Rating Guide
None = Unmissable
= Unwatchable
Page number refers to the Fringe programme
Arthur
Smith Film Walk
Drams None. You'll get as many as you need along the way.
Venue Starts at The Filmhouse Bar
Address 88 Lothian Road
Reviewer Brett Sheffield
I had heard a lot of different things about Arthur Smith's annual film
walks, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The night arrived, and
with it the rains, presumably deterring some from joining us in the
Filmhouse Bar for our little jaunt. Arthur Smith called us to disorder,
and we trooped outside into the best of Scottish weather. Ah, Edinburgh!
Thy soggy streets and smoky pubs do call us!
As we gather outside in the rain, Arthur leaps up to stand next to a
lamppost outside, and with a cigarette in one hand and a megaphone in
the other, addresses the crowd. Arthur gets straight in there rewriting
history with some scantily-clad ladies in silver hotpants, re-enacting
the real Braveheart for our edification.
Then we head across the road, where Arthur turns a park bench into his
next soapbox. Arthur's casual, cheeky humour takes a dig at anything
that stands still long enough. Apparently this was a bit too much for
one pea-brained crowd member, who stepped forward and pushed Arthur
over the back of the bench onto the pavement before storming off down
the street in a childish fit. Apart from a pretty nasty cut on his hand,
our guide was back on his feet and mostly unruffled.
Looking around, we had about sixty or seventy walkers. Arthur takes
us up Grindlay Street, past the Lyceum Theatre to the corner of Spittal
Street, where we stand in the middle of the road, cars passing by, re-enacting
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Arthur informs us that the re-make
is being made behind an upstairs window above us. Across the road, other
upstairs windows open and heads pop out, presumably to find out why
we're standing in the middle of the road with a megaphone.
A pub stop, and then we're jogging up Johnston Terrace, humming the
theme from Chariots of Fire. The police are good-natured this year and
wave on cue, a disappointment for those that were hoping Arthur would
get arrested again. After a bit more foolishness, some banter with comedienne
Suki Webster and another pub stop, the evening peters out a bit before
10pm when we find the Deacon Brodie too full for us to come in and do
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Some members of the crowd think Arthur should
get his hand seen to at casualty, and people disperse. See you next
year.
18 Aug at 20:00
© Brett Sheffield - 18 August 2001
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Adam
Hills - Go You Big Red Fire Engine (page 33)
Drams None - Excellent
Venue Pleasance Courtyard and Over the Road (33)
Address 60 The Pleasance
Reviewer Brett Sheffield
Australian stand-up comedian Adam Hills' new show is a real treat, with
some great material and improvised banter with the audience. Adam involves
his audience throughout the show; in fact the name "Go You Big Red Fire
Engine" is apparently a line shouted out by one of his former audience
volunteers when he brought them up on stage. As with any show that has
an element of audience participation, some nights are going to be better
than others.
Sunday nights at the Pleasance Cabaret Bar the show is signed for the
deaf using BSL sign language. As Adam points out, you often get a second
laugh as you look across at Catherine the sign interpreter to see how
on earth she's going to sign that!
No one is going to believe this, but while typing this review the fire
alarm has gone off and I've had to evacuate the building twice. Go you
big red fire engines! All four of you! Please?
Runs 1 - 27 Aug at 21:25 (22:25)
© Brett Sheffield - 12 August 2001
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Being
Johnny Vegas (page
46)
Drams 0 (Johnny's drunk enough for all of us)
Gilded Balloon Theatre (38)
Address 233 Cowgate
Reviewer Garry Platt
Johnny Vegas is a true enigma. I have read 3 major reviews of his show
on the Fringe this year and no one can tell where the character and
the real person starts or finishes. His show this year moves into the
surreal dimension only Vegas commands with absolute authority in the
world of comedy.
He staggers onto the stage clutching a glass of Guinness and a hip flask
- AKA an Orangina Bottle, is he pissed, is he putting it on? I don't
know and no else does, or so it seems. But his retorts and responses
to hecklers and shouters indicates a mind which operates at speeds in
excess of Warp 10, and leaves the audience gasping in admiration and
esteem. Never the less, he is a hapless soul cast up on the rocks of
uncertainty and lack of self-confidence.
This show is about Johnny's quest to find some answers, answers from
the audience. He asks questions but we supply him no solutions and that
only pushes Johnny still further into his world of doubt and worry.
Occasionally his childlike puns and acidic put downs swerve into self
pity or condemnation of the shallow crowd who peer up at him from the
theatre auditorium and your one of these people who is staring into
Johnny's soul, served up to us like raw sushi or Yorkshire pudding.
No one can touch Johnny in the stand up comedy stakes this year, no
one's near. He has transcended just being funny and has become something
else; a quantum singularity in the comedic universe. People who go too
near get sucked in by his charm and personality, never to escape or
forget. Go Johnny go, I said go, go Johnny go!
