Issue 610

Des Bishop

14 Aug 2008

An early move to Ireland from New York was probably the best thing to happen to Bishop's career as his routine is full of fond pokes and jibes at the people of the Emerald Isle. Less well done are his recoveries from unexpected audience banter and the…

Gavin & Gavin

14 Aug 2008

The two bickering Gavin sisters pillage their Irish heritage to offer up domestic skits and 'aren't the Oirish funny' jokes while lamely trying to undercut their nice-girl personas with misjudged vulgarity bombs. When they reach an anecdote about…

Mark Olver

14 Aug 2008

In order to avert a mid-life crisis at 33, Olver decided to walk from Bristol to Edinburgh, a feat he thought would also create some comedy gold. Unfortunately, as he freely admits, that didn't happen. And so we have a very genial, crowd-friendly…

Stuart Black

14 Aug 2008

Based on the negativity of the nightly news, Black's show gives thanks for the pallor of British holidaymakers and offers advice on how to seduce a girl from Somerset. His delivery is embittered but askance and his punchlines are as world-weary as you'd…

5 Questions - Grzegorz Jarzyna

14 Aug 2008

5 words to describe your production of 4.48 Psychosis Genuine, sad, dark, without applause. 4 words to describe the work of playwright Sarah Kane Honesty, pain, black snow. 3 shows you’re looking forward to seeing in Edinburgh this August…

Amsterdam Underground Comedy Collective

14 Aug 2008

If you were to ask the audience why they were laughing hysterically at Hans Teeuwen, they probably couldn't tell you. This is because Teeuwen's humour is so stupidly bizarre, so darkly deadpan, so poetically distasteful, with a Kaufmanesque quality, a…

Dermot McMorrow

14 Aug 2008

It's hard to decide whether Sligo-born comedian McMorrow should be hailed as a cult hero or stretchered off to the loony bin. Wavering between wide-eyed nutter and intelligent, left-field observer, he reflects on fractal maths, reads animal suicide…

The Greatest Bubble Show on Earth

14 Aug 2008

As this young man will no doubt testify, there's nothing quite like standing inside a giant bubble. Experience this, and many other eye-popping shenanigans, when the Amazing Bubble Man dips his assortment of objects into washing up liquid and starts…

Jody Kamali

14 Aug 2008

Engaging in concept, Kamali's show is narrated by his key character, Terry the Bristolian handyman. On a backpacking holiday around India, Terry meets an international gallery of fellow travellers, all played (with varying plausibility) by the…

Lynn Ferguson – Heart and Sole

14 Aug 2008

Lynn Ferguson’s witty play deals with loneliness, relationships and one woman’s love for a fish named Dave. The star’s effortless talent for characterisation allows her to switch between fish fanatic, brash west coast wifey and timid teacher, mixing wit…

Maeve Higgins

14 Aug 2008

Irish cake-baking, tea-cosy loving chatterbox Higgins is a sweet treat. Entering her weird world, where a warm, stream of consciousness makes her irresistible, she creates a memorable atmosphere with understated stories about her other dream job (museum…

1913 or Nude Descending Staircase

14 Aug 2008

Through the true story of Maria Tarnowska, Russian countess and convicted criminal, this play explores the status and position of women in society, politics and art, in and around the year 1913. Though well researched, the piece struggles to live up to…

Lady Garden

14 Aug 2008

With Adrian Edmondson and Jennifer Saunders in the crowd, it's no surprise to learn that the cast list revealed that one of the young comic actresses has the surname 'Edmondson'. But the talent on stage was spread widely throughout some spot-on sketches…

Bunny Galore

14 Aug 2008

No-one knows how old aging actress Bunny Galore is, but rumours abound that she was the first Neolithic pin-up. Assisted by her middle European nurse Olga, Galore belts out songs ranging from Patsy Cline to the Divine Comedy, shows us clips of her Acorn…

Craig Hill

14 Aug 2008

Time shimmies in the company of all-singing, all-bitching comedian Hill. The East Kilbride leather-kilted diva draws a huge crowd due to his magnetic, conspiratorial presence, and is never lost for words, his whip-cracking wit so sharp it whistles…

Kiddy-Fiddler on the Roof

14 Aug 2008

At Townsville Comprehensive, teacher Arnold Finkler is falsely accused of molestation and chased by an enraged mob of parents. Included in this pot of madness is a headmaster running away to Thailand, as well as a troupe of Vicky Pollard-ish girls and…

A Guide To Sexual Misery

14 Aug 2008

More chatty lecture than stand-up set, friendly Viennese therapist-comedian Wolfgang Weinberger gives relationship advice, like why and when things go wrong in the bedroom. And what women really want. Using an audience Q&A, some gender clichés…

The Improphecy Chronicles

14 Aug 2008

Despite a denture-mangling title, this crew of young lads delivers a straightforward improv show, taking turns to act out skits based on audience suggestion. What sets them apart is their great chemistry and the genuine sense of joy they bring to the…

Isabel Fay

14 Aug 2008

There's an energetic and quirky charm about Fay's set of oddball characters that makes it hard to hate them, but with a little extra work on the script, we could have loved these failures a bit more. The arachnophobe drafted in for a spider exhibition…

Roby Lakatos

14 Aug 2008

Labelled ‘the devil’s fiddler’, Hungarian gypsy violinist Roby Lakatos has to be heard to be believed. With an illustrious musical ancestry descending from the king of gypsy violinists, Lakatos is a classically trained virtuoso, but is famed for the way…

Transient

14 Aug 2008

Theatre group Goose, Goose, Gander brings a claustrophobic exploration of the fractured geography of postwar Germany to this cramped cellar venue. But, once the novelty of the setting wears off, the narrative overstays its welcome. Despite this, a…

Aliens Ate My Schnitzel!

14 Aug 2008

Generally speaking, Fringe sketch shows with deliberately wacky titles are about as entertaining as the Star Wars prequels. This is no exception. This duo barely have enough half-decent material to fill five minutes, let alone an hour. The pop music…

John Gordillo

14 Aug 2008

There are some gems in Gordillo's routine, which showcases him as a quick-witted and eloquent performer with a few killer lines up his sleeve. Universal matters like free-range chickens and the lunacy of circuses ring true for everyone; his father's…

Nick Revell

14 Aug 2008

A simple premise of topical worries fill out a set that feels more like a catch-up with a funny pal than an hour of stand-up with a complete stranger. Revell's easy, conversational opening belies the raging tirades that make up the latter half, and for…

The Axis of Awesome

In a word: awesome

14 Aug 2008

Catchy tunes, brilliant lyrics and hilarious banter make this one of the most feelgood shows around. Australia's answer to Spinal Tap start with a spot-on parody of Europop before singing about adult mutant ninja turtles and a Bond villain with a lazy…