Aug (not 18), 4pm, £7.50– £10 (£6.50–£9). Previews 5–7 Aug, £6.
PETER ANTONIOU A seasoned Fringe campaigner with his mind-reading antics, Antoniou has performed his ‘comedium’ stuff for clients including Disney and Kerrang!. A mixed audience for sure. Apex International Hotel, 243 3596, 8–30 Aug, 7.35pm, £7 (£6). Previews 6 & 7 Aug, £5. THE COLOUR HAM Cheers will be heard and tears will be shed as the Edinburgh trio make their last ever appearance together after several years of colourfully hamming it up. Gavin, Colin and Kevin do their impressive comedically magic thing one more time. Gilded Balloon, 622 6552, 14 Aug, 10.30pm, £15.
OLIVER MEECH Meech is the place where ‘science and magic collide’ and so you may well be treated to tricks about time travel, parallel universes and advanced technologies. It’s not Paul Daniels is what we’re saying. Mash House, 226 0000, 8–17 Aug, 2.40pm, £10 (£9; family ticket £34). Previews 6 & 7 Aug, £5. (Brian Donaldson)
6–13 Aug 2015 THE LIST FESTIVAL 49