Theatre listings

Central Drama and Dance cont.

STAND-UP

DAVE SPIKEY

The Stand, Glasgow, Fri 26 & Sat 27 Apr

Kilmarnock

PALACE THEATRE

9 Green Street. 01563 523590. Lachlan’s Choice Hotel Thu 25 Apr. 7.30pm. £7.50 (£5). See Cumbernauld. The Phantom a. The Opera Fri 3 May. 7.30pm. £7.50—£5. Stars from the West End perform hits from popular musicals and opera. including Chicago. West Side Story and C urmen.

Singles Night Tue 7 May. 7.20pm. £7.50 (£5). See Glasgow. Citizens‘ Theatre.

Kirkcaldy

ADAM SMITH THEATRE Bennochy Road. ()1592 412929. IP. H. WC. WA]

Private Angelo Wed 1 May. 7.30pm. £8.50 (£4.25—£5.50). Stage adaptation of Eric Linklater‘s novel set in 1940s Italy. infused with storytelling and music by Mike Maran and company.

Wee Witches Sat 4 May. See Kids listings.

LiVingston

HOWDEN PARK CENTRE Howden. 01506 433634. [R WC. WA] 0 Perfect Days Fri 3 & Sat 4 May. 7.30pm. £8 (£5). See Ayr.

Motherwell

MOTHERWELL THEATRE

Civic Centre. Windmillhill Street. (11698 302999. [R WC. WA]

0 Perfect Days Mon 6 May. 7.30pm. £9 (£7). See Ayr.

It was only recently that Dave Spikey gave up his day job. Commitments to Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights, the docu-soap parody set in a working men’s club, which he co-writes and stars in, has meant that his career as a haematologist has had to be put on hold. But for many years, Spikey stayed out of the comedy limelight, writing routines and sketches for other comedians and TV, before having a go himself ten years ago.

‘Writing was just a hobby really and i never ever considered

comedy@list.co.uk

Peter Kay’s blood brother

performing,’ says the Bolton-born comic, ‘but when you’re writing comedy for somebody else, they never do it quite how you imagined, so you end up saying: “no, it’s like this.” Eventually someone said to me, “1 tell you what, do it your fucking self”, and that’s what I did.’

Starting off as a double-act ‘Spikey and Sykey’, which Spikey describes as ‘very Hale and Pacey’ (but we won’t hold that against him), they entered 703 TV talent show New Faces but lost out to a pianist from Scotland. After the duo split up, he began stand-up, doing gigs in the local working men’s clubs in Lancashire. His hilarious creation of club compere Jerry St Clair in Phoenix Nights is based on the local acts he came across.

‘All the comperes are frustrated Las Vegas lounge singers. They all think they’re brilliant but I think Jerry is quite nice,’ he says. ‘All his jokes are a

bit tired, all his songs are a bit predictable but the locals accept him. Like

Penh

PERTH THEATRE

185 High Street. ()1738 621031. [H. Ti. wC. WA]

Uncle Vanya L'ntil Sat 27 Apr. 7.30pm. £12 (£8). theatre babel‘s new production of one of Chekhov‘s best known plays. adapted by Tom Leonard.

Jessie Kesson - A Good Crack At Life Tue 30 Apr. 7.30pm. £8 (£6). See Edinbttrgh. Netherbow Arts Centre.

Dr Evadne Hinge & Dame Hilda Bracket Fri 3 May. 7.30pm. £12.50 (£10.50). An evening of variety from the ladies. created by Patrick Fyffe and George Logan.

GPerfect Days Wed 8—Sat ii May. 7.30pm (Sat mat 2.30pm). £12 (£8). See Ayr.

St Andrews

BYRE THEATRE

Abbey Street. 01334 475000. [R WC. WA] Lysistrata L'ntil Sat 27 Apr. 8.15pm. £6 (£4.50). Aristophanes‘ Greek drama about a group of women who go on a sex strike in an attempt to restore peace.

