Final Festival reviews.
Apr. 30th, 2007 10:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sharplittleteethOkay. these are all the 13 shows I saw in the last week of the Comedy Festival.
LAST SATURDAY
Wellington Who
Craig Wellington's show tackles two topics: Doctor Who fandom, and the series of rejection letters he's received throughout his life, starting with one from Santa Claus at age eight. His love of Doctor Who extends to turning the doorway to the Banner Room at Trades Hall into a replica of the TARDIS. The show includes a brief guide to Doctor Who for complete newcomers. But I suspect his anecdotes about building a cardboard K9 or pretending your dad's tyre-pressure gauge is a sonic screwdriver are much funnier if, like me, you did the same things yourself.
He was bit sweaty and jittery the night I saw him, as though he was fighting off a cold. Despite this, he was energetic and engaging. And very funny. Especially if you're a Doctor Who nerd too.
Birdhouse
A benefit gig for the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre. The songs They Might Be Giants, performed live by comedians like Tripod, Tim Minchin, Geraldine Quinn, Andrew McClelland, Casey Beneto (Keating) and Ben McKenzie.
It went off. One of the highlights of my Festival.
The performers were clearly having a ball, cutting loose after thier own shows. It was just one huge party. Highlights included Scott Edgar doing "Anna Ang" and Ben McKenzie doing "Why Does the Sun Shine?". (Scott Edgar was so impressive - friendly, talented, geeky yet cool - that I bought tickets to go see Tripod.)
MONDAY
Mark Watson's 24 Hour Gig
24 hours. On stage. With a bunch of other comedians helping him, and no sleep. Welsh comedian Mark Watson has done several of these marathon gigs in Edinburgh before. I only saw a couple of hours, about 18 hours into the gig. It was...very shambolic and sleep deprived. You can read the blog here. If it doesn't make sense, well, that's a bit like the gig.
WEDNESDAY
Lawrence Leung Learns to Breakdance
I wasn't going to see Lawrence this year. I've seen his shows before, and really enjoyed them. But the Girlfriend is working at the Festival this year, so we had to choose between seeing Leung or Josh Earl on her night off. I persuaded her to see Josh Earl, since I prefer libraries to breakdancing.
But then a friend told me that Leung was the best show he'd seen in festival. So I went to see it by myself. And he was right.
The show follows Lawrence's quest to be as cool as his older brother Dennis. It's presented with Leung's usual puppy-dog cuteness, even as he mocks the building block sof cool, like overpriced fashion and the pick-up techniques of The Game. It culminates in video footage of Leung entering a breakdance competition in Federation Square.
Easily the funniest show I've seen at the Festival.
FRIDAY
Ardal O'Hanlan
Best known as Father Dougal from the sitcom Father Ted, Ardal O'Hanlan performs a gentle brand of stand-up. it relies as much on his bemused looks and Irish charm as it does on the wit of the jokes. He's not exactly astonishing, but he's cute and does a nice line in low-key surrealism.
Josh Earl is a Librarian
Librarian by day, indie-folk musician/comedian by night. Josh Earl uses the Dewey Decimal System as the foundation his songs and jokes. I'd heard some of the material when I saw him last year, but I guess musical comedians can get away with that. His songs are amusing rather than hilarious, but they're surprisingly catchy. They remind me a lot of the Lucksmiths. People who had seen this show told me it was a bit so-so, but Josh was sparking when we saw him. Not the best show of the Fest, but a lot of fun.
Lawrence Leung Learns to Breakdance
Yeah, I saw it again. Leung did an extra late show, which meant the Girlfriend got to see it after all. We were in the front row, and he picked her as his target for his attempted pick-up routine. And yes, I was still laughing.
80's Enuff
80's cover band, free at the Trades Hall. Fun, if extremely cheesy. The Bella Union bar was packed. I bought a beer for the Girlfriend, and it wasn't merely knocked from my hand by an enthusiastic dancer, it was sent flying three feet up into the air, showering everyone in the vicinity.
