FESTIVAL 8pm —lOpm
A-Z of Taboo: geezerful
COMEDY REVIEW A—Z Of Taboo ** at
It has often been pointed out that the trouble With taboos in our post- modern world is that there aren’t too many left to shock us. Poulter and Duff toil geezerfully against this a35umption, but don’t c0me off entirely unscathed, With a little audience participation, the stand-up duo take us through a multitude of sins from necrophilia to pornography, occasionally challenging our iaded sensibilities enough to create a belly-laugh. There are some sweet moments, thOugh, and the routine involvmg celebrity guests (represented by puppets) Bob Hoskins, Gerry Adams and the Queen Mother were loathsome enOugh to be genumely funny. (Steve Cramer)
I A—Z Of Taboo (Fringe) Pou/ter And Duff, Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) 226 2428, until 30 Aug (not 72, 26) 8.55pm, £7.50 (£6.50) 75—76, 22—24 Aug, £8.50 (£7.50).
I /
THEATRE REVIEW
Disco Pigs
fit at fir
One second separated Runt and Pig at birth. OthenNise inseparable, liVIng in a bubble and speaking an invented babble language, they have an unadulterated hatred for Pork City — Cork in Ireland. Today is their birthday and a kiss iS gomg to add itself to that one second.
Enda Walsh’s play is a humorous and deep exploration of alienation and Violence. Cillian Murphy (Pig) and Eileen Walsh (Runt) portray these intense, powerful characters in an unremitting stream of physical acting. The language, which should be incomprehensible, in fact liberates the play to dwell in realms of pure poetry. Do not miss. (Thom Dibdin)
I Disco Pigs (Fringe) C orcadorca, Traverse (Venue 75) 228 7404, unti/30 Aug (not Mon) 9 45pm, f8 ([5)
COMEDY REVIEW Shane St James It IE
Goatee beard, spangly waistcoat, ingratiating manner: obVIously Shane St James Is a hypnotist
The over-practised patter and attractive blonde assistant may be enough to warm audiences up in Shane's native Australia, but it was 35 minutes into his 60-minute show before he started to melt the cool reserve of an early-evening Edinburgh Crowd. Even then the laughs came from mostly predictable directions" 'You have ants in your pants', 'You are Madonna’, etc
Only 'YOU're Hugh Grant' (think DiVine Brown, not Four Weddings) showed much originality, but the biggest laugh was from one p00r subiect's Mick Jagger impersonation. Not exactly gr0und-breaking. (Ed Grenby) I Shane St James (Fringe),5piegeltent (Venue 87) 558 8070, until 30 Aug (not 27) 8 30pm (not 20, 27, 28, 5pm) [8 (£6).
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Shane St James: you're feeling very . . . bored
68 TIIELIST is-zi Aug i997
THEATRE PREVIEW Jock Scot
Leith-born but a self-imposed exile since Scotland's ill fated World Cup campaign of 1978 ('Everyone was going mad. I had to get out.'), Jock Scot became compere and chief joint-roller for the likes of lan Dury and The Clash. He now resides in London, where he began performing his poetry in the 805.
'When I was fourteen l was already writing stuff, none of it very good,’ he says. 'T hen I started getting into Kerouac . . . and I liked Bukowski a lot. No trickery. No bullshit.‘
Jock abroad: punk poet Jock Scot comes home
Scot's work is as much inspired by the spirit of musical heroes (Frank Zappa, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith) as literary ones. Hardly surprising then. that he should seek musical backing for his readings. He's known Nectarine No. 9's Davey Henderson since the latter's time with cult Edinburgh popsters The Fire
Engines.
'I started sending Davey writing over the last two years,’ explains Scot. ‘He says that bit will fit here, this bit will go there. He knows.’
The results of this collaboration have been unhelpfully described as a hybrid of Ivor Cutler and Billy Bremner. Scot's eyes light up at mention of the
Leeds United player.
‘I remember booing him off at Hampden once.’ (Rodger Evans) I lock Scot (Fringe) Gilded Balloon l/ (Venue 36) 226 2757, 78 Aug, 9. 75pm & 26 Aug, 8. 75pm, f 7 (£6). Also see Glasgow Rock listings and Freeloaders page 5 8: 7.
COMEDY REVIEW
1 Scarlet Harlots
***
. The claustrophobic tension of real stand-up is not to be found at the
Assembly Rooms or the Gilded Balloon
' but at venues like the Stand COrnedy Club
This line-up of lesser-known women comedians was almost fioored by persistent drunken heckl ng, but the
, ladies coped admirabiy, particularly Glasgow's Susan IIVIOTTISOHI who took the brunt Of it
After Morrison whose brash,
scatological set went down a storm,
lane Mackay struggled more to find a rhythm Mary Unfaithful t).'()‘.’|(I€7(j a rousing finale with sharp timing and some acidic baiiJo-acc‘oinpanied songs This was stand-up in the raw Though less polished than the ('(Jrr‘edy on offer elsewhere, it still sparkled iStephen erySfl‘lIhl I Scarlet Harlots (Fringe' The Stand Comedy Club «Venue 706) 2 until 24 Aug, 9 70pm, [4 f
COMEDY REV IEW
Bruce Morton * i
Arguably the best thing about Bruce Morton's new show is the materiai he wrote for Its entry in the Fringe
programme The rest is pretty lit-arid-
miss \i‘lell-placed iibes lift the material to higher levels, and, to be fair, there are frequent moments of .rziughi corn: delight, but on the tarhole Morton doesn't hit the highs he usually
; manages Looking uncomfortabfe for
most of the show, the best of his
material centred around what it's like to
have a posh girlfriend He did build a
lasting rapport with his audience however, and was therefOre largely forgiven for any lapses in comedic quality Good, but not good en0ugh (Danny Wallace)
I Bruce Morton (Fringe) The Famous Grouse House (Venue 34) 220 5606, until 30 Aug (not 78, 28) 9 30pm, [8 50 (£7 50)
COMEDY PREVIEW Donna McPhail
Donna McPhail's mates have learned not to come to her for tea and sympathy 'l'm a great believer in wallowmg,’ she says ’You should get a bottle of cheap wine ~ you don't deserve expensive stuff -- put on your most crusty clothes and say Cunt a lot really go for it', explains the master of off-the-cuff sarkiness Such poignant first-hand experiences will feature in to other with tales from a
her show,
Rhellt Ix).l.'r
Japan, where hilcehaV was attacked 1". a hgi‘tc‘ub for refusing 1:: dance tl‘. a h'oke "m. not very good at making at) WHO stories, so around 93% of my material .s t'ue Li's tragi; really', she laughs Hd‘.‘ll‘.1} parted (jo'rtpar‘y with the Sunday Show, “.1: Phail's glad to be I}(.‘Itl".{; bat k to her starts-an roots
'Y‘iss about the teT‘y is I‘d‘c’li'lf; other peon'e i‘ti'tr‘ing Into Radio Rentals to pay my hil's for me ' \VQ‘SJ, that's showb .: Claire Prentice)
I Donna McPhaN :Fririr el Gi’cled Bahooe i"./e'?:.'e 38/ 226 275 7, 77-23 Aug, 45pm, f. 50 ([7)
STAR RATINGS
:I‘e or»; t ""r:l
* t it t it unmissable t t i t Very good i t It WOrth seeing I t t Below average i 1» YOu've been warned