Jive! Jive! Jive! L'ntil Sat 27 Apr. 8pm (Sat mat 2.30pm). £8—£14(£6.50—£7.50). See Glasgow. Citizens‘ Theatre.

Fit Like Wed l—Sat 1 1 May (not Sun). 8pm. £7 (£5). David Joy‘s Scots comedy. Singles Night Thu 9 & Fri 10 May. 8.15pm. £8 (£6). See Glasgow. Citizens‘

'1 heatre.

Palace.”’

Glasgow

Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. L'GC Building. Reni‘rew Street. 0870 787 0707. 7.30pm. £6. Enigmatic performer Phil Butler introduces Glasgow hard man Raymond Mearns. former teacher turned stand-up stalwart John Moloney and tough- talking lady Gina Yashere.

The Stand The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. ()870 600 6055. 8.30pm. £5 (£3). Afl'able Joe Heenan tops a bill that includes celebrity mimic Keara Murphy. Jamie McKenzie and comedy ringleader Frankie

Stirliflg Bovle.

SMITH ART GALLERY AND independent Comedy @ Bourbon MUSEUM Street Bourbon Street. 108 George Dumbarton Road. 01786 467155. [R H. Street. 556 5626. 9pm. £5 (£4). Edinburgh WC. WA] gag maestro Gordon Brunton headlines.

Stick Granny On The Roof-rack

aided and abetted by Neil McFarlanc. Thu 9 May. 7.45pm. £6. See Cu

Marvin McShane and compere Des McLean.

Edinburgh

Reg Anderson’s Comedy Cellar Fin MacCool‘s. 161 Lothian Road. 622 7109. 9pm. £3. BBC New Comedy Award finalist Des McLean. patter merchant John McBride and L'krainian madman Bene Linchesticov lead the comedy charge. The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £5 (£3). Crazed babbling comic Natalie Haynes stands up alongside voice-over specialist Ricky Callan. viciotis Bruce Devlin and slow burning compere David Kay.

Snatch Club The Liquid Room. 9c Victoria Street. 225 2564. 10pm—3am.

mbernauld. 3%,?!” .j

‘It requires a major wardrobe change, and makes even the lightest of Joggin difficult, doing yoga nex to impossmle and pulling blind drunk men even eaSIer than usuaL’

James Smart on Bigger Boobs, TV section, page 110.

68 THE LIST 25 Apr-9 May 2002

he says, “this is my Las Vegas, it may not be much, but it’s my Caesar’s

With two nights coming up at the Stand, Spikey’s routine, similar in style to fellow Boltonian comedian Peter Kay, is a mix of observational and old- style humour. Years of working in a hospital environment has provided much material, so too does the absurdity of language. Everyone’s mum must have said at one time, ‘don’t rub your dad up the wrong way.’

Preferring the smaller gig to the big comedy chains, Spikey’s is in the business to entertain. 'I love stand-up and it’s nice to play to people who just come for the comedy,’ he says. ‘You can relax on stage, improvise and have a laugh with them and you find that your act gets better.’

Associate producing for Granada’s new show Stand-Up Britain and with a second series of Phoenix Nights airing our screens in the new year (the first series will be re-run in September), it looks like Dave Spikey made the right choice in giving up the day job. (Helen Monaghan)

£3.50 (£2.50). Resident compere and DJ Harry Ainsworth hosts this weekly Curry ()ii-itieets-Hi-l)e-Hi debauched cabaret. Each week there will be a selection ol‘ guests. and competition host Dave Strong conducts the participatory fun and games.

Glasgow

Jongleurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. L'GC Building. Renl‘rew Street. ()870 787 0707. 7.30pm. £12. See Thu 25.

The Stand The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. 0870600 6055. 9pm. £6 (£5). Thu! Peter Kay Thing co-star and co-writer Dave Spikey. Natalie Haynes and ‘Tango man' Ricky Callan. Jane Mackay cracks the whip as compere. See preview for Dave Spikey.

