Festival Comedy list.co.uk/festival
PAJAMA MEN Given such a late start, it might not be just Mark Chavez and Shenoah Allen who turn up in their jimmy-jams. The Last Stand to Reason is a reprise of their full-run hit of 2009, and is a must-see for those not acquainted with the New Mexico duo’s hilarious brand of physical character comedy. Expect a treat of human sound effects and weird voices, eschewed faces and bits of speeded-up speech and majestic slo-mo as you are taken on a train ride to nowhere with lecherous old men, fast-talking spinsters, a mad magician and a growling gangster. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Assembly Hall, 623 3030, 27 & 28 Aug, midnight, £17 (£15).
5QUESTIONS 18 THE LIST 26 Aug–9 Sep 2010
With Lockipedia, the wordy Sean Lock taps into his own archive of knowledge, Here, he sources the encyclopaedia of his mind to answer our Q&A What five words best describe your show this year? Refreshing, vital, challenging, vertical, windy. Which comic should be more famous by the end of August? I’m always surprised that no comics have gone postal. Can’t hack the bad reviews, the empty houses, watching younger comics barge past him like sperm in a lady’s canal. And as a trend has been set in Cumbria and Northumberland, this could be the year. Kevin Eldon is doing a show: that’ll be funny. What bugs you most about Edinburgh in August? Nothing. I love it. Wherever you go there’s always someone to have a drink with. I call it the comedian’s Christmas. Which dead comic do you wish was still alive and working today? Malcolm Hardee because he was a funny, foolish, carefree lunatic but he was unable to resist the claws of cocaine. I knew every joke in his act but it always made me laugh. Is there a rumour you’d like to start about yourself? This is actually true. I have built a remote-control fox and I’ve been using it to discredit foxes everywhere. (Interview by Brian Donaldson) ■ Assembly Rooms, 623 3030, until 30 Aug, 7.25pm, £18 (£17).
Hitlist FESTIVAL COMEDY *
✽✽ Strassman Putting the ‘vent’ into reinvention, Duality has the scary puppet-master bringing us something totally fresh. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 30 Aug, 7pm, £13–£15 (£12–£14). ✽✽ Tommy Tiernan The Irish icon returns to the Fringe with stories that will make you laugh and think. See page 22. Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 30 Aug (not 26), 8pm, £14–£15 (£12–£13). ✽✽ Bo Burnham A pitch- perfect slice of music and comedy that will be recalled for years. Pleasance Dome, 556 6550, 26–28 Aug, 5.30pm; until 29 Aug, 9.35pm, £9.50–£10.50 (£8–£9). ✽✽ The Ballad of Backbone Joe This noirish tale is a triumph of physical comedy/ theatre. See page 20. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 29 Aug, 2.35pm, £10–£11 (£8.50–£10). ✽✽ The Boy With Tape On His Face Be left speechless, just like the performer himself. Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 29 Aug, 10.30pm, £9–£10 (£8–£9). ✽✽ Dr Brown A bearded guy whose surreal and absurdist doings are creating some disconcerting waves. The Caves, 556 5375, until 29 Aug, 11.10pm, £7–£8 (£6–£7). ✽✽ Kevin Eldon Titting About has never been such raucous and rich fun. See page 26. David Shrigley’s suggestion. For more, see Shrigley’s Top 10, page 60. The Stand, 558 7272, until 30 Aug, 2.30pm, £8 (£7). ✽✽ Tim Clare’s Death Drive A funny and moving ‘live literature’ event. See page 24. Zoo Roxy, 662 6892, until 29 Aug, 7pm, £6.50–£7.50 (£6–£7). ✽✽ Jonny Sweet An innovative multi-media extravaganza about, obviously, the HMS Nottingham. Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 30 Aug, 7.30pm, £10.50–£12 (£9–£10.50). For Festival Index see page 112.