Reviews & features: Comedy
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The List supports artists' right to swear at the Fringe
31 May 2012
Show titles remain uncensored in our comprehensive Fringe listings
There has been some controversy at the Fringe this year about the programme's decision to censor the swearier aspects of certain acts' shows. Liam Mullone, Richard Herring and Stuart Goldsmith have raised the issue in various interviews and statements…
John Scott: Totally Made Up
30 Aug 2011
Exemplary observational material worked hard in stifling venue
Winner of last year’s Take the Mic competition, John Scott has his work cut out in this stifling venue. That he manages to get laughs out of our sticky situation is a testament to his immense likeability. There’s some racy stuff but Scott’s charm takes…
Amanda Palmer, Kurt Braunohler and Kristen Schaal and Mark Chavez
24 Aug 2011
The Americans visiting the Fringe share their reflections on Edinburgh
The Yanks are here, and they’re ready to paint the town red, white and blue. Amanda ‘Fucking’ Palmer of the Dresden Dolls, Kurt Braunohler and Kristen Schaal of variety show Hot Tub, and Mark Chavez of physical comedy duo The Pajama Men take a long look…
Conway's Time of the Month
24 Aug 2011
Hardeep Singh Kohli, Andi Osho and Imran Yusuf guest at free Edinburgh show
London-based presenter and comedian Eleanor Conway brings her 5 star thighs, the news, and a host of comedy guests to Edinburgh's cosy Space 3 at the Voodoo Rooms. On the platter of entertainment are Hardeep Singh (BBC), Andi Osho (Stand up for the…
Tim Key
22 Aug 2011
A sublime and spirited Slut sequel
Following up an award-winning success is never the easiest of operations. Perhaps this is why Tim Key has taken two years out to get his sequel into shape, having used this same Pleasance Dome space last year as a testing ground with a short run of the…
John Lynn
15 Aug 2011
Affable comic story-telling with a neat turn of phrase
No matter his subject material, which ranges in profundity from colonoscopies to making the perfect tomato and cheese sandwich, the roguish Lynn is able to mould it into a melodious, charming yarn. An affable, natural performer, he’ll send you away with…
Hitch and Mitch – Genisis
14 Aug 2011
Shambolic sketch comedy about comedy
First off, an apology – Richard Hanrahan and Adam Mitchell specifically beseeched reviewers not to include the word ‘shambolic’ in their write-ups of the show. Which is all well and good, fellas, but when you go out of your way to incorporate…
Armageddapocalypse
14 Aug 2011
Loving pastiche of action movies from Footlights crew
One for action movie fans, this Cambridge-based theatre group gleefully ransacks the genre, and all its drug-dealing, wire-wearing, daughter-kidnapping clichés. Written by Footlights veterans, the hammy nonsense is enhanced with parkour shadow puppets…
Late Night Gimp Fight!
12 Aug 2011
Fast-paced sketches are more smutty than obscene
Turn up to a show like this at such a late hour and you should know what you’re letting yourself in for. Despite the establishment whiff that hangs around an Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination, if you can’t stomach jokes about bumming, incest and the Ku…
Daniel Sloss - The Joker
12 Aug 2011
Ridiculously talented young comedy buck
Daniel Sloss – a charming, elongated Macaulay Culkin doppelganger, and protégé of Frankie Boyle – begins by listing the reasons why people might not like his show. ‘I smile, I swear, I’m happy and I can jump. The ones who won’t like me, they’re the old…
Francesca Martinez
8 Aug 2011
A charmingly caustic look at ‘normal’
She may be ‘the world’s wobbliest comedian’, but the force of Francesca Martinez’s convictions and the energy with which she puts them across never falter in a show that’s as hard-hitting as it is caustically funny. She takes to the stage with this…
Laurence Clark: Health Hazard!
