It definitely is the lovely Lady Carol's turn this year, see my review.
Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reviews. Show all posts
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Review: Lady Carol: Tomorrow is My Turn
It definitely is the lovely Lady Carol's turn this year, see my review.
Sunday, 23 August 2009
Review: Doctor Faustus x 4
Yours truely watched four productions of Doctor Faustus at the fringe (well, one was Faust), sorting the wheat from the chaff so you didn't have to. The result is in The Scotsman.
Review: Greg Behrendt
The guy who wrote He's Just Not That Into You is a stand-up comic? 'No!' I hear you cry, but yes, so it is. And I saw him in the flesh. Check out my Time Out review to see if he's any good.
Review: Andrew Maxwell - The Lamp
Andrew Maxwell has been known to divide opinion - in my Time Out review I thought he knew exactly what he was doing, and did it brilliantly.
Review: Comedy Bitch
Despite the gory poster, Comedy Bitch bring quality, polished new sketch comedy at the fringe. Here's my Time Out review.
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Monday, 10 August 2009
Richard Herring: Hitler Moustache
Hold onto your moustaches, here's my Time Out review of Richard Herring's brand new Edinburgh show (yes, that one with all the Guardian controversy)
Herring's show is brilliant, though perhaps less inventive than I thought, having discovered this Vanity Fair article from 2007. Uncanny similarities, great idea though!
Herring's show is brilliant, though perhaps less inventive than I thought, having discovered this Vanity Fair article from 2007. Uncanny similarities, great idea though!
Saturday, 8 August 2009
Rob Rouse: My Family...and the Dog that Scared Jesus
Read my Time Out review #2, of Rob Rouse: My family... and the Dog that Scared Jesus.
Friday, 7 August 2009
Paul Zerdin: Spongefest
My first Time Out review, of the multitalented Mr Zerdin and his assorted sponges, is online for your delectation.
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
Get that in your belly
Tonight's Underbelly press launch took over the Udderbelly (or for the more literally-minded, the big purple cow).
Do we ever consider her, this purple beast who sleeps upside-down among us? She has needs, and wants; her belly too must be filled.
Perhaps we can imagine tonight’s acts as food inside her majestic stomachs... what would be her dish of choice?
Denise van Outen - A carrot cake with lashings of icing and tiny marzipan carrots; surprisingly tasty but a little over the top.
Pythonesque - An English muffin that might be going a tad stale. Though they state a desire to to avoid purely imitating Cleese's cult sketch troop, it's unclear how they'll manage to break away from the inevitable comparisons. Reworking rather than repeating Python may be a challenge to maintain for a full length show, even with the readymade following.
Tom Tom Crew - A huge juicy steak (and chips); a meaty treat to be savoured. The chips are the impressive acrobatics, but the main attraction (the steak - work with my food metaphors here) is Peeping Tom's astounding beat boxing.
Carl Donnelly - A chunky soup; you're uncertain at first if you should use a spoon or a fork. But it turns out to be pretty hearty (one of those Covent Garden fresh ones perhaps) with a satifying aftertaste - Donnelly apologised for ending on "talking" rather than a joke, thereby creating a joke to end on and... you get the picture.
Comedy Bitch - Avocado and fish fingers (I witnessed someone eat this curious combination yesterday.) Two pretty different sketches, the strongest being the 'Mime School.' Like the avo-fingers combo, with the addition of a few more things in their full length show they should serve up a quirky treat.
Pete Firman - A lovely cupcake that you reach for... but wait, it's gone! Oh no, there it is, inexplicably balancing on the tip of someone's nose as part of one of Firman's seriously palatable magic tricks. The cherry on top is that he's funny, too.
Frisky and Mannish - A fabulous cherry pie, tangy and delicious as they waft their saucy but often refreshingly subtle take on pop songs under our noses.
The Dark Party - Slightly inexplicable as the final act, like cauliflower cheese for dessert. And like cauliflower cheese on its own, these three sombre clowns have an act that is solid, but their endurance and physical theatre needed more substance to be served up singularly, let alone last.
Udderbelly's big dinner decision
So what should we recommend to our big purple dinner from the menu?
For mains there’s really no other choice but steak (Tom Tom Crew), followed by cherry pie (Frisky and Mannish) or perhaps a cupcake (Pete Firman)... if it isn’t magiced away under her nose.
Do we ever consider her, this purple beast who sleeps upside-down among us? She has needs, and wants; her belly too must be filled.Perhaps we can imagine tonight’s acts as food inside her majestic stomachs... what would be her dish of choice?
Udderbelly's dinner menu
Denise van Outen - A carrot cake with lashings of icing and tiny marzipan carrots; surprisingly tasty but a little over the top.Pythonesque - An English muffin that might be going a tad stale. Though they state a desire to to avoid purely imitating Cleese's cult sketch troop, it's unclear how they'll manage to break away from the inevitable comparisons. Reworking rather than repeating Python may be a challenge to maintain for a full length show, even with the readymade following.
