ScotsGay 127

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A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE EDITED, PRINTED & PUBLISHED IN SCOTLAND SINCE 1994
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A COMMUNITY MAGAZINE EDITED, PRINTED & PUBLISHED IN SCOTLAND SINCE 1994
pic by Steve Ullathorne
pic by Steve Ullathorne
pic by Steve Ullathorne
ISSUE 1 of 3 / August 2012
ISSUE 127
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FLASH MOB
Jo Caulfield
Bridget Christie
Steven Dawson
Paul Foot
Milo McCabe
Peter Scott-Presland
Rosie Wilby
Stewart Lee
Andrew Doyle talks to
FREE INSIDE
Twitter, gay marriage, comedy awards and Jimmy Carr’s tax avoidance
ISSUE 127
£1.50
WHERE SOLD
FLASH MOB
Jo Caulfield
Bridget Christie
Steven Dawson
Paul Foot
Milo McCabe
Peter Scott-Presland
Rosie Wilby
PRIDE SCOTIA PICS
At the Edinburgh Fringe
Stewart Lee
Andrew Doyle talks to
Twitter, gay marriage, comedy awards and Jimmy Carr’s tax avoidance
pic by Steve Ullathorne
ISSUE 1 of 3 / August 2012
SGfringe
.com
ne of the very best things
about this job is that I get to
write about the stuff that I like.
The truth is that over the last twelve
years as a reviewer at ScotsGay, I
have witnessed no better stand-up
than Stewart Lee. When ScotsGay
last interviewed him he was tagged
as the ‘41st best stand up ever’ by a
Channel 4 ‘poll’. This year he won
two British Comedy Awards and a
Bafta. If you are a fan of real standup, rather than much of the guff you
get on TV, go see.
Should ScotsGay only write about
LGBT shows? Maybe, but much
better, I think, is to try and cover stuff
of interest to the LGBT reader. That
includes brilliant acts, who happen to
be gay, like Susan Calman and Paul
Foot. It also includes queer theatre
like Strip Search, Monstrous Acts or
Made For Each Other. But we also
look outwards and ask, ‘What else is
around?’ and importantly, ‘is it any
good?’
O
2SGfringe
MartinWalker
[email protected]
welcome
This is the first of three issues of
SGfringe for 2012. As usual you can
join us online at sgfringe.com, on
facebook and on twitter.
Our reviews team is bigger than
ever this year - and I’d like to take
this opportunity to welcome them all
- new faces and old. Special mention
to Andrea Lockes - it’s Andrea’s job
to daily sub-edit reviews and post
them on to our website. A mammoth
undertaking. Last year’s team
reviewed almost 200 shows.
How many this year...?
CONTENTS:
3 Welcome
4 Peter Scott-Presland
4 Theatre Previews
6 Rosie Wilby
8 Milo McCabe
8 Comedy Previews
10 Bridget Christie
12 Stewart Lee
16 Steven Dawson
16 Cabaret Previews
18 Paul Foot
19 Dance Preview
20 Jo Caulfield
20 Musicals Previews
ScotsGay’s Team of Festival Reviewers for 2012
L-R Top: Adam Carver, Adele Monk, Albert Fish, Andrea Lockes (Reviews Editor), Angus Wyatt, Ben Behrens, Clare Finney,
Bottom: David Randall, Jodie Fleming-Stanley, Martin Gourlay, Martin Walker (Fringe Editor), Nathan Sparling, Sophie Alexander & Tony Challis.
22 Other Events
SGfringe3
theatre previews
MONSTROUS ACTS
Tells us about ‘Strip Search’
Strip Search is a solo show for a male stripper. “Squaddie” is doing a macho strip act in a
gay bar, but the irony is that he was a real soldier in a previous life. He goes back over his
life to understand what brought him to this point – abused child, rent boy, gambler,
soldier…. The real-time physical strip is paralleled with a psychological strip. It’s a hell of
a stretch for any performer because they have to be both a great stripper and a great actor.
They have to go backwards and forwards between doing the strip and telling the story, and
the story is really intense and has huge emotions. So there’s a lot of disturbing images in
here, as well as the nudity’n’stuff.
Tell us about ‘Locked In’
Locked In is a one-man play based on the diaries of Keith Vaughan. Keith Vaughan was
one of the most important British painters of the mid-20th Century, and friend of Francis
Bacon, Graham Sutherland, David Hockney, John Minton etc. His subject matter was
defiantly gay – bathers, lovers – in a style that became increasingly abstract.
Behind his success was a man of intense sensitivity, fierce doubts, caustic humour, anger
and fear of ageing. An intense romantic, he couldn’t allow himself to give way to his
feelings in life. So he poured them all out in one of the funniest, sexiest, most vivid
journals ever written – a journal he kept for forty years. Eventually he broke his heart – he
will break yours too.
