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Edinburgh comedy special Edinburgh comedy special
(17 days later)
Ellie Taylor: ElliementaryEllie Taylor: Elliementary
As ever, there will be hundreds of young comics travelling to Edinburgh this year hoping against hope that their performances this month will result in a big break on TV. Ellie Taylor hasn’t got quite the same agenda; she’s already established a presence on the small screen – firstly through ITV’s Show Me The Funny and latterly as the host of BBC3’s none-more-BBC3 reality show Snog Marry Avoid? – so she’ll be aiming to break away from the fug of other people’s formats, with the ultimate aim of managing to establish herself as a distinctive comic voice in her own right. Taylor has certainly had some unique life experiences – you won’t come across many other former models on the comedy circuit – and radiates the kind of natural charisma needed to hold the attention of tough crowds. She’s also blessed with a great flair for frank gags about what it means to be a woman today, and it’s not too much of a leap to picture her scoring big with the same audience who love the likes of Sarah Millican and Kerry Godliman.As ever, there will be hundreds of young comics travelling to Edinburgh this year hoping against hope that their performances this month will result in a big break on TV. Ellie Taylor hasn’t got quite the same agenda; she’s already established a presence on the small screen – firstly through ITV’s Show Me The Funny and latterly as the host of BBC3’s none-more-BBC3 reality show Snog Marry Avoid? – so she’ll be aiming to break away from the fug of other people’s formats, with the ultimate aim of managing to establish herself as a distinctive comic voice in her own right. Taylor has certainly had some unique life experiences – you won’t come across many other former models on the comedy circuit – and radiates the kind of natural charisma needed to hold the attention of tough crowds. She’s also blessed with a great flair for frank gags about what it means to be a woman today, and it’s not too much of a leap to picture her scoring big with the same audience who love the likes of Sarah Millican and Kerry Godliman.
The Counting House, 12noon to 22 AugThe Counting House, 12noon to 22 Aug
Pierre Nouvellie Is Mighty PeterPierre Nouvellie Is Mighty Peter
Here are a couple of peculiar rules about the Edinburgh fringe show. There will be a show by the Cambridge Footlights, and it won’t be very good. But as soon as those guys graduate, things get much more interesting. Two promising ex-Footlighters make their solo bows this year, aiming to emulate the success of Fry and Laurie, Mitchell and Webb, and Inbetweeners Simon Bird and Joe Thomas. Jonny Lennard’s Tale Blazer sees him taking on the guise of a children’s author, writing disturbing bedtime stories for six year-olds, while Pierre Novellie offers an hour of observational stand-up, hinting at the dawn of a major talent. A curious mixture, born in South Africa and living on the Isle of Man, he draws on the oddities of both as a source for gags.Here are a couple of peculiar rules about the Edinburgh fringe show. There will be a show by the Cambridge Footlights, and it won’t be very good. But as soon as those guys graduate, things get much more interesting. Two promising ex-Footlighters make their solo bows this year, aiming to emulate the success of Fry and Laurie, Mitchell and Webb, and Inbetweeners Simon Bird and Joe Thomas. Jonny Lennard’s Tale Blazer sees him taking on the guise of a children’s author, writing disturbing bedtime stories for six year-olds, while Pierre Novellie offers an hour of observational stand-up, hinting at the dawn of a major talent. A curious mixture, born in South Africa and living on the Isle of Man, he draws on the oddities of both as a source for gags.
Pleasance Courtyard, 9.15pm, to 24 AugPleasance Courtyard, 9.15pm, to 24 Aug
Julian McCullough: Dream GirlsJulian McCullough: Dream Girls
Every summer, the fringe is visited by a host of US comics who swap the cheer and conviviality of US comedy clubs to play in front of surly Brits in poorly ventilated rooms. Recent fringes have seen much-talked-about performances from Bo Burnham, Todd Barry and, last year, Michael Che. This year we have the UK debut of Julian McCullough, a disheveled New Jerseyan whose stand-up majors on his own personal failings and slapdash approach to life. Underachiever par excellence, he’s never funnier than when dissecting his own mistakes.Every summer, the fringe is visited by a host of US comics who swap the cheer and conviviality of US comedy clubs to play in front of surly Brits in poorly ventilated rooms. Recent fringes have seen much-talked-about performances from Bo Burnham, Todd Barry and, last year, Michael Che. This year we have the UK debut of Julian McCullough, a disheveled New Jerseyan whose stand-up majors on his own personal failings and slapdash approach to life. Underachiever par excellence, he’s never funnier than when dissecting his own mistakes.
