10pm-Late
theatre - dance - comedy
festival
FESTIVAL IOpIn—late continued
COMEDY PREVIEW Sex And Sequins
UIIsurprIsIngly, COIiSldeflng the title of her show, stand-up Deb Percy has no qualms In revealing exactly where her interests lie both at w0rk and play. 'When I started out | used to cover a VaIIety of topics, but I came to realise that talking about sex was what I enjoyed the most '
Ilenr e Sex And Sequrns Is a mix of camp cabaret (renditions of 'Diamonds Are A Girl‘s Best Friend' and 'Hey Big Spender’ lend an air of kitsch theatrirality to the proceedings) and lLl(l(l comment, all on the theme of doing the nasty.
Although her subject matter focuses on all things carnal, Percy doesn't consider herself lewd. 'I don’t swear, but I like to talk about things In a matter of fact way. I've seen people squirm when I've spoken about oral sex and women wankmg.’
Prepare yourself for some ribald revelry You might even learn something . . (Dawn KolIe)
a Sex And Sequins (Fringe) Deb Percy, Canon '5 Cart (L‘e/Iar Bar (Venue 762) 226 5 138, 8-29 Aug, 77pm, £2 (£7).
COMEDY PREVIEW
The Phallic Menace ‘An
Insider's Guide To America’ Americans are often the butt of our Iokes on this side of the Atlantic, yet It’s pretty strange for comedians from the US of A to take part In the piss- takIng of their motherland.
'To us It's Inst good satrre,’ says Joshua Will, co-producer of The Brave New Workshops The Phallic Menace 'An InSIrler's Guide To America '. ’There's more than enough in our Culture, In our American society to make fun of. If we see a problem, in one way we poke fun at it, but in another we offer solutions.’
A mixture of sketches and improvisational theatre, as well as sex, religion and politics, the show will also
62 TllEllST 5—12 Aug 1998
deal with topical issues. So does this company have any pride in its native land at all? 'Like anybody we're proud of our country,‘ insists Will. ’But at the same time we’re not really willing to defend it enough.’ (Dawn Kofie)
n The Phallic Menace “An Insider's Guide To America’ (Fringe) The Brave New Workshop, Bed/am Theatre (Venue 49) 225 9893, 9-14 Aug, 70pm. £7.50 (£5.50); 77.30pm. £2.50.
COMEDY PREVIEW
Chris Lynam's Wild Man Jungle Trip
Hoping for a broad audience — his only stipulation is that each member of the crowd has two legs - Chris Lynam is out to entrap all with hilarious tales of his international mayhem.
The fact that he is giving nothing away about his latest production emphasises the nature of this expedition into Lynam's comic landscape. He is the original lost wanderer, returned to tell the tale of his (mis)adventures. From encounters with witch doctors to tussles with treacherous snakes, Lynam's tales will either entice you to Africa or put you off travel forever.
These are action man antics with a sensitive side. This man not only restores rainforests but establishes butterfly sanctuaries too. Since he's only gracing us with a brief one week stint, you’ll have to be quick to catch up with the wild one. The question is: are you brave enough to join him? (Caroline Brown)
I Chris Lynam's Wild Man Jung/e Trip (Fringe) Chris L ynam, Gilded Balloon (Venue 38) 226 2757, 7-77 Aug, 10pm, £8 (£7).
COMEDY PREVIEW Viagra Falls! (l-Ioo-Ha!)
Steven Alan Green strolls into the bar dressed in black from head to toe and chomping on a Cuban cigar. I'm hit with a volley of words from his rapid- fire mouth before I can catch my stride. He is an addict — a comedy
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Gun nut: Steven Alan Green
DANCE/PHYSICAL THEATRE PREVIEW Swahili Godot
It's the little things that spark off mayhem. And they don't come much smaller than running out of toothpaste. In Robin Fulford's Swahili Godot, the destination of blame for this heinous act ends in a scene of domestic violence, leading to a re-adjustment of values and a search for renewed communication. Language - and its attendant difficulties - is the thing. 'lt’s a poetic drama but one with very mundane, domestic language,’ insists Matthew Scott, performer and co-founder — alongside Jo Dagless - of 1157 Performance Group. 'The couple (Tuck, played by Scott, and Anna, played by Lisa Christie) are doomed from the outset. The "Swahili" is metaphoric in that the couple are unable to communicate — that old thing of "oh, you're talking Swahili, I don't understand".' In order to reach an understanding, Tuck takes stock and reaches deep into himself for
answers.
And all in a multi-media kind of way. 1157 have joined forces with Toronto's Platform 9 Theatre to produce the European premiere of Swahili Godot, a composition of text, movement and soundscape. With 1157's progressive experimentation meeting Platform 9's sophisticated humanism, a surefire hit looks on the cards. (Brian Donaldson)
a Swahili Godot (Fringe) 7 757 Performance Group & Platform 9 Theatre. C cubed, St John '5 Hall (Venue 726) 225 5705, 6-30 Aug (not 72. 78), 77. 75pm,
£7 (£5).
Godot mighty: 1157 8r Platform
addict. 'I get high on laughter. That's why I'm quittrng.’
His new show Viagra Falls begs the obvious question — have you tried it? 'Not knowingly,’ he offers with a shake of the head. ‘I had a stiff drink once, though.’ There's something authentically anarchic about the man's humour. Subversive, even. 'I like filthy puns. I like going over the top. I like challenging people,’ he says of the show which actually has nothing to do with the little blue pill.
It's partly a celebration of his first year of marriage but mostly it’s about every show being his last one ever, each one with a potentially explosive finale. (Ross Holloway)
I Viagra Falls! (Hoo-Ha!) (Fringe) Steven Alan Green, Cafe Royal (Venue 47) 556 2549, 5—30 Aug, 77pm. £7 (£5.50).
THEATRE PREVIEW Fanny Hill
Philippa Hammond’s adaptation of John Cleland's notorious 18th century
novel about the ribald sexual adventures of the eponymous heroine from her teens to old age is the product of long-term fascination. Hammond, who plays the title character, explains: ’I studied English literature at college, and while we were doing the 18th century I kept coming across references to this book. It wasn't until I'd read it that I understood why it wasn't on the course.’
Anticipating any controversy which might beset the production, Hammond assures us of its Quality: 'It’s about a woman learning to take control of her life - she’s exploited, and is a virgin, a kept woman, and a prostitute at different times, but at the end of her life she can look back from a position of power.’ Bone up on the book before you do the same at the play. (Steve Cramer)
ll! Fanny Hill (Fringe) Afterthought Productions, Hill Street Theatre (Venue 47) 226 5522. 8-30 Aug (not 79) 77.45pm, £7 (£5). Preview 7 Aug. £4.