iCOIVIEDY
listings
Comedy is listed by date, then by city. Shows will be listed. providing that details reach our offices at least ten da 5 in advance of publication. Come y listings compiled by Peter Ross.
THURSDAY 14
Glasgow
Cheshire Cat Comedy Club Waxy’s. 20 Candleriggs. 552 8717. 9pm. Free. Billy Bonkers. Danny Boy and others will cheerfully split your sides for gratis. Raymond Meams mops up the mess. Gayle Tuesday Paisley Arts Centre. New Street. 887 1010. 8pm. £8 (£4). Character comedy with everybodys fave Page Three Stunna. Aren‘t breasts hilarious?
Edinburgh
David Strassman Royal Lyceum Theatre. 229 9697. 8pm. £7—£15 (£6 upwards; students half-price in Stalls and Grand Circle). The American ventriloquist with a difference: his puppets have fully rounded personalities. and they can walk and talk on their own. Don‘t miss.
Christie's Comedy Cellar WJ. Christie & Sort. 27-31 West Port. Tickets: 226 6550. 9.30pm (doors open 9pm). £4 (£3). Well-established club at the heart of the local scene. Colin Ramone heads up a quality bill of Ian Fey and Benny Esperito. Kevin Devine comperes and Teddy takes the open spot. See Gatecrasher. page 17.
The Stand 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9—l lpm. £4 (£3). John Gillick. Jack Weatherall and Ria Din crack the gags. Fife funster John McGuiness makes his Stand debut and Joon Broon comperes. There is one open spot. For more hot Joon Bt'oon action. see the Laughing Bag.
FRIDAY 15
Glasgow
The Comedy Store King’s Theatre. Bath Street. 287 5511. 8pm. £10. Some of the UK‘s funniest folk are touring nationally. including this date in Glasgow. Fred MacAulay comperes a night of laughter
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Miss May: 'Page Three stunna' Gayle Tuesday is on tour throughout Scotland this fortnight
70 THE LIST 14—28 May 1998
featuring Simon Bligh. Tim Clark. Paul Zenon and Rhona Cameron. See preview. Bill Bailey Cottier Theatre. 935 Hyndland Street. 287 5511. 8pm. £10 (£8).The bearded musical comedian brings his surreal humour to the Cottier for the first of three nights. If you caught his recent telly sen'es. you'll know what kind of madness to expect.
Edinbtl'gh
David Strassman Royal Lyceum Theatre. 229 9697. 8pm. £7—£15 (£6 upwards; students half-price in Stalls and Grand Circle). See Thu 14.
Gayle Tuesday Queen's Hall. Clerk Street. 668 2019/667 7776. 8pm. £8.50 (£6). See Thu 14.
The Stand 5 York Place. 558 7272.
9—1 1pm (doors open 8pm). £5 (£4). Funny Northern bloke Peter Kay. a veteran of both The Sunday Show and Carrie, will have you rolling about in a puddle of your own tears and urine at the sheer hilariousness of it all. Support comes from Donna Krachan and Neil Shackleton. Susan Morrison competes and there is one open spot.
SAURDAY 16
Glasgow
Bill Bailey Cottier Theatre. 935 Hyndland Street. 287 551 1. £10 (£8). See Fri 15.
The Comedy Store King's Theatre. Bath Street. 287 5511. 8pm. £10. See above. Fri 15 and preview.
Cosy Comedy Cafe State Bar (downstairs). Holland Street. Charing Cross. 332 2159. 9.30pm (doors open 8.30pm). £4. Fortnightly. Subterranean shenanigans at this regular laid-back club. Craig Crookston. John Flint. Kevin Spence. and Rutherford and Mearson. Billy Bonkers comperes and there are open spots.
Gayle Tuesday Royal Concert Hall. Sauchiehall Street. 287 5511. 8pm. £9. See Thu 14.
East Kilbride
Frankie Boyle East Kilbride Arts Centre. Old Coach Road. 01355 261000. 8pm. £6 (£3). Natural storyteller Boyle is supported by Alan Miller. Jane Mackay takes a night off from Edinburgh's Stand to compere.
Edinbtrgh
Steve Coogan Playhouse. Greenside Place. 557 2590. 7.30pm. £14.50/£l6.50. The man of a thousand faces brings his character comedy extravaganza back to Scotland on the second leg of a massive tour. See feature. page 14.
David Strassman Royal Lyceum Theatre. 229 9697. 8pm. £7-—£15 (£6 upwards; students half-price in Stalls and Grand Circle). See Thu 14. An extra date. added to meet demand.
