FESTIVAL COMEDY | Reviews at a Glance
Steen Raskopoulos
JAKE HOWIE: READ MY LIPS ●●●●● Howie seems like a sweetheart and claims his show is meant to bring a more human, real alternative to the usual gay stereotypes. But his unfunny gags about rim jobs, blowjobs, bum waxing and cum faces is probably not going to blaze any new trails. (Claire Sawers) Just the Tonic at The Caves, until 26 Aug (not 13), 9.30pm, £5 in advance or donations at the venue. JAKE LAMBERT: LITTLE LOST LAD ●●●●● Possessing a blend of Tom Lucy’s motormouth youthfulness with Jon Richardson’s older-than-his- years compulsive pedantry, Lambert might have some distance to go to carve out an authoritative and singular stage presence, but there are enough sparks to suggest a future in the crowd- pleasing game. Among Lambert’s gambits are musings on the fact that he lives on his own and positively loves it, and that time he went on a speed awareness course. (Brian Donaldson) Pleasance Courtyard, until 26 Aug (not 13), 6pm, £7.50–£10 (£6.50–£9).
JULIA SUTHERLAND: EXPOSED ●●●●● Having interviewed many a comedian for radio, Sutherland is putting herself in the spotlight for a change. Slapping a series of questions in the hands of a willing front-row member and then being interrogated by a familiar face on-screen, her aim is to expose the real Julia. Sutherland is never shy of taking herself down a peg or two, with self-deprecating remarks about her wardrobe and musical abilities. (Brian Donaldson) Gilded Balloon Teviot, until 27 Aug (not 13), 1.30pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).
LIAM WITHNAIL: HOMEBOY ●●●●● Withnail considers how straight-forward he’s had it up until now, both personally and professionally, by dint of his sexuality and skin colour. Such introspection becomes him: his reflections on why people don’t read books written by women, or why female comics don’t book as many gigs as their male counterparts never seem self- congratulatory, as he also riffs on his own ignorance and deepest anxieties about 64 THE LIST FESTIVAL 8–15 Aug 2018
how equality may diminish his creature comforts. (Deborah Chu) Monkey Barrel, until 26 Aug (not 14), 5pm, £5 in advance or donations at the venue. LUCA CUPANI: GOD DIGGER ●●●●● Cupani has such an infectious smile that it’s difficult not to get swept up in his comedy. He covers fairly conventional subjects like his relationship with his parents, and proposing to his girlfriend from the perspective of how Catholic faith intersects with his life. This fresh take on well-trodden topics serves him well, but a lack of overall structure and a flagging final 20 minutes let him down. (Suzanne Black) Underbelly George Square, until 27 Aug, 5.20pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9).
MATT REES: HAPPY HOUR ●●●●● For a show about struggling to deal with drug dependency, a lot of time is spent recollecting the awkward encounters he’s had with canines. And whenever it looks like he’s getting deep into the heart of the matter, he diverges all too easily into meandering sections about a nostalgic obsession with the mashed potato-loving kids’ TV show Bodger & Badger, and the time he attempted to entertain the troops, with disastrous consequences. (Brian Donaldson) Pleasance Courtyard, until 26 Aug (not 13), 4.45pm, £8–£10 (£7–£9.50). MYRA DUBOIS: WE WISH YOU A MYRA CHRISTMAS ●●●●● Following a stint on tour with Drag Race winner and comedy queen Bianca del Rio, Dubois brings her razor-sharp putdowns back to the Fringe for an hour of raucous fun, but this time with a festive theme in tow. There are tales of Christmases past and the complexities of LGBT acronyms to an audience- wide rendition of a beautifully scatty ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’. (Arusa Qureshi) Underbelly George Square, until 26 Aug (not 18), 4pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10).
PHILL JUPITUS: SASSY KNACK ●●●●● Although starting off slow with a visibly fatigued Jupitus strumming in a rambling singalong about the pointless phenomenon that is a Porsche 4x4, he then segues into a light-hearted
story of misadventures at a graduation ceremony, which has some genuine laughs. Perhaps it won’t be the most structured or jam-packed comedy hour you’ll see this year, but it’ll reassure you that Jupitus is still worth his salt. (Katie Flannery) The Stand 3, until 26 Aug (not 13), 4.30pm, £12 (£11).
