Harry Hill: brilliantly bizarre
COMEDYREVIEW *****
HARRY HILL’S ’96 COMEBACK SPECIAL’
'l know what you‘re thinking. What's the best way to transport alt ow l'.’ llmm . . hnnn‘." ()\\l\ feature prominently in Harry llill's act. alongside chops. gymnastics. door entry systems and Stoul'fer the cat.
'l‘llc‘ gcllttts til. lllll‘s humour hes not in punchlines. hut in mixing and repeating references to mundane oblects m hi/arre situations. It's the sheer absurdity of what he says rather than any identification \\llll the content \\ hich sends his always huge audiences into bewildered ll}\lL‘llC\. llart'y lltll's tlcsct‘lpltoii of tongue-t“ Isters also applies to his unique brand of hi/arre humour: 'Qtncken the pace and the fun hegins.’ (Alan (‘raw ford) I Harry llill’s '96 Comeback Special’ (l-rmgei Hairy lllll. 'l‘he l’leasance (Venue 37w 5% (i550. lllllll 35 Aug. b’pm. {SSH/Lb (USU/£7)
CORDYREVIEW ***
THE SECOND HELPING
l-unny man Mitch lienn and magician latt Kendall are hack \\ nh then hi/arie pot-pourii of rapid-lite humour. comic songs and magic tricks.
lienn has his sights firmly set on those little quirks ol ‘)(ls hle liSl-L. (f/(lt/Itl/IIIA. ().l\l\ .llltl llll- llru sucking them up and spouting forth his ohser\ations. writhing . llkl \\Illl
gesticulatmg
llapdoodle abandon. Kendall. titeanvvhilc.
Kendall Mitch Cake 2: humour. songs and magic in the mix
sum-10m
festival
seems rooted III .I past when less soplttsttcalL‘tl audiences \\ ere impressed by lope tricks. clc\ci though these tricks may lk‘.
The opening-iirght audience. luelled .it the C.ll‘.llL‘l hat. appreciated the contrast. however. and roared their approx al for this energy -packed show (Alan ('taw ford)
I The Second Helping (hinge) Kendall Mitch (like 3. Southside ( \'ei:ae 33) on." 33D. lllllll 3|
Aug. 0.30pm. L5 (U i.
Jimeoin: handy-laced boyish charm
**** JIMEOIN
If you had to take a comedian home to meet your mother then you'd be hard pushed to do better than Jimeoin. llis boyisli charm. bendy face and hyperactive imagination would have the most hatchet-faced old harridan pinching his cheek and tutting reprovingly while smiling inwardly. Jimeoin's humour is the comedy of shared experience: we've all fought in the great sibling car backseat wars and sat on the bog wondering what pubes are for. Not so sure about pouring molten wax over my arse. but then each to their own. (Jo see him. you won't find a more good-natured chucklefest. (Jonathan Trew) I Jimeoin (Fringe) George Square Theatre (Venue 37) 650 2()()l. until 26 Aug. 9.45pm. £8 (£6).
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Cocktail In The Sky: tly me to the lounge room
***
COCKTAIL IN THE SKY
Billed as a ‘dance theatre disaster movie', American Melanie Stewart's ('m'ktui/ In The Skv is a trippy. cartoon-like caper that unites five kooky characters in their quest to reach the ultimate cocktail lounge in the sky.
The trouble starts when the elevator speeding towards this kitsch nirvana judders to a halt and the occupants are left — as in all the best disaster movies — to drive each other tip the walls of the lift shaft.
l)evised in tandem with Scottish-based Benchtours. Stewart's show is a well-shaken mix of sure-footed dance. sharply-drawn caricatures and red disaster pants (don't ask) that cart be forgiven a slight excess of loud. lairy Americanisms. (lillie Carr)
I Cocktail In The Sky (l‘ringel Melanie Stewart Dance. l‘amous (irouse llotisc (\cltuc 3-1) ()()I 5687. until 25 Aug (not Mon) l). l 5pm. £7 (£5).
COEDYREVIEVI ( **** |
DYLAN MORAN ' IS morseosen
So. Dylan Moran. then lttslt \lcss) \L‘ctlsa coiiih. Knows a ioke or No. hut forgets them both
V i t t t t llnmlssabla t t t t Very good i t t Worth :00an
it * Below average t You've been warned
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4, v ‘“ I\\'$’ i‘ ' F ‘ \ \(. \
hallway through and so st'lllL‘s l(il .tll lltitll til talking llll‘l‘lsll
A eosy peiloiiitei hut \\Illl .l sharp edge. and .i sh.in edge which. ohscuietl l\_\ a pan ot criminally dopey. not- titlllt‘wttlt’efilhtl I'm doing t'}t'\. i‘t(t\ tvltW (lllL' (ll lllt‘ most surprisingiy \t‘llv'lt‘lil strains ol nonsensical ctttllt‘xl} lttgtc Ul‘. lllL‘
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Dylan Moran: seamless
\loian doesn't leap lltllll tokc to hike he simply stumhles hhntlly through \vlt.ite\ er ’s on his mind And. in .i show made J” the more seamless hy the constantly (lts|tttltlv‘(l lL‘L‘l. lt'e‘ (lites ll brilliantly Il).umy \\tllltlct"
I Dylan Moran ls lndisposed it. mine» in 1.... \ltitatt. l’lt‘.ts.tttc\‘- ii- <<li (\‘A‘l. until ;1 -\ug. ‘) l5pni. Lo So
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*** FLESH
Given the title. it‘s no surprise that Hes/1 is a meditation on the commodity of sex. Spencer llazel's script is based on interviews with a cross-section of people. but the strategy is to
associate the resulting monologues with the performers' own lives. It's themselves they offer us for 80 minutes: the flipside being that we. the audience. are implicated in their exploitation.
This kind of boldness characterises I-‘lexli. The script is often affecting (if sometimes affected); the choreography is frequently powerful (if occasionally cheesy); the cast has copious energy and poise. The episodic structure sometimes fails to engage. but there are moments of reflexive insight which we‘re not allowed to ignore. (Andrew Burnet)
I Flesh (Fringe) Frantic Assembly. Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) 326 5425. until 3| Aug. 8.05pm. £8.5(i/L75t) (£7.5(l/L650).
don’ miss he boa
a masterpiece com/C. (rag/C, profound/y sensrt/ve
13 - 31 Aug at 8.45pm
" THE SCOTSMAN
Theatre Workshop, Venue 20
to book your passage phone 0131 226 5425
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