SATURDAY
Tripod - How To Train An Attack Dog From Scratch
A (made up) history of musical comedy. The sound in the New Council Chambers was too loud, making it hard to catch all the words. But Tripod are talented muscians, relaxed and funny on stage. My favourite bit was the stick figure history of Ted and Wilma, country musicial comedians who became (dramatic voice) addicted to heroin!
Xavier Michelides - What To Do When Zombies Attack
I saw this more or less on an impulse. Michelides's advice for the impending zombie apocalypse branched off into jokes about David Attenborough, the Human Body exhibition, and a hysterical impersonation of George Lucas writing the Star Wars prequels. He's got a real gift for character acting (even if his semi-improvised sketches tended to peter out, rather than end with a punchline). On my list of comics to watch out for.
Rock Shop with Dave Callan and Otto Rot
Another late-night benefit gig, this one for Peter Mac Hospital. A smaller audience than Birdhouse, and a much less polished show. Dave and Otto had a dance off. Marawa did her hula-hoop tricks. Josh Earl sang a song. Astrid Rot cooked vegan pancakes. Someone described it as being like watching a bunch of people being funny at a party when you don't know anyone there. It went very late, and then I couldn't find a taxi, so I walked home.
SUNDAY
Tarnished
The great irony of burlesque is that the stripteases are always the least sexy part of the show. Corsets are sexy, g-strings and nipple tassels are just silly. Tarnished had a couple of stripteases, but it's tag line was "A shotgun marriage of circus and burlesque". So there was dancing, slapstick and striptease, but there was also acrobatics, contortionism, balancing acts and aerial work. And it was fantastic.
Die Roten Punkte
Brother and sister rock duo from Berlin. Astrid Rot plays the (child-sized) drums and drinks too much. Otto Rot plays guitar and runs around like a hyperactive child. Their songs are deliberately stupid (they have titles like "We're in a Rock Band" and "Best Band in the World"), but surprisingly catchy. And the petulant arguments between brother and sister provide a lot of laughs. A fine way to end this years Festival.
Wellington Who
Craig Wellington's show tackles two topics: Doctor Who fandom, and the series of rejection letters he's received throughout his life, starting with one from Santa Claus at age eight. His love of Doctor Who extends to turning the doorway to the Banner Room at Trades Hall into a replica of the TARDIS. The show includes a brief guide to Doctor Who for complete newcomers. But I suspect his anecdotes about building a cardboard K9 or pretending your dad's tyre-pressure gauge is a sonic screwdriver are much funnier if, like me, you did the same things yourself.
He was bit sweaty and jittery the night I saw him, as though he was fighting off a cold. Despite this, he was energetic and engaging. And very funny. Especially if you're a Doctor Who nerd too.
Birdhouse
A benefit gig for the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre. The songs They Might Be Giants, performed live by comedians like Tripod, Tim Minchin, Geraldine Quinn, Andrew McClelland, Casey Beneto (Keating) and Ben McKenzie.
It went off. One of the highlights of my Festival.
The performers were clearly having a ball, cutting loose after thier own shows. It was just one huge party. Highlights included Scott Edgar doing "Anna Ang" and Ben McKenzie doing "Why Does the Sun Shine?". (Scott Edgar was so impressive - friendly, talented, geeky yet cool - that I bought tickets to go see Tripod.)
MONDAY
Mark Watson's 24 Hour Gig
24 hours. On stage. With a bunch of other comedians helping him, and no sleep. Welsh comedian Mark Watson has done several of these marathon gigs in Edinburgh before. I only saw a couple of hours, about 18 hours into the gig. It was...very shambolic and sleep deprived. You can read the blog here. If it doesn't make sense, well, that's a bit like the gig.
WEDNESDAY
Lawrence Leung Learns to Breakdance
I wasn't going to see Lawrence this year. I've seen his shows before, and really enjoyed them. But the Girlfriend is working at the Festival this year, so we had to choose between seeing Leung or Josh Earl on her night off. I persuaded her to see Josh Earl, since I prefer libraries to breakdancing.
But then a friend told me that Leung was the best show he'd seen in festival. So I went to see it by myself. And he was right.
The show follows Lawrence's quest to be as cool as his older brother Dennis. It's presented with Leung's usual puppy-dog cuteness, even as he mocks the building block sof cool, like overpriced fashion and the pick-up techniques of The Game. It culminates in video footage of Leung entering a breakdance competition in Federation Square.
