Edinburgh
Edinburgh Fringe: Stuart Goldsmith/ Steve Mason/ Peter StrakerThursday, 19 August 2010![]() You may think the very well-presented comic Stuart Goldsmith - clean-shaven and wearing sensible Merrells (“which says I’m not wearing a fleece but I own one”) - is the sort of bloke your mum always hoped you would end up marrying or having as your... Read more... |
Edinburgh Fringe: Shakespeare - The Man from Stratford/ Mick Ferry/ John GrantWednesday, 18 August 2010![]() The premise of Jonathan Bate’s one-man play, directed by Tom Cairns, is simple but surprisingly effective: a trawl through the seven ages of Shakespeare, from babe to box, told through a mixture of biographical narrative illuminated by relevant... Read more... |
Edinburgh Fringe: Celia Pacquola/ Could It Be Forever?/ Sammy JMonday, 16 August 2010![]() Celia Pacquola made her Fringe debut last year after storming various comedy festivals in her native Australia with a show about her boyfriend’s infidelity and, while it was entertaining enough, it lacked a bit of oomph. But her new show packs a... Read more... |
Edinburgh Fringe: Daniel Kitson/ Leisa Rea/ MisconceptionFriday, 13 August 2010![]() Daniel Kitson only occasionally performs at comedy venues at the Fringe these days - perhaps a late-night spot here and there, though not a full set - but it has become almost a tradition that he writes a new piece for the Traverse each year. On the... Read more... |
Edinburgh Fringe: Doc Brown/ Imran YusufThursday, 12 August 2010![]() Doc Brown comes on stage in the hip-hop uniform of all-black clothing, lots of bling and black-out shades, and starts rapping “It’s all about me” in suitably bombastic tones. But Brown isn’t all he seems, as the rap peters out, the gear comes off... Read more... |
Edinburgh Fringe: Late Night Gimp Fight!/ While You LieTuesday, 10 August 2010![]() Going to a late-night comedy show at the Fringe is always taking a risk, not least because every drunken fool in the place, with their oh-so-funny heckles, thinks they’re funnier than the performers. And so it proved at the performance I saw of this... Read more... |
Edinburgh Fringe: Jason Cook/ Lee Kern/ Barrow Street TheatreMonday, 09 August 2010![]() He may describe himself as “a Geordie chancer”, but in reality Jason Cook is a warm comic whose material is utterly devoid of cynicism. Yet he’s far from being pious - he spices up his act with caustic barbs for deserving targets (quite often... Read more... |
Kris Kristofferson, Festival Theatre, EdinburghWednesday, 04 August 2010![]() “This song is for my kids – and all their Mommas.” Even at 74, Kris Kristofferson exudes the quietly satisfied air of experience of a man who has spent at least half his life drinking, shagging, smoking and strumming to his heart’s content, and now... Read more... |
The Illusionist, EIFF Opening Gala, EdinburghThursday, 17 June 2010![]() Last night’s gala opening of the 64th Edinburgh International Film Festival may have been touched by living history – in particular the presence of Sean Connery (pictured below, arriving at last night's screening), who strode up the red carpet... Read more... |
EIFF LaunchTuesday, 01 June 2010![]() I’m just back – goodie bag gripped greedily in paw – from this morning’s launch of the 64th Edinburgh International Film Festival, which runs in the Scottish capital from 16-27 June. Since breaking away from the over-crowded August festival calendar... Read more... |
Idiots of Ants, Soho TheatreTuesday, 18 May 2010![]() The art of good sketch comedy is in the timing - not just in how gags are delivered, of course, but in realising that some jokes are best done as one-liners while others can be played out over several minutes before being punctuated with a killer... Read more... |
Interview: Heiner Goebbels, on staging strange worldsMonday, 26 April 2010![]() First, the name. There’s no family link between the 57-year-old German composer and Hitler’s Doctor Death. This Goebbels cuts an impressive figure. Solidly built, with thick white hair and slightly cherubic features, and speaking fluent English, he’... Read more... |
