3—6pm
FESTIVAL 3-6pm continued
COMEDY REVIEW
Men
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Men, dontcha just love 'em. Meet some of them with comedy duo Dyball and Kerr. Men who love rugby and golf, fax machines and entertaining dirty thoughts about the girl from marketing. Men called Mark who are obsessed with the films of Martin Scorsese. Men who treat dating like a military operation.
This pair are somehow most accurate when their observational sketches are less funny: exposing the repression and bad feeling beneath clubhouse camaraderie. But they are funnier when they are being plain silly: particularly in a wonderful scene on the liberating power of Riverdance. (Moira Jeffrey)
. Men (Fringe) Dyball and Kerr, Komedia @ Southside (Venue 82) 667 2212, until 29 Aug, 5.25pm, £7 (£5).
COMEDY REVIEW
Ubersausage
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The title Ubersausage presumably refers to the dodgy German rock band who occasionally appear with lots of air punching — there seems to be no other connection between Germany
By Paul Whitfield
touching, human and funny' Performed by Lost Cause . . ?
9%
Venue 40 Quaker Meeting House (Just below Edinburgh Castle) Monday 16th August to Satuday 21stAugust 4.30pm - 5.30pm
BOX OFFICE Tel: 0131 220 6109
Tickets £4 (£2 Concession) FRINGE BOX OFFICE Tel: 0131 226 8138
Supponed by North Derbyshire Health Promotion Service. Endorsed by National Schizophrenia Fellowship.
44 THE usr 12—19Aug 1999
theatre - dance 0 comedy
festival
and the series of sketches that makes up this show.
The actors thunder on and off the stage as they perform routines about racism, auditions, Jill Dando and door- to-door salesmen. There are some funny moments, like Jesus H. Christ (complete with crucifix) trying to join a boy band because he wants to be famous again, but generally it’s a bit unprofessional and you get the feeling that the actors are having more fun than you are. (Victoria Nutting)
- Ubersausage (Fringe) Fresh Blood Theatre, C Over: 3as House (Venue 79) 225 5 705, 4-30 Aug (even days only) 5.75pm, £5 (£4).
DANCE REVIEW Egiku Hanayagi 1k 9:
'Spring Has Gone' and ’The Crow' are the two pieces this diminutive Japanese performer brings to Edinburgh this year.
Clad in a pastel coloured kimono and accompanied by the brittle sounds of a koto and a shamisen, traditional Japanese instruments, she flits across the stage taking tiny, dainty steps and executing sharp, yet graceful movements.
However, as elegant as she may be, Hanayagi is not particularly compelling to watch. I felt myself willing someone else to join her on-stage to add a little dynamism to the proceedings, and despite purporting to give an insight into Japanese culture, very little about the ways of the country could be gleaned simply from this performance. (Dawn Kofie)
u Egiku Hanayagi (Fringe) Garage Theatre (Venue 87) 227 9009, until 30 Aug, 3pm, £6 (£5).
THEATRE REVIEW Lovepuke 9* A it
Love - doesn't it make you want to puke? It goes something like this: sex, argument, make up, sex, with room for a few variations involving lying and playing games. This theory forms the basis for a comic look at relationships when three couples meet, cop off and try to cope.
DANCE REVIEW The Water Carriers ****
. \ '5'
Waiting for water: The Water Carriers
From a small island in the Indian Ocean comes a magical saga about the quest for water. Part folktale, part musical, this is the stuff from which
dreams are made of.
The audience immediately suspends all disbelief and gives itself up to the enchantment as four monkey-men preening each other take to the stage. Close-knit in their body language and soaring harmonies, they enact ritual dance and song to bring forth water. Using bamboo poles as divining rods, they rhythmically beat the ground, their passion rising when the water fails to. Their bodies naked but for loincloths and lit by burning orange light. the dances become more frantic, their cries more desperate. Barely able to talk for thirst, but uncannin enough in great voice for song, they create a mood of primal innocence. The physical and mental dementia brought on by acute thirst is heightened by frenetic bongo-beating madness and the crash of thunderous cymbals. When exhausted from the search, they and the
audience are soothed by gentle lullaby.
At last it rains and while they sing hallelujah, it is testament to the power of this performance that after filing out of the theatre almost everyone heads straight for the bar. (Catherine Bromley)
. The Water Carriers (Fringe) Theatre Talipot, Continental Shifts at St Bride's (Venue 62) 346 7405, until 28 Aug (not 75, 22) 4pm, £8.50 (£ 7).
Duncan Sarkies’ script is neatly structured and affectionately acted by a young cast with a smattering of Antipodean TV credentials. There are some nice moments of physical humour, a touch of depression and a lot of swearing. Oh and quite a lot of meaningless sex. Just like life, then. (Moira Jeffrey)
ll Lovepuke (Fringe) Gilded Balloon (Venue 38) 226 275 7, until 29 Aug (not 76) 3.30pm, £6.50 (£5.50).
Kneejcrk Theatre
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Holyrood Tavern (venue 84) 7-22 August at 4.40pm Venue Bax Ollicc - 0737 557 4972 Tickets [5 00/154 00
THEATRE REVIEW Last Train To Nibroc a: A A
This sparsely set production traces the relationship between a young American couple who meet on a train. Landlord's daughter May (Alexandra Geis) is a snotty-nosed, moralising wannabe missionary, Raleigh (Benim Foster) a poor ex-soldier discharged for his epilepsy. Concentrating more on character development than plot, the strength of the production flows from the acting, bringing out a sparky sexual chemistry between the two. While initially feeling little sympathy for May, after an act of misguided benevolence, the audience warms to both characters. A smulchy love story, it’s all a bit twee. But if that's your thing, go see it. (Davie Archibald)
I Last Train To Nibroc (Fringe) The Journey Company, Observer Assembly (Venue 3) 226 2428, until 30 Aug,
4. 75pm, £9/£8 (£8/£ 7).
STAR RATINGS
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