The Stand 5 York Place. 558 7272.
9-1 1pm (doors open 8pm). £6 (£4). The Stand comedy club continues apace in its new venue. Peter Kay headlines the second of two nights. with support from Donna Krachan and Alan McQueen. Jane Mackay headlines and there is one open
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\liv & Jill's Cabaret Club Gilded Balloon Studio. 233 Cowgate. 226 6550. 8.30pm (doors open 8pm). £5 (£4). Weekly cabaret antics from Viv Gee and Jill Peacock.
SUNDAY 17
W Bill Galley Cottier Theatre. 935 Hyndland Street. 287 5511. £10 (£8). See Fri 15. The Comic Club Blackfriars Underground. 36 Bell Street. 552 5924. 9pm (doors open 8.30pm). £5 (£3.50).
COMIC CONJUROR PaulZenon
Glasgow: King's Theatre, Fri 15 & Sat 16 May.
’Three hundred years ago we’d burn cunts like that.’ Phill Jupitus on Paul Zenon. alias The Witch, aka King Con, otherwise known as Trick Monkey. Zenon was recognised as one of the brightest of the star-turns at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe. with an inventive magic show involving triangles, pints of lager. exploding zits. doomed bunny rabbits and straitjackets. Now he is embroiled in the Comedy Store's nationwide tour, alongside the likes of Fred MacAulay, Simon Bligh. Tim Clark and Rhona Cameron.
Like many others before him. this instantly likeable magician hit something of an exposure watershed at the Festival. '1 used to work as a kids' presenter years ago. so it was knocking that on the head a bit. because there are people who only know me from that.’ says Zenon. 'It was just establishing myself for what I’d been doing for years but not a lot of
people had realised.’
Here’s a few other things people may not know about Paul Zenon: he \has just returned from Hong Kong, where he was doing his stuff in an Indian restaurant; he wrote a ratings-friendly kids’ lTV programme entitled Crazy Cottage - ’it starts at the end and works backwards and everything’s upside down and inside out. It's a reverse logic thing’; he has a special on Channel 4 around September; he is lined up to advise Tom Cruise on a possible Hollywood production of the Harry Houdini story - The Great Escapoligist; and he doesn’t give a flying fig about US TV's current obsession with
revealing the magician’s secrets.
'T he ironic thing about it is that a lot of the tricks are actually made up for the programmes, so they’re doing things that people don't do anyway,’ he points out. ’1 don't think people will actually suffer from them exposing how to turn a girl into a lion in a cage. 1 could quite happily go on stage after a screening of that, but really it's just typical American sensationalist stuff. Traditional magicians are up in arms about it but they get excited if someone pulls a pink rabbit out of a hat instead of a white one.’
You can be assured that there are no such bland shenanigans in Paul Zenon's set. And you can leave your stake and matches at home.
(Brian Donaldson)
Tricky customer: Paul Zenon
Gorge yourself on laughter beneath Glasgow’s rain-swept streets. Michael Redmond. Neil Shackleton and Mike Parkin cook up a feast of laughter.
Edinburgh
Christie’s Comedy Cellar WJ. Christie & Son. 27-31 West Port. Tickets: 228 3765. 9.30pm (doors open 9pm). £3. Comedy Off The Cuff. a spontaneous stand-up night. offers a loose. experimental feel with lots of audience participation. Stuart Potter. Graham Philips and Joe Heenan make it up on the spot. Raymond Meams comperes. See Gatecrasher. page 17.
Plnt Sized Comedy The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8-10pm. £2 (£1). Raise a glass to Allan Miller and loads of really new acts for the price of one measly pint. Who could resist such a bargain?
Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. l-3pm. Free. lmpro from Jack Weatherall and Paul Graham. which you can enjoy over a drink or a meal. A good way to banish those hangover blues.
MONDAY 18
Glasgow
Steve Coogan Royal Concert Hall. Sauchiehall Street. 287 5511. £12.50—£l6.50. See Sat 16. Edinburgh. and feature. page 14.
Edinburgh
Red Raw The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8pm. £1. Brand new Scottish comics and the occasional big name at this weekly comedy night. Liane Ellis comperes.
Stirling
Gayle Tuesday MacRobert Arts Centre. University Of Stirling. 01768 461081. 7.30pm. £9 (£6). See Thu 14.
TUESDAY 19
Glasgow
Steve Coogan Royal Concert Hall. Sauchiehall Street. 287 5511. £12.50—£l6.50. See Sat 16. Edinburgh. and feature. page 14.