8 Aug 2011
Uncovering the truths about US health care
Laurence Clark takes you beyond the realm of conventional stand-up comedy for this informative look at his life with cerebral palsy. Clark’s ability to put a light-hearted spin on subject matter ranging from social attitudes towards those with…
David Reed: Shamblehouse
8 Aug 2011
Great lines but lots of filler
Luckless losers have great comic potential. From Brent to Fawlty, classic comedy is littered with the hubris of idiots. Branching out from Fringe stalwarts The Penny Dreadfuls, David Reed welcomes a collection of ‘tragic, lonely characters’ into his…
Des Clarke - Des Comedy Jam
8 Aug 2011
Hilarious patter will leave both locals and out-of-towners in a good place
With jokes coming fast and a wit as sharp as a knife, Clarke will leave you in a good place. Illustrating the difference between Scots and the rest of the world, Clarke tirelessly delivers memorable zingers while keeping up a stream of hilarious patter…
Joel Dommett: Neon Hero
8 Aug 2011
Celebrity crush tale an from assured and skilled performer
Dining out on the retelling of one week spent in the company of a unnamed celebrity crush, Dommett weaves a charming and self-effacing love story. Behind the trendy haircut and gleeful grin is an assured performer with the skills to back up his…
Rayguns Look Real Enough: Balls Deep
8 Aug 2011
Thematically-arranged medleys from emphatic performer with laboured set of puns
Glee fans are well catered for in this mash-up of thematically-arranged medleys, but the laughs come thin and slow. Frontman Ray Gun is an emphatic performer, tucking into lead vocals with relish, but his cat costume is a gimmick that long outstays its…
Bridget Christie
7 Aug 2011
Slapdash slapstick sloppy stand-up
The wife, mum and stand-up is back at the Fringe with a new show based on her Catholic upbringing. The fact that Bridget Christie is not at all sure doing an hour about religion is a good idea is completely in keeping with her happily shambolic…
Police Academy's human sound effect set for Edinburgh - Michael Winslow interview
26 Jul 2011
2011 Fringe debut from actor best-known for iconic 80s comedies
It’s been 27 years since the first film, yet Michael Winslow is still roundly known as ‘that guy who made the noises in Police Academy.’ Though Police Academy 8 is mooted for next year, he’s unperturbed by the enduring connection to the movie series.
Edinburgh Fringe Festival comedy shows to look out for in 2011
9 Jun 2011
Margaret Cho, Todd Barry and Imran Yusuf among 2011 ones to watch
Down List way, we’ve just about recovered from the devastating news that there will be no sign this year of Bo Burnham, Jonny Sweet, Tommy Tiernan or Pappys. But if you think that kind of comedic void can be filled by this year’s galaxy of acts, then…
Profile: Philip Seymour Hoffman, director and star of Jack Goes Boating
27 May 2011
The much-respected actor screens his directorial debut at the EIFF
Born Fairport, New York, 23 July 1967. Background Known as the ‘character actor’s character actor’, Hoffman has been a jobbing actor since the early 1990s. After playing bit parts in television shows, shorts and features, Hoffman got his breakthrough…
Tim Clare's Death Drive
24 Aug 2010
A road trip with a difference
Talented performance poets/live literati talking about going back to live with their parents is all the rage this year. That is, if a ‘rage’ can be constituted by two shows, the excellent piece by Ross Sutherland at the Underbelly, and here in the shape…
Nat Luurtsema
24 Aug 2010
An agreeable debut with a twist
There was nothing in the pre-publicity material to suggest that In My Head I’m a Hero would take the turn that it does, and this is to Nat Luurtsema’s credit. A fairly humdrum but perfectly agreeable show about being a tea-loving daydreamer who wanted…
Joe Lycett and Andrew Ryan
23 Aug 2010
Good-humoured but weak double-header
Andrew Ryan is a happy chap: the biggest laughs in his show come from his tale of the time he met his hero, Ardal O’Hanlon (whom he happens to resemble a bit). Joe Lycett is similarly sunny in his outlook: his entire set revolves around his love of…
Russell Kane
23 Aug 2010
Acutely observed and deeply personal insight
An acutely observed and deeply personal insight into the relationship issues when middle-class aspirations and sensibilities spring from working-class backgrounds, especially within the father/son dynamic. The continued use of a castle as metaphor for…
Broad Comedy
23 Aug 2010
Horribly laboured songs about abstinence, tampons and penis size
'We got a crazy show for you,’ hails the leader of this all-female American sketch group. If your idea of ‘crazy’ features horribly laboured songs about abstinence, tampons and penis size, then this will have your head spinning. One routine saves the…
