list.co.uk/comedy
Edinburgh ✽✽ Card Ninja The Stand, 5 York Place, 473 2000. 5pm. £10 (£8).
Quick-fingered and swift-witted, Javier Jarquin shows off his card-throwing skills, with a healthy dose of self-deprecating humour. Part of Edinburgh International Magic Festival. The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £4–£7. See Fri 24. Foster’s Comedy Live @ highlight Highlight, Omni Centre, Greenside Place, 0844 844 0044. 9pm. £10–£13. See Fri 1. The Saturday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £15. See Thu 30 for line-up. Jekyll & Hyde Comedy Club The Jekyll & Hyde, 112 Hanover Street, 225 2022. 9.30pm. £8 (£6). See Sat 25.
Sunday 3 Glasgow Glasgow Kids Comedy Club The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 3pm. £4. A selection of comedians tweak their material for the toughest audience on the planet. No under 5s; all kids must be accompanied by an adult. With Bruce Devlin. Michael Redmond’s Sunday Service The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). Tonight Michael shows off former Scottish Comedian of the Year Sean Grant, with Sandy Nelson, Pauline Goldsmith, Stephen Halkett and Jason Arnstein.
Edinburgh FREE Whose Lunch Is It Anyway? The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 1.30pm. See Sun 26.
✽✽ Card Ninja The Stand, 5 York Place, 473 2000. 5pm. £10 (£8). See
Sat 2. The Sunday Night Laugh-In The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £1). End the weekend with comedy from Kevin Hayes, Jeff Kreisler, Gordon Alexander, Kim MacAskill and host Stu Murphy. Monday 4
Glasgow Improv Wars The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £4 (£2). Another battle commences between improv experts Garry Dobson, Stu Murphy and ‘Improv Warlord’ Billy Kirkwood. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Newbees Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8pm. £2 (£1). See Mon 27. Fit O’ The Giggles Out With the Old City Café, 19 Blair Street, 220 0125. 8.30–10.30pm. £3 (£2). See Mon 27. Red Raw The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £2. Sandy Nelson mixes mirth and melodies while Andy Sir shows off his laid-back stylings as they introduce the latest batch of stand-up newbies.
Tuesday 5
Glasgow Red Raw The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £2. Musical laughs with Sandy Nelson and tales of the quotidian from John Gavin alongside heaps of new comedy talent.
Edinburgh ✽✽ Wicked Wenches The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £6
(£5; members £3). It’s ladies night at the Stand with Hannah Gadsby, Isma Almas, Jill Peacock and MC Susan Calman. See preview for Gadsby.
Wednesday 6
Glasgow ✽✽ Wicked Wenches The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879.
8.30pm. £6 (£5; members £3). Featuring
Comedy
laughs from down under with Hannah Gadsby (see preview) and mischievous tales of being a Pakistani Muslim in Britain from Isma Almas. Edinburgh The Broken Windows Policy The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 8.30pm. £4 (£2). Skits and character treats with storyteller extraordinaire Sian Bevan, Larah Bross, Dave MacGregor, Graeme Thomas and Ben Verth.
Thursday 7
Glasgow FREE Bratchy and The Wee Man’s Comedy Pub Quiz The Arches, 253 Argyle Street, 565 1000. 8pm. Comedy, questions and prizes from the funny duo. Fit O’ The Giggles @ The Inn The Inn, 2 Station Road, Bearsden, 942 6752. 8.30–10.30pm. £5 (£3). A new monthly gig headed up by regular compère Keara Murphy.
✽✽ The Thursday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. 8.30pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Raymond Mearns hosts a night with political leanings from Paul Sinha (see My Comedy Hero), sharp wordplay from Hannah Gadsby (see preview), alongside Chris Forbes and Ray Bradshaw.
Edinburgh The Thursday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £8 (£7; members £4). Honest observations from Sean Percival, with Sandy Nelson, Isma Almas and Richard Melvin. Hosted by Billy Kirkwood. Friday 8
Glasgow Foster’s Comedy Live @ highlight Highlight, UGC Building, 11 Renfrew Street, 0844 844 0044. 8.30pm. £12–£15. Dark humour from Liverpool’s Anvil Springstien, alongside Matthew Osborn, Brian Higgins and Phil Differ.
✽✽ The Friday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879.
8.30pm. £10 (£9; members £5). See Thu 7 for line-up. Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £15. Cheeky humour from Joe Heenan with the ever- charming John Scott and Alex Boardman. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £4–£7. See Fri 24. Foster’s Comedy Live @ highlight Highlight, Omni Centre, Greenside Place, 0844 844 0044. 9pm. £10–£13. Genial stories from veteran Tim Clark, tales from Michael Fabbri and fast- paced gags and impressions from Geoff Boyz. The Friday Show The Stand, 5 York Place, 558 7272. 9pm. £10 (£9; members £5). See Thu 7 for line-up.
Saturday 9
Glasgow Foster’s Comedy Live @ highlight Highlight, UGC Building, 11 Renfrew Street, 0844 844 0044. 8.30pm. £12–£15. Line-up as Fri 8 except Phil Differ replaced by Rob Kane. Jongleurs Comedy Show Jongleurs, The Glasshouse, 20 Glassford Street, 0870 011 1960. 8.30pm. £15. See Fri 8.
✽✽ The Saturday Show The Stand, 333 Woodlands Road, 0844 335
8879. 9pm. £15. See Thu 7 for line-up. Edinburgh The Beehive Comedy Club Beehive Inn, 18 Grassmarket, 225 7171. 8.30pm. £4–£7. See Fri 24. Foster’s Comedy Live @ highlight Highlight, Omni Centre, Greenside Place, 0844 844 0044. 9pm. £10–£13. See Fri 8.
MY COMEDY HERO PAUL SINHA The Stand, Edinburgh, Thu 23–Sat 25 Jun; The Stand, Glasgow, Thu 7–Sat 9 Jul
My comedy hero is Daniel Kitson. I am certainly not breaking new ground with this choice. There is a breed of comedy fan who speaks of Daniel Kitson’s body of work with hushed reverence, and for many years bootleg tapes of his best work have been passed around in a manner reminiscent of samizdat publications in communist Russia. I am ashamed to say that despite Daniel being a friend, I have not come anywhere close to having seen his complete body of work. I do remember the gladiatorial yet playful work of his club comedy years but none of this prepared me for my comedy epiphany in 2005, watching his late-night solo show at The Stand in Edinburgh. I had simply never seen such a happy marriage of rich lyricism and comedy that was downright viscerally funny. Yes, his persona was undoubtedly pleased with himself, but who wouldn’t be? It opened my eyes to just what could be achieved with a bit of effort.
Then, last year at Edinburgh, I stumbled into his early morning one-
man play at the Traverse Theatre, It’s Always Right Now Until It’s Later. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this deeply moving, exquisitely written and utterly hilarious show was the single best thing I have ever seen at Edinburgh. I’m not sure how he keeps reinventing himself so successfully other than to say that Daniel Kitson’s unique blend of talent and supreme ambition makes him my comedy hero. (Interview by Brian Donaldson) ■ Paul Sinha’s Fringe show Looking at the Stars is at The Stand, 3–28 Aug.
23 Jun–21 Jul 2011 THE LIST 57