10pm— LATE FESTIVAL

Max Maven: Mind over patter

COMEDY REVIEW

Max Maven: Thinking In Person

in air

Max Maven is - in theOiy a mind- reader. In practice he’s more a traditional end-of—the-pier 'turn’. Clad in black, with facial hair apparently borrowed from Ming the Merciless, and the sort of voice normally heard narrating horror stories on Radio 4, he is a master of theatricality.

His mind-reading marvels are actually rather modest. Several look like plain memOry tricks, and even the most impresswe are not visually stunning in the way that, say, a hypnotist can be. But he has a wonderful dry humour, some very funny patter, and a brilliantly sarcastic way with his volunteers. A good laugh. (Ed Grenby) I Max Maven: Thinking In Person (Fringe) Max Maven, Assembly Rooms (Venue 3) 226 2428, until 30 Aug,

7 1.35pm, USO/£8.50 (£6.50/f750).

STAR RATINGS * at * ** Unmissable * i: t * Very ood 1r * * Wo seeing it * Below average iii You've been warned

COMEDY REVIEW

Tina C In Rhinestone Cowgirl it*

Hot from Clitoris Creek comes sassy Nashville cowgirl Tina C. This ain’t Just a babe with attitude - she’s got the hair to match. Perched high on silver sandals she woos the audience with her flashing teeth and glitzy style. From the intimacy of her dressmg room, we hear how this 'white trash and proud of it’ doyenne of country music has eclipsed the likes of Dolly and Tammy with post-feminist songs such as / Thought I Left You (What Are Ya Doin' Alive?) If high camp and heels is what you're after this could be the gal for you. (Robin James) I Tina C In Rhinestone Cowgirl (Fringe) Gilded Balloon (Venue 38) 226 2 75 7, until 30 Aug, midnight, £6.50 (£5.50).

COMEDY REVIEW

The Comedy Zone ****

In a steaming cabaret bar, 90 minutes stand-up could be anything. The Comedy Zone promised to be heaven but without MC Chris Addison it would have been purgatory. Perhaps even hell.

A charming Mancunian, even when slagging off Americans called Brandy and Summer, Addison was very qwck and plain funny. Nipping from the Manchester bombing and crap local news programmes, he was great.

For stand-out style, Noel Fielding's surreal fantasies all pengums With lego knees and big white randy bears were original and intrigumg. Stomping up the rear, though, Glaswegian Frankie Boyle chased the audience like a ferret and, em, Neil Bromley was from London . (Paul Welsh)

I The Comedy Zone (Fringe) Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, until 30 Aug (not 26) 10.50pm, £8/f850 (£7/f750).

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Tina C: Hips. lips. glitz

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urrealism

and After: The Gabrielle Keiller

Collection. Featuring Magritte, Dali, Man Ray, Duchamp and many others. The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Belford Road, Edinburgh. 5 July 9 Nov 1997. Admission free. Mon Sat 10am 5pm. Sun 2 5pm. Extended hours during the Edinburgh Festival.

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. Ml"- SPONSORED BY ilicimlirim IHHIIH."

NATIONAL GALLERIES OF SCOTLAND