FESTIVAL 10""/LATE
V THEATRE THE PEDICAB SHOW
A pedicab. in case you're wondering. is like a n'ckshaw. only with a bike on the front. and Kevin L. Burrows pedalled his all the way from Chicago for this production. East and West collide in his remarkable tale of corn picking. caffeine. pedicab sex, and a quest for karma in Taiwan — and all told in a language as rich as Hijuelos and as cool as Kerouac. It's an enchanting bit of 'storytelling, but Burrows doesn‘t quite cut it as the comic performer he‘s billed to be. Perhaps a publisher can snap up his impressive literary talent ASAP and get him offstage . . .‘?
Wait for the paperback. (Jane Allison) I The Pedlcab Show (Fringe) Amazing Grace Productions. Hill Street Theatre (Venue 4 l) 226 6522. until 4 Sept. [0.10pm. £5 (£4).
. V THEATRE
PHILOSOPHY IN THE ALCOVE
‘I didn‘t understand anything but I always had a hard-on.’ says the servant at the start of this interpretation of de Sade‘s writing. He is referring to a week his mistress. Madame de Mistival. spent in debauchery with Domancé de Neville. Now the two aristocrats are preparing to initiate a convent girl into the carnal delights.
Putting de Sade on the stage is never going to be easy for either actors or viewers. True to the full- frontal spirit of this brave performance. within five minutes of its start no orifice or body part has been left unrevealed. Later there is masturbation. pissing and (simulated) rape as everything is ‘sacrificed to voluptuousity’.
Why. though. stage this
Olwmanatdhispedicab
play? If to explain de Sade. then the thick Brazilian accents obscure
the meaning. Nor is there : any explicit equation of
his work with fascism. A torch shone into the audiences eyes hints at a
-: voyeuristic discussion. i accentuated when pivotal
sex scenes occur at the feet of the front row.
: forcing the rest of the
audience to crane their necks. If it is to shock
' then it must be hailed as a
great success. Whatever.
this is a serious ' production which should
not be dismissed as a ‘cheap thrill’. (Thom Dibdin)
. I Philosophy In The
Alcove (Fringe) Os
: Satyros. Theatre 1 Workshop (Venue 20) 226
5425. until 28 Aug.
f ll.30pm (30 Aug—4 Sept, 3 10pm). £5.50 (£3.50).
? V COMEDY
JESUS CHRIST IMPROSTAR
And God did decree unto The lmprofessionals. go forth and be the wittiest comedy act yet to appear
1 on the Fringe this year. And thus did the team I hasten to Edinburgh and
multiply their mirth thousand-fold. Using the Four Gospels as solid reference material and a
Whose Line Is It Airl'mr_v?-type audience suggestion technique. they
improvise their way through a series of pacy. wise-cracking. shoulder- shaking. spasm-inducing. irresistibly hilarious skits. Anyone who doesn’t move a mouth muscle during the entire performance must be suffering from some sad. soporific sickness. (Ann Donald)
I Jesus Christ lmprostar (Fringe) The lmprofessionals. Marco’s (Venue 98) 228 9116. until 30 Aug, ll.30pm. £4.50 (£3.50).
V COMEDY
THE OIIACK SOIIAD
Dublin duo Paul Tylak
A comedian who can have his audience in hysterics tor the first ten minutes of his show without uttering a single word is indeed a rarity. Evans’s use of visual pranks is outrageously, comical and these days extremely unique. Ills mannerisms and buttoonery belong to an age-old tradition of music hall comedy, a tradition which has been lost to a world at stand-up where material and delivery take precedence over action. lot that Evans relies simply on visual tun to carry his entire act. Once his opening antics are over he launches into his superb and deftly-delivered routine. Throughout the performance his stage presence is one of nervous Innocence, punctuated by a completely insane manic drive which powers him along and causes him to sweat bucket-loads all night long. Without a doubt one of the stand-up highlights of the Fringe. (Joe lampard) lee Evans (Fringe) Assembly Rooms
LEE EVANS
Evansdandy
(Venue 3) 226 2428, until 4 Sept, 10pm, £7/£8 (26/27).