Runs Aug 3-5, 7-12, 14-27 at 22.15 (23.45)
Tickets £ 12.50 (£10.00)
© Garry Platt August 2001 - Seen on the 12th
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Clive James and Pete Atkin - Together At Last Again (page
40)
Drams
For the fans
Venue Pleasance Courtyard and Over the Road (33)
Address 60 The Pleasance
Reviewer Brett Sheffield
British singer and songwriter Pete Atkin teams up again with Australian
born comic TV critic and writer Clive James for two shows at the Fringe.
During the late sixties and early seventies they worked together to
produce six albums, with Clive writing the lyrics and Pete the music.
This mainly musical act is possibly misplaced under Comedy & Revue
in the Fringe programme.
Pete Atkin plays guitar and keyboard, performing songs like "The Practical
Man", about their experiences in the music industry, and my favourite
"I see the Joker", a lively gangster number. Clive introduces each item,
reads some of his poetry, and even gets up to the mic for one song.
Clive's lyrics are sharp, but, as many were written as poems, don't
always fit easily to music. There's no doubt about it, they have a very
different style; a relaxed mix of rock, pop and folksy something or
other.
For those of you that missed their show, some of the songs and lots
of other information are available for download from Pete Atkin's Website. Their albums have now been re-released
and are only available for sale over the Internet. The pair will be
touring Britain from March 2002.
Runs 16 - 17 Aug at 16:45 (17:45)
© Brett Sheffield - 16 August 2001
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Craig
Hill's Wizz to Oz (page
28)
Drams
Poor
Venue Gilded Balloon (Venue 38)
Address Gilded Balloon Theatre, 233 Cowgate
Reviewer Brett Sheffield
A promising comedian, offering the audience some good laughs and involvement
in the show. Scottish gay comedian Craig Hill delivers some very camp
travel stories, focusing mainly on his trip to the Mardi Gras in Sydney,
Australia. There's are some really hilarious moments, but unfortunately
the storytelling gets a bit longwinded, with big gaps between laughs.
Craig's real talent are his song and dance numbers, which bring a great
reaction from the audience. Things come back to life right at the close
of his performance with a re-enactment of Craig's Mardi Gras float dance
that manages to spur an encore from the audience.
Some careful editing would make this into a much better show. Three
drams.
© Brett Sheffield August 2001
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Cyderdelic
(page 25)
Drams 
Crap (Take a Bottle)
Venue The Pleasance / Over the Road (143)
Address 60 the Pleasance
Programme Page 25
Reviewer Garry Platt
Cyderdelic take the piss out of people and pull the wool over peoples
eyes by putting them in inane situations or just making them feel uncomfortable,
they video this and then play the footage to the audience. Interspersing
this they play their left wing/ green / cool as shit / right on characters
and try to sell us their banal concept of how the world should be. The
characters the three performers play are not wholly formed and lack
the stage credibility to convince me this is either real or funny. See
Noble and Silver to see how this should be done, although even they
have their off days.
Some technical problem meant we didn't see the final piece of video
footage for which I was grateful. I'd had enough of this after about
10 minutes.
Runs intermittently between 4 - 27 Aug at 18:15 (19:15)
© Garry Platt - 4 August 2001
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Doreen (page 26)
Drams +
Awful
Venue Gilded Balloon (38)
Address Gilded Balloon Theatre, 233 Cowgate
Reviewer Brett Sheffield
These guys start well and set the audience hyped up but fail to deliver.
If you have free tickets, go to the first ten minutes but, as soon as
the two "sketches" start, it's time to leave. The joking about boring
the audience and wasting your time isn't funny because that's what they
actually do.
Some very original and funny hype for a show that just isn't there.
This is Doreen. This is a huge disappointment.
Runs 5 - 27 Aug at 15:45 (16:45)
© Brett Sheffield - 11 August 2001
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Europe,
We've created a monster - Boom Chicago (page
20)
Drams None - Excellent
Venue Pleasance One (33)
Address 60 Pleasance
Reviewer Garry Platt
Well, Boom Chicago are back again this year, in force with 3 shows on
the Fringe, but - 'Europe, We've Created a Monster' has got to be one
of their best shows to date. I watched the show on the second night,
so the cast were still meant to be warming up, and I'm not meant to
review it until they get up to speed - forget that - this group have
hit the ground running from the first day and the minute the curtain
rose.
The format is similar to previous years with set pieces delivered with
impeccable timing and the improvised work looking slick and easy. That's
just their skill that makes the latter look so smooth. A cast of 5 make
up the ensemble and individually these people are exceptionally talented,
collectively they're something else. This is one show you could go back
and watch more than once and still be laughing as hard as the first
time.
A highlight for me was a rendition of the Eurovision Song contest with
a black guy playing a Finnish female super model, who learnt English
2 weeks ago. Trust me on this one, its worth seeing if only for this
one sketch.
