festival

COMEDY PREVIEW Julian Barratt And Noel

Fielding ln Arctic Boosh

As you might know, the Boosh boys, Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding won last year's Perrier Best Newcomers award for their absurdist comic tour-de-force, The Mighty Boosh. For this year's Festival they are reprising their comic alter-egos Vince and Howard for a show promising a similar brand of humour.

Upon meeting them, the first thing that strikes one is the ease with which the pair work off each other. They possess the rare kind of chemistry that double acts require to be called ‘classic'. There are two distinct personalities at work here, and they converge in exactly the right place. Noel explains: 'I'm into art and Julian's into music. I introduce the visual element and he introduces the musical element. I've got big eyes and Julian's got small eyes and that’s why we work together.’

They inform us that 'boosh' doesn’t

Cold fusion chemistry: Arctic Boosh

mean anything in particular, it's ‘an abstract, it's a cloud, it's a girl with yoghurt on her arm, it's silly hats and extreme jazz.’ Julian is the jazz element, having a voice with the pure tones and deft rhythmic capabilities of a be-bop saxophonist. Noel is the hair and pop-star good looks and the almost-shy innocent charm. They are both, of course, very funny. Arctic Boosh create a kind of surrealism, but from the heart. They're straightforward and daft, and they say, quite rightly, ‘Boosh is alarmingly

ridiculous.’ (Ross Holloway)

I Julian Barratt And Noel Fielding In Arctic Boosh (Fringe) Observer Assembly (Venue 3) 226 2428, until 30 Aug (not 70, 24) 6pm, [9/[8 ([8/f7)

pauses after his partner's remark, and interiects ’What rubbish are you talking now7' Pure bathos Pure Parsons And Naylor (Steve Cramer) I ParSOns And Naylor (Fringe) Observer Assembly (Venue 3) 226 2428, 6—30 Aug, 7 30pm, £9/f8 ([8/[72‘

COMEDY PREVIEW Lee Mack's Bits

Lee Mack's sketch show at the Fringe three years ago was much acclaimed, receivmg a five star revrew in this magazine, and filling the house every night Not that that's the reason for him domg a new sketch show this year 'I'm d0ing it 'cause I want to have a good laugh in Edmburgh,‘ he says. He's lying, of course. The real reason is to give him an excuse to run around in tights and rubber pants

Lee Mack ’s Bits is a touch rude, what they WOuld have called 'blue’ in the days of his great grandad Billy Mack, 'the lad that made Lancashire laugh, a variety performer who sang silly songs about cabbages, cabeans and carrots.’ Mack continues: 'He used to dress up as a woman, he used to do different characters. He was the original turn of the century Steve Coogan.’ Must be in the blood (Ross Holloway) I Lee Mack 's Bits (Fringe) Lee Mack, Pleasance (Venue 33) 556 6550, 7-30

Aug (not 70, 24) 7 75pm, £9/f8 (£8/7) PreViews S 6 Aug, [4

COMEDY

Steve Gribbin: I'm Turning Into My Dad

The title of this act says it all Gribbin, a member of Naked Video, a Supremely popular Fringe act last seen here in 1993, returns to the Fringe V‘Jllll a (risis that anyone who's reached early middle age and fatherhood Wlll understand 'All the things my dad did that l th0ught were uncool and awful I find myself dOing now,’ notes Gribbin But it’s not Just for blokes of my age ' And fair enough, since there's a healthy slice of humour for anyone who's had a dad, like the ever popular ’smells of dad' audience partiCipation section of the Show. Don't be frightened by being pulled onto the stage it's clear when y0u talk to Gribbin that his is the kind of eaSy-gOing humour you can empathise With, With0ut intimidation As 3 Liverpool suppOrter, there‘s even something for football fans in his act Even followers of Man Utd may like it (Steve Cramer)

I Steve Gflbbln, l’m Turning Into My Dad (Fringe) Steve Gribbin, Gilded Balloon At The Honeycomb (Venue I39) 226 2 l 5 7, 6-30 Aug, 7pm, [8 50 ([7 SOl

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