Pleasance Courtyard, 10.45pm, to 24 AugPleasance Courtyard, 10.45pm, to 24 Aug
Natasia Demetriou: You’ll Never Have All Of MeNatasia Demetriou: You’ll Never Have All Of Me
It’s rare to come across a brother and sister who are both doing comedy. There’s Amy Sedaris and her brother (celebrated prose humorist David) and, Amy and Greg Poehler, now running new US sitcom Welcome To Sweden together. But these are exceptions that prove the rule. Last year, Jamie Demetriou made a big splash on the fringe with his debut hour, a wildly experimental collection of bizarre characters. Now his sister Natasia follows with her own set of grotesques, and you’d be unwise to bet against a similarly ecstatic reception. Like Jamie, Natasia eschews traditional character comedy. She doesn’t deal in obvious archetypes and avoids anything that feels like a conventional joke; instead, the emphasis is on a kind of post-Gervais whimsy, where awkwardness and weirdness trumps traditional punchlines.It’s rare to come across a brother and sister who are both doing comedy. There’s Amy Sedaris and her brother (celebrated prose humorist David) and, Amy and Greg Poehler, now running new US sitcom Welcome To Sweden together. But these are exceptions that prove the rule. Last year, Jamie Demetriou made a big splash on the fringe with his debut hour, a wildly experimental collection of bizarre characters. Now his sister Natasia follows with her own set of grotesques, and you’d be unwise to bet against a similarly ecstatic reception. Like Jamie, Natasia eschews traditional character comedy. She doesn’t deal in obvious archetypes and avoids anything that feels like a conventional joke; instead, the emphasis is on a kind of post-Gervais whimsy, where awkwardness and weirdness trumps traditional punchlines.
Underbelly, 9.20pm, to 24 AugUnderbelly, 9.20pm, to 24 Aug
Dane Baptiste: Citizen DaneDane Baptiste: Citizen Dane
Already, Dane Baptiste is equipped with the quiet confidence you only get from knowing you’ve got gags to reduce any audience to hysterics. A south Londoner, he has spent his life at the sharp end, dealing with the expectations of society and the negative attitudes of his peers, as well as battling for attention from his family with his alternately beloved and despised twin sister. The result is a set rich in social awareness, powered by a sense of what it means to be a young black guy in Cameron’s Britain. But Baptiste never seems like he’s polemicising, still less that he’s pandering to the expectations of a mostly white audience. Rather, everything is at the service of his excellent punchlines. He’s got a remarkable hit rate and a commitment to his craft more in keeping with the new breed of US stand-ups than his fellow Brits. Already, Dane Baptiste is equipped with the quiet confidence you only get from knowing you’ve got gags to reduce any audience to hysterics. A south Londoner, he has spent his life at the sharp end, dealing with the expectations of society and the negative attitudes of his peers, as well as battling for attention from his family with his alternately beloved and despised twin sister. The result is a set rich in social awareness, powered by a sense of what it means to be a young black guy in Cameron’s Britain. But Baptiste never seems like he’s polemicising, still less that he’s pandering to the expectations of a mostly white audience. Rather, everything is at the service of his excellent punchlines. He’s got a remarkable hit rate and a commitment to his craft more in keeping with the new breed of US stand-ups than his fellow Brits.
Pleasance Courtyard, 5.30pm, to 24 AugPleasance Courtyard, 5.30pm, to 24 Aug
Quint Fontana: I Remember MeQuint Fontana: I Remember Me
Last year, Bridget Christie picked up the Edinburgh Comedy award with an impassioned, gag-festooned tribute to feminism. Quint Fontana is also interested in the power of the female, but he approaches things from a rather different trajectory. A seedy failed pop star, Fontana is still trading on the success of his (appalling) sole hit, 1988’s Girl, Girl, Girl, Girl, Girl (You Are The Only Girl In The World). Today, instead of playing stadiums to adoring crowds, he’s reduced to taking the stage at the Free Fringe to present a mix of songs, audience flirtations and bitter recriminations against everyone else in showbiz. “Some men drink to forget,” goes the blurb. “Quint Fontana drinks to remember... and he’s thirsty!” Of course, this is all a character act – Fontana is the infectiously appealing creation of comedian Andy Davies, who has been honing the character via a monthly show at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club. There’s a rich stew of influences here: some of the grim details recall Alan Partridge, while the gap between self-belief and output is pure John Shuttleworth, and the sheer unabashed cheesiness is reminiscent of Steve Furst’s much-loved Lenny Beige. But the net result is something fresh and new – not to mention often raucously entertaining.Last year, Bridget Christie picked up the Edinburgh Comedy award with an impassioned, gag-festooned tribute to feminism. Quint Fontana is also interested in the power of the female, but he approaches things from a rather different trajectory. A seedy failed pop star, Fontana is still trading on the success of his (appalling) sole hit, 1988’s Girl, Girl, Girl, Girl, Girl (You Are The Only Girl In The World). Today, instead of playing stadiums to adoring crowds, he’s reduced to taking the stage at the Free Fringe to present a mix of songs, audience flirtations and bitter recriminations against everyone else in showbiz. “Some men drink to forget,” goes the blurb. “Quint Fontana drinks to remember... and he’s thirsty!” Of course, this is all a character act – Fontana is the infectiously appealing creation of comedian Andy Davies, who has been honing the character via a monthly show at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club. There’s a rich stew of influences here: some of the grim details recall Alan Partridge, while the gap between self-belief and output is pure John Shuttleworth, and the sheer unabashed cheesiness is reminiscent of Steve Furst’s much-loved Lenny Beige. But the net result is something fresh and new – not to mention often raucously entertaining.
Voodoo Rooms, 9.50pm, to 24 AugVoodoo Rooms, 9.50pm, to 24 Aug