1
THE TWIN
In the dark. damp. echoing chambers ofThe Vaults. Alec Monteath emerges from the shadows as Thomas the thespian. fully robed in Biblical drag. Thomas reveals that he is Christ‘s twin brother and proceeds to give his own account of his siblings rise to fame — having spent 40 years in india trying to get his head together after all the shit that went down about his brother‘s death.
Drawing on some dilettante dabblings with Medieval apocryphal myths and the Dead Sea Scrolls. John Cargill Thompson‘s script only succeeds in reflecting the superficiality of his engagement with the subject.
The greatest story never told. (Simon Yuill) I The Twin (Fringe) Eyas Theatre. The Vaults (Venue 18) 556 7018. until 4 Sept. noon. £4.50 (£3).
V THEATRE HOERIHG
Malcol- Ward
The seated corridor known as the Gilded Balloon‘s Backstage Theatre doesn't do a one- man monologue a lot of favours. and Hovering would certainly have benefited from the added focus a more suitable space might provide.
As it is, Malcolm Ward's earnest attempts to involve his audience are hindered by a rather formulaic script in which a man recounts his life whilst ostensibly waiting for news of his critically ill wife. There‘s precious little surprise left by the time the tale makes its final twist, and one is left pondering the nature of various irrelevances — such as the relationship between the protagonist and the audience. and Fringe promoters weird assertion of the term ‘theatne‘. (Stephen Chester)
I Hm. (Fringe) BAB
F
ESTIVAl
Productions. Gilded Balloon (Venue 38) 226 f 2151. until 4 Sept. 3pm, 3 £5 (£4).
sPl/BPI
V THEATRE
A [00K BACK AT
7 ., .; ’Z-‘rfi' :
KILLING HIM
V COMEDY Allie on the edge. Andy Smart loves we?" Bang up to date with its . . the “00th of tear. TM W088 "12., post-Lamont stockmarket ‘ Mum OI III! IN". The lmmlnence oi 4' '. relflizorenlceskcunsmz ‘ Q , , ttte 's r' ing I'm 18 a Gunman "*8 ; ' i I . homing recount oi the various scrapes fiomeqylabou‘tlfémggnd 5 he’s had in his 33 years. .‘nanc‘a ‘ emo ' E a“ mp” , literal. ; Canals, cocaine, sex-torture, hulls, «’ “.5 frothy and : trains and births, a succession oi undemanding - ideal d hm. \ ' I afternoon stuff — enriche HO tells his tales OI thrill-seeking ' " ~ by a wonderfully i atom the globe - all true - with the getting his kicks vim-t loathe the untimged PerformanFe by : ease of the strange stranger who contort oi his living room (he’s a dad Jonathan A? as a blIfl' starts bletherlng to you in the pub and m). Involves two buttocks. some boo mm,ng $30.3" - .. , _ holds court tor hours on end with roll, some times and a pint oi lager. for losing pm His knack ; ’j i stories of dotting-do, while you end up Put all that together and maybe the at avoiding eywonmc,‘ , "I -' i thirdtlng, ‘cripes, Iuy lite is crap’. only thin! 3'38“ can ‘0 IOU '8 818“ shifting awkwardly in 7' , ., ' Smart is more oi a raconteur than a up . . . (Craig McLean) spasms of shyness. ' ' ' stand-up, having turned horn a Vicious A Look Back At llanger (Fringe) Andy produces some. fine '3 "1"" “Mt 0' M01 Boy to a Spaldiug Gray. But then again Smart, Gilded Balloon (Venue 38), 226 comedy that SttPS "1 the
Sparkle?
'lt's tribal. it’s primeval. it's the Glitter Sound.’ And with those words that
sexy. loin-centred. ball- crushing beat bursts forth. Gary is resplendent in Bacofoil. an overstuffed
. turkey in an under-
' tailored suit that’s so tight
3 you can see his giblets. Through the m'als and the traumas — obscurity. fame.
notoriety. alcoholism.
‘ bankruptcy. Heinz beanz,
comebacks — Gary holds
; his head high. This is the
story of how a man with
2 no eyebrows became the
God OfGlam. the Tops
; Of Tack. the Fuhrer Of
3 Fun.
| And this show pays
l fitting hagiographic
1 tn'bute. narrated by a man
i who claims he is Gazza’s
present manager in a
i voice that sounds like
John Noakes (which adds
3 to the dewy-eyed
nostalgia). The Gary
‘ Glitter Story is a soap
; opera soundtracked by
, epic pop. The ultimate
cultural experience.
I (Craig McLean)
! u m Gary Glitter Story
E (Fringe). The Music Box
(Venue 50). 220 4847,
3 until 4 Sept (not 24, 31
' Aug). 4.30pm. £5.50 (£4.50).
V THEATRE
i BEL-AMI
Late 19th-century prose writer Guy de Maupassant is the subject of this spirited biography by
his iinal party piece, his way oi still
2151, until 4 Sept, 5.30m, £5 (£4).
punchlines without appearing self-conscious.
impressively high-
Antic Hay. The writer is characterised as an ; obsessed, mother- dominated womaniser. who‘s also given to ripping off the talent of his (so~called) Muse. Honoria. This schema i handily fits the casting requirements. since the personnel comprise three women (mother. angel and whore) and the writer himself who, despite being a continuous presence. remains a curiously marginal figure. The best parts of the show are the retelling (sometimes with great wit) of Maupassant's stories; the worst are the over-written (and acted) extremes of melodramatic emotion. (Andrew Pulver) I ROI-All (Fringe) Antic Hay. Demarco EAF (Venue 22) 557 0707, until 28 Aug, 3pm. £5.50 (£4.50).
V THEATRE
MOHSIEIIR SHAHERAZAII
One of those rare birds — a drab title and an engaging play. Carol Wolf’s script seamlessly blends pathos and comedy. which is no easy thing when the setting is Occupied France in World War II (witness ’Allo 'Allo). But it is Ron Campbell's energetic. witty and at times flagrantly silly
performance that lifts this
play above the Fringe mire.
Campbell flits from character to character to character-actor like a mayfly on Ecstasy and never loses the audience once. The stories. despite being more obvious than an 'Allo ’Allo punchline. are infinitely more entertaining and the
PHILLIP GANDEY
message (of course, there ! has to be a message) for once adds to rather than i detracts from the piece. A ' genuine class act. (Philip
I Parr)
l I Monsieur Shaherazad i (Fringe) American Wolf. ' Roman Eagle Lodge
. (Venue 21) 225 7995.
i until 4 Sept (not Suns).
f 5.20pm. £4 (£3).
l/
velocrty financial banter from the yuppie characters with whom he shares the stage helps create an enjoyably diverting comedy. albeit one with little substance. (Mark Fisher)
I Killing HIM (Fringe) Cambridge Nights, Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550. until 4 Sept. 4.30pm, £6 (£5).
/ DIRECT FROM
MOSCOW
— THE GREAT RUSSIAN —-
CIRCUS
.N ICE
«new “1-..”. 0".
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1
AUG - 5 SEPT THE BIG TOP, THE MEADOWS, EDINBURGH TICKETS £8 - £12.50
AVAILABLE FROM ASSEMBLY BOX OFFICE AND FRINGE BOX OFFICE DIAL-A-SEAT 031 662 1 100 (credit card bookings)
The us: 20—26 August 1993 31