THEATRE LIST

entertainmant. On the bill tonight are Seamus Patrick O‘Foot. Norman Derek. Flowcrchild the Accountant and the 605 musical sounds of The Spooks. I'm personally hoping that whoever produced the press-release takes to the stage to doa spot of performance type-writing but it‘s best ifthey don't.

I The 1989 Scout and Guide Gang Show King's Theatre. 2 Leven Street. Edinburgh 229 l2()l. Bar. 7.15pm& 2.15pm. £3—£4.50. See Fri 24.

SUNDAY 26

I Phil Cool King‘s Theatre. 2 Leven Street. Edinburgh 229 1201. Bar. 8.30pm. £5—£8.5(). The man of many faces comes through to Edinburgh for two nights of comedy. music and impressions. See Review.

FRIDAY 1

I Vladivar Vodka Comedy Dome Renfrew Ferry. The Waterfront. Clyde Place, south ofthe river. Glasgow. 8pm. A one-off night of stand-up comedy brought to you by Vladivar and featuring Dave Baddiel and Rob Newman (stars of Radio

One‘s Mary Whirehouse Experience) and Nick Hancock and Neil Muiiarkey (as seen on Friday Night Live). The show

moves through to Edinburgh tomorrow.

SATURDAY 2

I Vladivar Vodka Comedy Dome Calton Studios. Calton Road. Edinburgh. 556 7066. 8pm. £3. See Fri 1.

THURSDAY 7

I The Comedy Shop The Shelter. 7 Renfrew Court. off Renfrew Street. Glasgow. First night of Glasgow‘s second comedy venue. brings an impressive line-up of mainly English comedians to town. The Funny Farm's Stu Who? will introduce Norman Lovett. The Panic Brothers. Mark Miwurdz. Hattie llayridge and a surprise guest from the Scottish cabaret scene in a jam-packed evening of comedy brought to you by The Core and Karen Koren. More follows on Friday night. By next year The Comedy Shop will become fortnightly and eventually weekly with the support of Glasgow 1990. See Preview.

PHIL COOL Seen at the Glasgow Pavilion.

At King‘s Theatre, Edinburgh 26 Nov. 0n the night when the early edition oi the Sun screamed ‘Yarwood Flops in Front 0i Di'. Phil Cool gave a performance at the Glasgow Pavilion that would have brought the Royal House down. at course, his impact on the Royals would have been aided by his imitation oi Charley-boy imitating Mark Knoptlerto try and impress the said Di.

Cool’s solo show is a masterful display oi the art at physical comedy. With a lace that contorts and bulges like a sacktul oi live ierrets, the range at his imitations is extraordinary. The idiosyncratic nuances at each character come over clearer in alive venue than they did in his TV show, oi which I was no great ian. After seeing him live however, l’m a convert. (Ross Parsons)

ROBERT LLEWELLYN/JUDY PASCDE

Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh. Run ended. At £4.50, the tickets ior this show seemed dubioust expensive, but with live pertormers on you got your money's worth. The support acts were three members oi the Glasgow-based

Funny Farm co-operative. Cute and cuddly Gordon Robertson compered, his gap-toothed grin and well timed delivery more than compensating ior some slightly corny material. Stuart MacDonald, whose act was iormerly based on the secret (and very iunny)

lite oi cut-out cardboard letters, has recognized its limitations and branched out into a pretty competent term at stand-up comedy. And Iikeable ‘balding bastard’ Fred MacAulay has also improved since I last saw him, though he is still inclined to be too laid back and lose the momentum he achieves when he’s working hard.

The billtoppers, Robert Llewellyn and Judy Pascoe, have several things in common. Both are intelligent, contldent, relentlessly energetic pertormers; both are interested in the quirks oi the English psyche, though both also explore the oddities oi ioreign cultures; most important, both engage in a great deal at iranktalk.

But here’s the thing: I laughed most at Llewellyn; while my two lemale companions were more tickled by Pascoe, and you don’t have to be Sigmund Freud to work out why. During hali-an-hour oi extraordinary lacial and bodily contortions, Llewellyn covered wanking, sex, guilt, wanking, pornography, phallic cars, wanking, phallic guns, and —well —wanklng. All searchineg honest, all very cleverly observed, all irom a male perspective.

I can vouch that Pascoe is a very agreeable person, but when she takes the stage in her black lace and leather battlegear, most men cower. Bung-lull ol Australian aggro, she zlps through a stream oi set-pieces covering sex, contraception, the English, men, English men, dogs, llying, contraception and sex. All paintully accurate, all careiully thought through, all irom a lemale perspective.

So it you want to entertain men, you talk about male sexuality, and It your audience is lemale, you take the other point oi view? Simple. Well, no, actually, you have to be a pretty remarkable periormerto outstrip either at these two. It you’ll pardon the Freudian slip. (Andrew Burnet)

THE TRAVERSE

'DI'HEATRE

GRASSMARKEIE INBURGII

f1 THE TURKEY THAT F0 UGHT BA CK

The First Green Christmas Show. f by Stuart Hepburn. Directed by Benjamin Twist. , FRIDAY lst-SATURDAY 30th DECEMBER g Tickets £4.75. Concessions £2.50.

J Special low prices for families. BOX OFFICE ° 03I-226 2633

E A

(7

é 2nd December,

THE FUNNY FARM

The best thing in sliced bread, since Scottish stand-up comedy at

THE ASSEMBLY ROOMS

Friday 1 and Saturday 2 December 8pm Tickets £3.50 (£2 concession) All proceeds from Friday 1 December to Scottish Aids Monitor

Tickets available in advance from the Usher Hall, 031 228 1155, or at the Assembly Rooms from one hour before the start of the performance.

A ONE OFF HIGH T OF ALTERNATIVE COMEDY FROM THE BEST OF lONOON’S COMEDY CIRCUIT

From Radio One’s Mary Whitehouse Expefience

DAVID BADDIEL 8r ROB NEWMAN

From Friday Night Live

NICK HANCOCK & NEIL MULLARKEY

1st December, The Renfrew Ferry, Clyde Place Quay, Glasgow GS

Vlabivar

all M [iv

dome

The Calton Studios, 24-26 Calton Road, Edinburgh

* Bar open 8pm

The List 24 November 7 December 1989 53