RICHARD TODD: WE NEED THE EGGS ●●●●● Cribbed from a line in Annie Hall, the title expresses the notion that you need to follow your crazy ideas in life regardless of whether they end in failure. Having had a bad year, Todd had to convince himself to carry on with comedy despite feeling like a failure. Of course, the irony here is that Todd is far from that. (Marissa Burgess) Pleasance Courtyard, until 26 Aug (not 15), 10.45pm, £8–£9.50 (£7–£8.50). ROSIE JONES: FIFTEEN MINUTES ●●●●● Jones is all about subverting expectations. Framing the show around how cerebral palsy has made her the woman she is, she makes expectations her theme, musing on how her life would differ had she been able-bodied. From her slighter, free show last year, she has honed and expanded her repertoire to a fully formed and wickedly funny hour. (Suzanne Black) Pleasance Courtyard, until 26 Aug (not 13), 8.30pm, £7.50–£10 (£6.50–£9).
ROSS SMITH: I AM ROSS SMITH ●●●●● While at a terrible party, Smith got a Facebook message from someone he didn’t know offering him a plane ticket to Hamburg in his name because their mate and his namesake couldn’t make it. For a comedian, this is a gift: heading off on a weekend away with complete strangers is pretty much a readymade Edinburgh solo show, and this is assured stuff. (Marissa Burgess) Just the Tonic at The Caves, until 26 Aug (not 13), 12.40pm, £5 (£3) in advance or donations at the venue.
SARAH KEYWORTH: DARK HORSE ●●●●● Keyworth has a subtle, slightly sinister stage persona, which only serves to emphasise the wildly funny material. As liberal as her outlook obviously is, there’s a frankness in Keyworth’s willingness to disclose her own prejudice and lack of open mind, unsure as she is of polygamy and scared of Rocky Horror transvestites. (Marissa Burgess) Pleasance Courtyard, until 26 Aug, 5.30pm, £9–£11 (£8–£10). SHHH: AN IMPROVISED SILENT MOVIE ●●●●● Italian troupe i Bugiardini create their whole performance based on one single suggestion, with a small variable added to the mix later on. Not only that but, after asking for a show theme based on an occupation, the performers dismiss the first suggestion out of hand. It’s an inauspicious start. When the action very occasionally livens up it injects some excitement into the room but that seldom happens. (Murray Robertson) C, until 18 Aug, 4.20pm, £9.50–£11.50 (£5.50–£9.50).
SIAN DOCKSEY: INTERDEPENDENT WOMAN ●●●●● Docksey presents a one- woman odyssey of stand-up, skits and songs anchored by the premise that she told her mum she was a successful cruise-ship comedian and now has to prove it. If stars were awarded on effort alone then Docksey would be rolling in them but unfortunately very little of her carefully crafted material survives the leap from idea to execution. (Suzanne Black) Laughing Horse @ The Newsroom, until 26 Aug (not 13, 20), 1.15pm, donations.
STEEN RASKOPOULOS: STAY ●●●●● This latest mash-up of character comedy and audience participation loosely follows the storyline of an interrogation. The Australian shrugs a vast cast of characters on and off with absolute ease and total commitment. Some are related to the central plot, like prisoners or a psychiatrist, others are familiar, including young Timmy, making the best of life’s disappointments, and some are completely leftfield, including a phoenix in a burns unit. (Rowena McIntosh) Underbelly Cowgate, until 26 Aug (not 13), 8pm, £11.50–£12.50 (£10.50–£11.50).
SUZI RUFFELL: NOCTURNAL ●●●●● What’s keeping Ruffell ‘nocturnal’ is worry. Specifically that 3am ‘press conference’ when all her concerns congregate to compete to be the biggest anxiety, all the way from North Korea’s nuclear arsenal to the state of Britney Spears’ mental health. One thing Ruffell shouldn’t need to worry about is her reviews as she just seems to get better and better year on year. (Marissa Burgess) Pleasance Courtyard, until 26 Aug (not 13), 9.45pm, £8.50–£11 (£7.50–£10).
TAMSYN KELLY: YOU’RE WELCOME ●●●●● Taking to the stage as a cockney man, Cornish comedian Kelly presents the first of multiple personae. Later on there are moments of faltering audience interaction including a date scene which provides the evening’s biggest laugh, although sadly that comes courtesy of a comment from the crowd. (Murray Robertson) Underbelly Bristo Square, until 27 Aug (not 15), 9.30pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10). TOM LUCY: RELUCTANT MILLENNIAL ●●●●● The talented 22-year-old’s latest Fringe hour about his generation’s shortcomings is sabotaged from the word go, taking on a new form: Tom Lucy versus the Hen Party. He does manage to get some jokes in, dry observational stuff about dating apps, the vanity of those would-be video journalists who love just to juice, and binge drinking (how fitting), but review-night is not his night. (Craig Angus) Pleasance Courtyard, until 26 Aug (not 13), 8.15pm, £7.50–£10 (£6.50–£9).