It must also be mentioned that the technical support crew for this show
make a significant contribution. This is an element which is often overlooked,
so just to correct that, can I pay due credit to the technical crew,
their input lifts the show above brilliant and takes it into the stratospheric
realms of virtuoso.
Runs 1 - 27 Aug at 22.15 (23:15)
© Garry Platt - 3 August 2001
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Goodbye
Mister Bitch (page 29)
Drams None - Excellent
Venue Gilded Balloon (38)
Address Gilded Balloon Theatre, 233 Cowgate
Reviewer Brett Sheffield
This imaginative trio will hijack your mirth and make you a hostage
of their bizarre brand of humour. Police band Code Beige get
the audience cheering, then gagging with laughter. Very clever lyrics,
smooth moves and songs you'll have stuck in your head for hours. One
of the funniest shows at the Fringe this year - a must see.
Runs 3 - 26 Aug at 19:30 (20:45)
© Brett Sheffield - 09 August 2001
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Preview:
John Sinclair - Angels and Bagpipes
Drams 
Venue The Bongo Club (143)
Address 14 New Street
Reviewer Daniel Winterstein
We all have at least one friend - or perhaps an elder relative - like
John Sinclair. A nice man; friendly to others and at peace with himself.
Someone you can relax with. Unfortunately, also a boring man, with a
vast supply of dull anecdotes.
Angels and Bagpipes has a simple format: One man on stage telling you
stories from his life. The show is unscripted. Sinclair freely meanders
from subject to subject in a very mellow manner. However his stories
never seem to go anywhere. He's honest, but this is more of a mistake
than a virtue. His show lacks the humour to be comedy, and lacks the
insight to be anything else.
Playing to a happy-drunk crowd, he didn't raise a single laugh. But
then he didn't tell a single joke. Much of his routine is based on running
through the jobs he's failed at. He could well add 'comedian' to the
list.
© Daniel Winterstein August 2001
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Garth
Marenghi - Netherhead (page 28)
Drams None - Excellent
Venue Two - Pleasance Courtyard (33)
Address 60 The Pleasance
Reviewer Garry Platt
Garth Marenghi appeared on the Fringe last year with Fright Knight and
was the surprise comedy hit of that season. When I first heard that
Garth was coming back for a second time I was worried that it might
not live up to my expectations. I was concerned it would spoil my memories
of the show. Well I needn't have worried because this show (even in
preview) exceeds what they achieved last year and goes to yet another
level!
The same cast and the same format is used; a narrator reads from the
Garth's dreadful stories and the chapters then unfold in front of your
disbelieving eyes. This year no comedic stone is left unturned; no opportunity
for a chuckle left unexploited; no chance of self-parody overlooked.
This show reduced me to tears, the characterisations the actors have
achieved, the ridiculous stories they play out and the comedic faux
pass' they achieve come at you with the speed of a bullet train.
I have never seen stage exits and entrances done with such aplomb, these
alone get rounds of applause from the audience. And all the way through
the show there are gems of humour and farce which makes the show worth
seeing more than once if only to pick up on the bits you missed the
first time round.
Last year Garth Marenghi was nominated for the Perrier short list. If
there is any justice in this world they should walk away with it this
year - go on Perrier, I dare you, break the mould.
Runs 1 - 27 Aug at 22.25 (23.25)
© Garry Platt - 3 August 2001
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Jackie
Clune - Bitchin'
(page 15)
Drams None needed
Venue Upstairs - The Scotsman Assembly (3)
Address 54 George Street
Reviewer Garry Platt
Jackie Clune is back on the Fringe (Praise God!) and she is 'Bitchin'.
Bitching about gays, bitching about lesbians, bitching about marriage,
bitching about children, bitching about pop music, bitching about religion,
bitching about sex, bitching about bitching. Have I missed anything?
Oh yes; she's bitching about life in general. It's a bitching kind of
show if you haven't made that out already and she is fantastic! Bitchingly
fantastic!
Jackie starts her show by telling us we are going to love her by the
end, and with that twinkle in her eye and that smooth charm she switches
on and off like a light bulb you know damn well she's right, and I did!
The show is great, full of Jackie's acerbic wit and humour, delivered
with the precision of a stealth bomber and the impact of a reasonably
sized nuclear device capable of destroying a small country with a warm
after glow of poison gas.
Her voice is just fantastic; she has a range and depth which most pop
divas would trade in their silicon tits for. Her material is extremely
funny, shrewd, hilariously and uproariously cutting at those she directs
it at, and thank god she didn't pick on me in the audience. I want to
see this woman on TV every night, she is so funny, so attractive and
a talent that few can match.
This show shouldn't just get 5 stars, it should get its own galaxy of
stars and if I had it to give; I would. The show is quite simply, well,
I suppose Bitchin'!
Runs 3 - 26 Aug at 19:20 (20:30)
© Garry Platt - 3 August 2001
