10pm-Late

FESTIVAL 10pm—LATE continued COMEDY REVIEW

Terry Alderton ****

Action man: Terry Alderton

Straight out of Essex, and no mistake, our man Tel is a chap of many faces and actions, not afraid to sweat a bucket or two for the assembled throng.

Coming on stage to the theme from Minder has got to be a good start. It

59. THFHST la 26 Aug 1999

theatre - dance - comedy

festival

goes from strange to stranger with Monarch Airlines, DJs in Ibiza and Southend F.C. all getting thrown into the melee, on top of comic impersonations. While they may not be the most original take-offs you’ll have ever seen, his Prince Naseem and Lee Evans are more accurate than most.

As Arfur Daley would say: 'take 'er indoors.’ (Mark Robertson) I Terry Alderton (Fringe) Observer Assembly (Venue 3) 226 2428, until 29 Aug, 70pm, £ 70/£9 (£9/E8).

THEATRE REVIEW The Dark

*‘k‘k'k

By this time of night the senses are more than adept at soaking up experiences, unhindered by any unwarranted brain activity. A good time of night for ghoulish, ghostly tales in fact.

The classic elements of modern teen horror are here five youths in a haunted house with a ouija board but the tone is more classic than schlock. Without giving too much away, The Dark is both comic and macabre. It possesses a nicely paced script and the settings and effects are a lesson in economy. The acting is particularly fine. The characterisation and the story are played out with real conviction. A most effective chilling drama. (Ross Holloway)

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I The Dark (Fringe) Enematic, Roman Eagle Lodge (Venue 27) 226 7207, until 22 Aug, 7 7.20pm; 23—29 Aug, 71.50pm, £5 (£4).

DANCE REVIEW

Boris Charmatz ****

Scale work: Boris Charmatz

French choreographer Boris Charmatz began his International mini-season of four works in one of the less familiar venues - behind the scenes at the Festival Theatre. Each piece promises to take its audience to a different location in the building and to respond to the architecture of its setting.

A bras Ie corps, written by Charmatz

when he was just seventeen, was an excellent starting point. Intimate without being pushy, the scale allowed the audience to get within a hair's breadth of the two dancers.

By turns obsessive, ecstatic and highly irreverent, this was an auspicious beginning. (Moira Jeffrey)

I Boris Charmatz (International) Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 473 2000, until 25 Aug (not 22-23) 70.30pm, £72.

COMEDY REVIEW

Three Weird Beards

***

Randomly throw three Scottish comedians together and see what happens. And it’s this" Gordon Brunton kicks off the show with astute observational humour. The embodiment of proud fatherhood, he goes into excruciating detail about his son's bowel movements. James Donlan offers old-fashioned gags which may insult some. Alternatively, if you like ‘wee wifie’ jokes, he is for you. Finally, Craig Hill is the oddity of this line-up. Admittedly camp, his Shirley Bassey and Julie Andrews impersonations steal the show. Julie Andrews singing ’Gangsta’s Paradise’ needs to be seen to be believed. A veritable buffet of Scottish humour. (Tracy Griffen)

I Three Weird Beards (Fringe) Gilded Balloon ll (Venue 36) 226 275 7 , until 30 Aug, 70.45pm, £7.50 (£6.50).

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