Edinburgh

The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £6 (£5). From Press (iune's animatronic cat to 2002 ‘lime ()lll award winner. Andy Parsons and his inimitable voice are on the road to stardom. Live Hour Show favourite Frankie Boyle and piss-take artist Keara Murphy stand tip in support. Vladimir McTavisl) is the guest compere.

Dundee

Phil Kay Dundee Rep. Tay Square. 01382 223530. 10.45pm. £10»—£12 (£8—£10). Scotland‘s tree-form comedy maestro and List columnist takes you on a surreal journey into his unpredictable imagination.

Glasgow

Jongieurs Comedy Club Jongleurs. L'GC Building. Rent'rew Street. ()870 787 0707. 7.30pm. £12. See Thu 25. Independent Comedy @ The Brunswick The Brunswick Hotel. l06~8 Brunswick Street. 556 5626. 9pm. £5. James Campbell comperes another night of comedy mayhem.

The Stand The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. 08706006055. 9pm. £7 (£4). See Fri 26 only with compere Vladimir McTavish.

Madcap Comedy Club State Bar. 148 Holland Street. 883 2334. 9.30pm. £5 (£4). Glasgow gagmeister Des McLean headlines. with support from Chris Broomlield.

Edinburgh

The Stand The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 9pm. £7 (£4). See Fri 26 only with compere Jane Mackay.

Sunday 28 .

Glasgow

Craic @ The Sac Cul de Sac Southside/Attic. 1 179 Pollokshaws Road. 649 1819/649 4717. 8pm. £4. Magic Utillit‘rlliilnc lad Steven Dick. Kirsty Moss and Trinity ol‘ Mirth‘s Darren Henwood join compere Alan Anderson. Southside Sotil Assassins play the tunes. Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand. 333 Woodlands Road. 08706006055. 8.30pm. £4 (£2). Crowd-pleaser Colin Ramone. Chris Cooper and three Velvet Virginsjoin the one-time Father Ted star.

The Comic Club Blacklriai's. 36 Bell Street. 556 5626. CANCELLED.

Edinburgh

Whose Lunch is It Anyway? The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 1pm. Free. Freestyle iunnincss and hangover- banishing antics l‘rom resident duo Paul Graham and Stuart Murphy.

Six On Sunday The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £3 (£2). Attitttdinal babe Natalie Haynes strides ahead of ‘Wilkinson Sword Cutting Edge Comedy" heat winner Jamie McKenzie. three guests and compere John Gordon.

- Monday 29

Glasgow

The Comedy Module Solid Rock Cale West. Dumbarton Road. 9pm. £3. (‘ompering force the Trinity of Mirth introduce Nick Gray and guests.

Edinburgh

Red Raw The Stand. 5 York Place. 558 7272. 8.30pm. £1. Eight Velvet Virgins take their first steps on the road to comedy glory. shepherded by host John Gordon and headliner Saj.

Reg Anderson’s Big Fun Quiz Night Fin MacCool‘s. 161 Lothian Road. 622 71(19. 9pm. £1 to play. An olibcat comedy quiz with karaoke. interactive audience games and a spot of stand-up from the man himself.

Hang The V.J. The Three Sisters. 139 Cow-gate. 622 6800. 9pm-Iam. Free. Join Harry Ainswortl) and Dave Strong (aka 2001 Perrier Newcomer winners Garth Cruikshank and Eddie McCabe) as they trawl the murky depths of the pop abyss in their new weekly quiz show.

Tuesday 30

Glasgow

Caledonia McBrains BBC. Main Reception. Queen Margaret Drive. 305 6602. 7pm. Free. Rob McLean‘s done a runner and it's up to new host Dominik Diamond to take tip the reigns where the ginger one left off. As anyone who caught the last series will know. it's a reasonably l‘tinny panel gameshow with team captains Fred MacAulay and Karen Dunbar. and features guests from the