Tom Tom Crew - A huge juicy steak (and chips); a meaty treat to be savoured. The chips are the impressive acrobatics, but the main attraction (the steak - work with my food metaphors here) is Peeping Tom's astounding beat boxing.
Carl Donnelly - A chunky soup; you're uncertain at first if you should use a spoon or a fork. But it turns out to be pretty hearty (one of those Covent Garden fresh ones perhaps) with a satifying aftertaste - Donnelly apologised for ending on "talking" rather than a joke, thereby creating a joke to end on and... you get the picture.
Comedy Bitch - Avocado and fish fingers (I witnessed someone eat this curious combination yesterday.) Two pretty different sketches, the strongest being the 'Mime School.' Like the avo-fingers combo, with the addition of a few more things in their full length show they should serve up a quirky treat.
Pete Firman - A lovely cupcake that you reach for... but wait, it's gone! Oh no, there it is, inexplicably balancing on the tip of someone's nose as part of one of Firman's seriously palatable magic tricks. The cherry on top is that he's funny, too.
Frisky and Mannish - A fabulous cherry pie, tangy and delicious as they waft their saucy but often refreshingly subtle take on pop songs under our noses.
The Dark Party - Slightly inexplicable as the final act, like cauliflower cheese for dessert. And like cauliflower cheese on its own, these three sombre clowns have an act that is solid, but their endurance and physical theatre needed more substance to be served up singularly, let alone last.
Udderbelly's big dinner decision
So what should we recommend to our big purple dinner from the menu?
For mains there’s really no other choice but steak (Tom Tom Crew), followed by cherry pie (Frisky and Mannish) or perhaps a cupcake (Pete Firman)... if it isn’t magiced away under her nose.
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
REVIEW: Kevin Bridges and Wilson Dixon
Edinburgh previews, Falling Down With Laughter @ Belushi’s, Borough High Street, London, Tues 21 July 2009, 8.30pm
Nothing too surprising from affable Scot Kevin Bridges. In an enjoyable set he took on terrorism, paedophiles, and, of course, the troubles of Glasgow. He pulled out some smart gags with wry delivery, especially a line about council swimming pools which was set up brilliantly.
His low-energy style was relaxing, but he was in danger of losing our attention when the sometimes predictable material didn’t hit the mark, dissolving into cynical rambling. Rapport with the audience was good (he anxiously noted the high presence of those working in TV) but he sometimes began to lose the focus of the banter he initiated - I think we’ll see more of the flashes of angry and assured wit which demonstrated his capability when Bridges finds his feet in Edinburgh.
Second act Wilson Dixon is a construction of genius: I knew what to expect and wasn’t disappointed when he sauntered on in his already amusing Stetson and wig. Dixon’s Country & Western persona is the foundation for his beautifully crafted songs, in the vein of Flight of the Concords. His soft country drawl introduced us to the theme of his Edinburgh run this year; the American Dream.
Some numbers weren’t as strong as his stock material, but even they caused us to forget the sweltering heat in Belushi’s basement. A highlight that still makes me chuckle was a song about animals which took sayings about our furry companions literally (“Can you imagine being caught in a shower of dogs? Or standing in a puddle of cats?”) As his masterful wordplay built to a climax, the suppressed laughter was palpable even before he finished each devastatingly astute couplet. His simple formula delivers consistantly, and his full-bodied character allows for forlorn and wistful moments in an affectionate nod to the musical tradition which produced this comic creation.
Nothing too surprising from affable Scot Kevin Bridges. In an enjoyable set he took on terrorism, paedophiles, and, of course, the troubles of Glasgow. He pulled out some smart gags with wry delivery, especially a line about council swimming pools which was set up brilliantly.
His low-energy style was relaxing, but he was in danger of losing our attention when the sometimes predictable material didn’t hit the mark, dissolving into cynical rambling. Rapport with the audience was good (he anxiously noted the high presence of those working in TV) but he sometimes began to lose the focus of the banter he initiated - I think we’ll see more of the flashes of angry and assured wit which demonstrated his capability when Bridges finds his feet in Edinburgh.
Second act Wilson Dixon is a construction of genius: I knew what to expect and wasn’t disappointed when he sauntered on in his already amusing Stetson and wig. Dixon’s Country & Western persona is the foundation for his beautifully crafted songs, in the vein of Flight of the Concords. His soft country drawl introduced us to the theme of his Edinburgh run this year; the American Dream.
Some numbers weren’t as strong as his stock material, but even they caused us to forget the sweltering heat in Belushi’s basement. A highlight that still makes me chuckle was a song about animals which took sayings about our furry companions literally (“Can you imagine being caught in a shower of dogs? Or standing in a puddle of cats?”) As his masterful wordplay built to a climax, the suppressed laughter was palpable even before he finished each devastatingly astute couplet. His simple formula delivers consistantly, and his full-bodied character allows for forlorn and wistful moments in an affectionate nod to the musical tradition which produced this comic creation.
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