Whisper who dares the Time Out (who they?) Chat Show proffers fun and fisticuffs late at night caustically : hosted by Muriet Grey and Arthur

1 Smith. A nightly line up of .

9 performers, politicians and critics from the legendary to the licentious to the purely alliterative will talk alcohol-induced wisdom till the wee small hours. No cameras, so the fur can really fly and perhaps it will with combinations like Tam Dalyell and the Earl of Elgin. (Mon 11). They also promise high jinks on Sun 10 with Barney Simon meeting the Lord Provost. Rumour has it that a Listperson will appear. . . Time Out Chat Show, Elephant Fayre, Elephant Tent, Hole in the Ground (venue 16) Tickets 226 6746. Aug 8-23. 12 midnight. £3.

NATIONAL YOUTH MUSIC THEATRE

The National Youth Music Theatre (formerly The Children’s Music Theatre) have an impressive number of awards and distinctions to their credit. They have been invited to perform at the National Theatre in London, had plays commissioned by the BBC and Granada Television and won some ten awards at the Edinburgh Festival in the ten years of their existence.

. .2; z I H .‘ ‘1‘? “was Jul...

I went to see so

SPARE TYRE CABARET

A hilarious three woman cabaret with sketches and songs on food, fat and feminism. A feast of all our favourites, including the show-stopping ‘Hank Wangford was gonna

, put my coil in’. See it!

Old St Paul’s Church Hall, Jeffrey Street Aug 11- 16, 9.45pm

;___ -~_ _.-_ _ _ 16The List8—21 August

me of the cast of so much triumph, a group of 14 year-olds sunning themselves on the lawn between rehearsals, and a dog called Sidney. The ‘awfui orphans’ from Annie (being shown as part of the Fringe) rolled on the grass, asked Artistic Director Jeremy Taylor about Sidney’s credit and eagerly described how he gets such professional performances out of

them ‘We might have to be like cartoon characters’ said one ‘like from a comic strip and draw the bubble’ her arm graphically sweeps the air, enclosing the words. ‘We had lots of Beanos on the train.’

Far from being childish, this sort of understanding and identification with things from their everyday life is part of the reason they enjoy it so much. They are impressively enthusiastic about what they are doing and enviably relaxed. ‘I love it when I go on stage,’ said another. ‘I forget about everything else.’

Jeremy Taylor, who is responsible for the three productions the NYMT is bringing to Edinburgh, is not at all astonished by the talent young people have - he is only surprised everyone else is surprised. ‘It’s an innate thing - especially with the younger ones they’re wonderful. A lot of them don’t know how good they are and we dOn’t tell them I might add.’

They have to be good, even to audition. ‘They wouldn’t be here if they weren’t any good.’

Once the play is running, there is constant note-taking, careful attention to detail and how the play is evolving and constant revision. ‘The last performance will be different from the first it always is.’ Jeremy Taylor sees every performance. ‘There is no way one could leave them. They have to have me constantly snapping at their heels,’ he says, snapping his fingers very fast, obviously keeping them all, and perhaps even himself, on their toes. He is justly proud of their achievement, and despairs of the press shunning anything with the word ‘Youth’ or ‘children’ in it. ‘They assume that just because it is by children it must be second-rate. There are marvellous companies like the National Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Theatre working to an unbelievably high standard . . . Abbado reckons that the European Youth Orchestra is the finest orchestra he’s ever conducted and you still get people saying ‘oh blimey, aren’t they wonderful for children. I could kill ’em.’ (Sally Kinnes) Annie, 9, 13, 14, I6, 20, 21, 23 Aug, 2—4.15pm. £4 (£2.50): 8, 9, 12, 16—19, 23 Aug, 7—9. 15pm, £4 (£2.50). [F]

The Ragged Child 12, 15, 17-19, 22 Aug,2—4.15pm: 11,13—15,20—22 Aug, 7-9. 15pm, £4 (£2.50). [EIF] Let’s Make an Opera 20—30 Aug (not Sun 24) 5—6.30pm, Sun 24 2—3.30pm, Sat 30 10.30am—noon, £4 (£2.50). All by the National Music Theatre (venue 37), George Square Theatre, George Square. Tickets: 667 3704.

Dear Lady Tollcross,

Thank you for your kind get well card.

wrist is mending nicely.

10 Bowman Strut maintain

The

Told the press some

nonsense about a bent little finger - truth being, of course, HMQ has a stronger arm

wrestling grip than I first thought.

I'm sorry to hear you are reduced to taking in

Fringe performers after your 20,000 'Scotland

Welcomes 58 Nations'

teatowels went unsold.

Mark all the Highland Spirit, my dear, I once went to the theatre so I know what these actor

[ people are like.

properly.

You remain, as ever,

My obedient servant,

Courtesy of Steve Nallon, Spitting Image’s Margaret Thatcher, who appears in Englishmen and a Broad, Heriot Watt Theatre (venue 7), 30 Grindlay Street. Tickets 229 35 74. Aug 11—30 (not Sun 17). 8.30pm. £3 .50(£3 ).

HARVEY LIKELY

This time they won’t be going ape, bananas or a-gogo. Harvey and the Wallbangers, back in town for the Festival after a year’s absence are going straight.

Aiding the transition to a concert format after the excesses of the Park the Tiger show is a level-headed new drummer, Andrew Huggett. ‘The Great Huggettini’ as pianist Reg is trying to rename him.

Huggett’s stage presence is minimal, but this could change. Harvey suggests he might ‘stand-up occasionally’. Huggett, whose favourite interview response is ‘I don’t, but I might,’ looks doubtful. He is, in his own words, ‘really just a drummer’ and as such, a very important new plus for the band’s music. A hall-mark of the five year cocktail of swing, jazz, Motown and rock and roll, has been the constant swapping of instruments after

numbers. Says Harvey, ‘without a proper drummer, I feel we’ve been unable to settle down and play really well.’ Now, with Andrew, who recently played drums in the West

Still, few fingerprints of the above mentioned nancyboy I subversives please send them to M15. lot more intelligence than I have to do my job

If you hear of any plays about South Africa do try and lead a boycott.

if you can manage a

I need a

t ‘T' \‘3‘! |

End musical, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole exercising what Harvey calls his ‘ambidextrous’ talent, all that should change.

It’s been a tricky year for the band. Park the Tiger had an uneven response and their planned two new singles have not yet been accepted by record companies. ‘There has been a lot of interest, but they can’t decide how to market us . . . whatthe record companies want now is a new Wham and we’re not that’

The concern now is that audiences ‘appreciate the music first and foremost’ and the Festival can look forward to an increased repertoire of original material. What there won’t be, is heavy theatricality, or heavy imported jokes. The Wallbangers au nature] are funny enough anyway; who else could invent a line like Richard’s ‘I want six and a half thousand pounds’? In fact Richard does need £6,500 for a houseboat and has no aversion to notes with thistles on them . . . Harvey and the Wallbangers, Queen’s Hall, (venue 72), South Clerk StreetAug 9—20 10.30pm. £4. 50 (£3.50) Tickets668

2019 and from Assembly Rooms. (F)