and Joe Rooney. aka the Quack Squad. wear a lot of different wigs but they do variations on two basic characters; bog Irish simpleton and smarmy American TV presenter. No way do they have enough material to fill their hour-long slot but there are enough plain dumb jokes and silly songs to keep the laugh rate at an almost respectable level. Apparently the Quack Squad have already written some sketches for Irish TV. With better scripts and tighter editing it is conceivable they could make a kind of Bodgers/A bsolurely transformation sometime
I in the future. At this stage.
however. some good ideas. a variety of funny voices and engaging manner do not supply
' enough laughs tojustify
giving them their own Fringe show. Yet. (Eddie Gibb)
I The Ouaclt Squad (Fringe) Stepping Stones (Venue 5|) 225 6520. until 4 Sept. 12.30pm. Gilded Balloon (Venue 38) 226 2151.30 Aug—4 Sept ll.30pm. £5 (£4).
V COMEDY STAND UP BLACK AMERICA
It was a rash move putting three unknown American comedians on the same bill in such a large venue. Well known and liked in their homeland. this is a show for a small comedy club with a vibrant atmosphere. not for this cavernous place.
Once the cultural barriers were fully broken
down by the Renee Hicks. Suli McCullough and Ian Edwards and they got the hang of what was understood (and wasn't). the material was funny enough. but with such an uneasy start it was a long time settling.
Respect goes out to the performers though. especially with the front row taken up by a group of Neanderthal uni-boys. hell-bent on disrupting the
: show and making
themselves look stupid. both of which they managed. You can only hope that the rest of the Festival is better for the threesome. and pray that they’re not put off coming back to our shores in the future. (Joe Lampard)
I Stand Up Black America (Fringe) Renee Hicks. Suli McCullough. lan Edwards. Pleasance (Venue 33) until 4 Sept. l0.20pm, £7/£7.50 (£6/£6.50).
V COMEDY THE ADVENTURES OF TRICK WHITEYMAH
Yo. This is your groin- grabbin’, l9-going-on-90- year-old Dave Chappelle exploding and confronting you with every cliché in the book of race relations - subverting the stereotypes by hitting them head on. You being small-penis-flat-ass-can‘t- dance-whitey. Chappelle takes the bull(shit) by the horns and floors everyone with his on-the-ball stabs at the Los Angeles Police Department and the
5 V COMEDY
where-are-all-the-black- people-in-Edinburgh? conundrum. And if the jive-talking, wise- cracking black comic schn‘ck sounds hackneyed already. Chappelle packs a killer double-ace in his observational savvy and comedic rhythm. both underpinning his coolly funky demeanour. Honourable mention must go to special (and occasional) guest Renee Hicks of Stand Up Black America — the most enlivening and hilarious Bald Woman By Choice on the Fringe. Despite Chappelle's bad Scottish/English accent (straight from the Dick van Dyke school of cockemee). this Trick Whiteyman (whatever that means) is truly where it’s at. (Ann Donald) I The Adventures Of Trick Whiteyman (Fringe) Dave Chappelle. Assembly Rooms, until 4 Sept. ll.30pm. £7/£8 (£6/£7).
GREG PROOPS
Four-ens for land»
Hardly surprisingly Greg Proops's trump card on this. his debut solo stand- up show in the UK. is his brilliant improvisation skill. helping him carry the show through some calamitous events. A tray full of glitter on the ceiling was accidently emptied on his head. Someone in the audience collapsed and the show had to be halted while he was carted out to an ambulance. Arthur Smith rambled into the studio and preceded to heckle him throughout. Then to cap it all off Dave Chappelle’s intro music boomed through the ceiling from upstairs. Throughout all this mayhem and disturbance Proops somehow managed to keep the show together and. more importantly. keep the laughs flowing. (Joe Lampard) I Greg Proops (Fringe) Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) 226 2428. until 4 Sept. midnight, £6.50/£7.50 (£5.50/£6.50).
The List 27 August—9 September l993 47