Easily the funniest show I've seen at the Festival.
FRIDAY
Ardal O'Hanlan
Best known as Father Dougal from the sitcom Father Ted, Ardal O'Hanlan performs a gentle brand of stand-up. it relies as much on his bemused looks and Irish charm as it does on the wit of the jokes. He's not exactly astonishing, but he's cute and does a nice line in low-key surrealism.
Josh Earl is a Librarian
Librarian by day, indie-folk musician/comedian by night. Josh Earl uses the Dewey Decimal System as the foundation his songs and jokes. I'd heard some of the material when I saw him last year, but I guess musical comedians can get away with that. His songs are amusing rather than hilarious, but they're surprisingly catchy. They remind me a lot of the Lucksmiths. People who had seen this show told me it was a bit so-so, but Josh was sparking when we saw him. Not the best show of the Fest, but a lot of fun.
Lawrence Leung Learns to Breakdance
Yeah, I saw it again. Leung did an extra late show, which meant the Girlfriend got to see it after all. We were in the front row, and he picked her as his target for his attempted pick-up routine. And yes, I was still laughing.
80's Enuff
80's cover band, free at the Trades Hall. Fun, if extremely cheesy. The Bella Union bar was packed. I bought a beer for the Girlfriend, and it wasn't merely knocked from my hand by an enthusiastic dancer, it was sent flying three feet up into the air, showering everyone in the vicinity.
SATURDAY
Tripod - How To Train An Attack Dog From Scratch
A (made up) history of musical comedy. The sound in the New Council Chambers was too loud, making it hard to catch all the words. But Tripod are talented muscians, relaxed and funny on stage. My favourite bit was the stick figure history of Ted and Wilma, country musicial comedians who became (dramatic voice) addicted to heroin!
Xavier Michelides - What To Do When Zombies Attack
I saw this more or less on an impulse. Michelides's advice for the impending zombie apocalypse branched off into jokes about David Attenborough, the Human Body exhibition, and a hysterical impersonation of George Lucas writing the Star Wars prequels. He's got a real gift for character acting (even if his semi-improvised sketches tended to peter out, rather than end with a punchline). On my list of comics to watch out for.
Rock Shop with Dave Callan and Otto Rot
Another late-night benefit gig, this one for Peter Mac Hospital. A smaller audience than Birdhouse, and a much less polished show. Dave and Otto had a dance off. Marawa did her hula-hoop tricks. Josh Earl sang a song. Astrid Rot cooked vegan pancakes. Someone described it as being like watching a bunch of people being funny at a party when you don't know anyone there. It went very late, and then I couldn't find a taxi, so I walked home.
SUNDAY
Tarnished
The great irony of burlesque is that the stripteases are always the least sexy part of the show. Corsets are sexy, g-strings and nipple tassels are just silly. Tarnished had a couple of stripteases, but it's tag line was "A shotgun marriage of circus and burlesque". So there was dancing, slapstick and striptease, but there was also acrobatics, contortionism, balancing acts and aerial work. And it was fantastic.
Die Roten Punkte
Brother and sister rock duo from Berlin. Astrid Rot plays the (child-sized) drums and drinks too much. Otto Rot plays guitar and runs around like a hyperactive child. Their songs are deliberately stupid (they have titles like "We're in a Rock Band" and "Best Band in the World"), but surprisingly catchy. And the petulant arguments between brother and sister provide a lot of laughs. A fine way to end this years Festival.
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no subject
Date: 2007-04-30 03:55 pm (UTC)A Dr Who related thingy?
Damn. Is he coming to Perth?
no subject
Date: 2007-04-30 11:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-01 04:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-01 11:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-01 11:14 pm (UTC)(I kept seeing Lawrence around at the Festival, and thinking I should say hi, tell him I loved his show, and that it was even funnier because I've met Dennis. But I was too shy.)
no subject
Date: 2007-05-02 02:26 am (UTC)The bar at Trades was a really good place to hang out wasn't it? Good music and projections on the wall and lotsa comedians walking about :)