THE DINKS
It‘s comedy, but not as we know it 0000
Good comedians who return year after year to ply their trade on the stages of Edinburgh fall foul of some critics. It’s not enough that they’ve penned a brand new show, that they've improved as performers, that they still possess that unique quality which made them exciting in the first place. Familiarity breeds contempt, so it seems. Rant over, but because of those reasons, among many others, The Dinks is an exhilarating spectacle.
For starters you get three comedians riding high on their collective tomfoolery. Smart, sensible Dan Antopolski is a newcomer to the Canadian yard. He’s the Englishman who fell from the skies, landed in a snowdrift and decided to stay. Tony Law is the genial buffoon who wants his own yard, Craig Campbell a rabid bundle of destructive neuroses.
As the thinly-threaded story goes, aliens have landed somewhere near the yard. Tony is super-keen to take them some potato salad, Dan is sceptical, and Craig wants to saute their innards, probably. The story won‘t have Tolstoy quaking in his grave, but it lends itself to a series of wonderfully daft, yet dark, song and dance routines - one based on the ease of violence, another an ode to testicles.
The set-up allows each to take a turn in the spotlight - Dan extolling the virtues of his remarkable intellect, Tony appearing as an eight-foot, multi- tentacled alien with a northern brogue, and Craig as a hyper gimp in a thong. The jokes are alternately subtle and crummy, sometimes more miss than hit. Nonetheless the overall effect of the nonsense eclipses any lapses in exuberance.
But the real winning factor is the energy. Their conviviality is infectious. You know that the premise is silly, that soft rock pastiches and foot-long wooky pubes aren‘t clever, but it’s wholesome, feel-good fun created by three utterly captivating performers. And that's a very commendable, very beautiful thing. (Maureen Ellis)
I Pleasance Courtyard, {>336 (55:30, untr/I’fi Aug. S)..”()prrr, 5033!) 3‘ '04}? ,-"-~ ; ~i
PR'ORITE A l-rancors; and Drrlrer, apparently, l or the self lrgl‘.t:r:;rrt<; i'l‘.’ Staten tn r; yr .'.~": -r'. {h ‘ : I EAT PEOPLE GAUCHE return and rt only takes; proclarrnerl frneot ran <:<;n.r,-rt thrv 'Yun‘un; .mrr t, '7 14)., tr Iélliz‘EEAnggsFTon Fake FrenCh fops are thern one song to not) act rn all trance. usrnr; the t><>.'.r:r \t {rumi'z'} tut!
fun 00.. ‘ An unfocused
Illllf‘lr'ltO ut‘t how our adoration rs; ut;t 'lltl'll Hunt" Anew“? 14a" _ ’ ‘ J ’ ‘ J ‘ _, ' \ ' ‘ creature 0.
Edinburgh :; own much we love all things; not enough so they ‘. .’ltr|<: trwr; "tag at: f)r:"‘ Herzl.
arinually-Inlporterl French -— we (to -we embark on an ‘;(;-(:rn ir'm: t;'1ai|r I Perms" I}. -. Ft . . '- :
Gallic prllocks. .Jean- lust didn't know rt Arnerrcan adventure. amino anout. the in r 3; W»: rim" . . A y u.- ()ll()l’.l(?f;f; har‘tenng; Ar}. ’i A :" t ' :v : ertloysaconmstrrnt "W : "7 :9 .- r z ' z" "r : : laughter trar‘k. ' "' ~- -- 12'.
(:lléllilfittk' (T()lll(tfl‘. 'llil', .'." SOUTHERN . Could be a bona fide
he out of t;tf;ttr<;rt thré;
gearbut t’tceun t ntctt phenomenon ... ‘1' :'
thrt; hennr; great. r:: w: z : .- '::.- 'lVlarkHohri-rtsonr i...‘ 1' ' .' ' ;':~ .r”/(?;1:;r1r"r,‘r} ' 1’ " -- :. " ' " ° '
()(>rrr.".arrf. :'>3'>(i ti.":f)(t. " ': ' ' r ' : 2
untr/fi’fn‘rug. ~~ " " ' ' :' z: ' ; :' IT"-- 519.60 V7013.” :“(w‘ 51‘). '~ 1: w ' T'. :' : " ' " . ' f.
MIKE GUNN . Bleakcomedythat .. ,. , , , . , .,
pushes the envelope ,,,,, p ) _, ‘ .0. ‘ ' ‘ ' n ' ' InMrkeGann'matn " z" " ' ,;.- Show;trepla',e<tth<: :: "-: f3". : :;:' character of a tuneral v [2"7'9 :1'7'5'31. ' rlrrector'. In Illlf; one, 1' ' :' " l'n' ,: ., It :' presurnahl; pla‘nrx; ., z. u " f5“. z" .' K' '. " w himself. the r:o'nr;rl:ar‘ :' " =;' 8’ .'_' w " "r ‘l" haf;<:ho:;enmen " ' .': 1w." " ’I'wz" bleaker Silhjtn’lf matter: ""'-x--,- .-';": r: " '1‘. ; ll|1;(}‘.'.’lt nrne ,r;ar ~‘ -':' Pa «1’! :m-xr»: heroinart/trctrorx(3t.nr‘ .-’.-'. z 1:".2" ' hasarernar‘kahrt:ahrirtj. ' tostrartrtrethetrtnt ;':w '_' ' :,-,-' F” £1lt(llll(:(l£tlk.t(; " ' :,::»3-':r:", .' ’: (:ornhrne (treart anrr :::,~:r:'” .'."":" : ?' -’: :,'-’,-" .»,- ’ ,' hrlarrt‘, rn a Slitglf: ' :' V. 'z' : ‘3': .'r.-, " we" .z'r ()l)f;(}r“.£it1()rt, \.'.'r!'n hrs; ' ;:. 9w: "'1. 'c; a '; . w’,’ 26,-“, can sorrtrrl past ll‘. nit; '."I:' " :z't':-’:"' ;" f-y- .' '1 " r: ' r;;:' e" L - _. 3 fi _. \ .3 cr( ssharrs. tillf; .rm-x; 'r " ' E-J ,' f. a' Grew" . .3 K euurzocac, ne'rxrtew l’ " Lv —\- exenrrrore ."_:r:'3:~’:'.' 1":: "fr/:2" r. ,' ' ' l)l()lif.\tl‘.’i€:fl (1" ' :-',- : " u- r:' "' '1’} ‘r‘i'i' "' W * laughs; fr‘ert_.<:nti_. ‘3 .'.::'_'.".2 .' :34: firm {’2’} tfla‘xacw-e' om, exapcrate ;r‘.tc 5; 2" "'15:. I r”: honder‘ous t3I.-:;rt':<;:;. I " :7! ' -' . " A some a lrt te tor; .onrt .4- ', _» ' L: : ’--, 5’; for comfort But taken '3 4'7: : -- .- : '
52 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 21 Aug—3o Set.- 2033