The same company present Locked
In - based on the journals of Keith
Vaughan (1912-77), a great British
painter and friend of the likes of
Hockney, Sutherland and Bacon. His
diaries are vivid, funny, angry, erotic,
despairing. Whether Vaughan is rescuing
wounded soldiers in an air raid, standing
trial as a spy, having a holiday fling with
a sexy young Mexican, writing to the
Times about the joys of pornography, or
demolishing the claims of pretentious
conceptual artists, in this play you are
always right there with him.
theSpace@Surgeons Hall/13-25 Aug.
homopromos.co.uk
Bringing two shows to the Fringe is a lot of work! Why two shows?
We wanted to capitalize on the success of “Strip Search” last year, because we sold out
and had some great reviews, and also Damola, who plays Squaddie, had a nomination for
Best Actor in the Dark Star Awards. But I also wanted to try it in a cabaret venue, which is
closer to where the play is set, and means you should get more audience reaction. There’s
a bit of audience participation too! So the contrast between the two sides of the show
should be even stronger.
I read the Keith Vaughan diaries last year and wanted to make a show of them, because
you really enter into the guy’s mind and spirit, but I wasn’t going to do it this year, till I
realized it was his centenary, so it chose itself really. Now I discover there’s a whole world
of Keith Vaughan fans and groupies, especially in Scotland because there are several of his
pictures in the Scottish National Gallery. So we’re hoping to tap into that.
Who is your favourite writer?
Georges Simenon. Not the Maigret novels, but the psychological ones. He goes so deep
into the darker corners of the human heart, but he makes it all seem so easy.
What other shows on the fringe are you keen to see and why?
I always like going to obscure musicals, things that haven’t been seen for years, or never
made it into the West End. So I’ve earmarked 13, Assassins, Batboy, Berlin Cabaret – and
that’s just up to “B”! I’ll be looking out for new gay stuff too; I wish the Fringe Brochure
had an LGBT section, cos it can be a bit difficult track down. I’ll be listening for Word of
Mouth (or you can read ScotsGay! - ed).
What do you love/hate about Edinburgh?
I love the energy, and the buzz on the streets from hundreds of people out for a good time.
I hate the self-obsession – so few are really interested in anything other than their own
shows – and the intensely competitive atmosphere. I had a show on in Toronto a while
back, and the generosity and support of performers and writers for each other was a
revelation.
Strip Search
SpaceCabaret@54
11.05pm 3-25 August
Locked In
theSpace@Surgeons Hall
12.50pm 13-25 August
4 SGfringe
LOCKED IN
How long have you been writing? What got you into it?
I was always the joker. I’ve been writing since I was a teenager. I was turning out scripts
for Boy Scout Camp Fires and school revues when I was 15. When I came out in 1971 it
was logical to start writing about my new gay life, and I wrote gay sketches for college
revues. When Gay Sweatshop was formed in 1975, I wrote them a play, which they turned
down, so I thought, “Bugger it, if you want something done, do it yourself!” So I formed a
gay company in 1977, and I’ve been doing the same sort of thing ever since.
Boy in a Dress is the story of a
third-gendered, fallen Catholic, excatwalk model from the wrong side of
the tracks. The play combines
monologue, song, striptease,
postmodern philosophy and vaudeville,
and explores gender, class, religion and
identity. Stand Comedy Club 3/2-26 Aug.
lajohnjoseph.com
From playing Glastonbury and
Ronnie Scott’s to miming on children’s
television, musician turned comedian
Rosie Wilby looks back at the emotional
roller-coaster of chasing stardom at the
heady height of Britpop in a reworked
version of her acclaimed 2011 Edinburgh
Fringe show. Mixing stand-up,
storytelling and songs, How (Not) To
Make It In Britpop delves into a personal
treasure trove of old photos, fan letters,
reviews and her published diaries to
investigate the nature of nostalgia. The
Bongo Club/10-14 Aug. rosiewilby.com
throughout history - wrapped up in an
energetic, interactive performance that
skews the lines between theatre, live art
and cabaret. Summerhall/18-19 Aug.
fishandgame.org.uk
STRANGE HUNGERS
CONFESSIONS OF A GRINDR ADDICT
PETER SCOTT-PRESLAND
Monica Bauer’s, Made for Each
Other, has somehow managed to be the
only play about same-sex marriage on
the Fringe. This comedy drama about
love, loss and Alzheimer’s disease is part
of the Free Fringe, so there really is no
excuse for missing it. “You are cordially
invited to Vincent and Jerry’s wedding”.
Laughing Horse @ Bar 50/15-26 Aug.
FREE monicabauer.com
In 1440 Frenchman Gilles De Rais
was burned and hanged for the
suspected deaths of almost 400 boys.
Monstrous Acts is the powerful reimagining of the last days of one of
history’s most horrifying killers and his
search for redemption through the love
of another tortured soul. Poetic, erotic
and moving, Australia’s, ‘Out Cast
Theatre’ present a visually stunning story
C Aquila/2-27 Aug. outcast.org.au
Those gay and bi men amongst us
with Smart Phones might well be aware
the app, ‘Grindr’. In Confessions of a
Grindr Addict, we follow Felix (Gavin
Roach) as he shares his secrets about
sex and love, whilst preparing for the
rarest of things - a real date. Assembly
Hall/2-26 Aug. assemblyfestival.com
For more funny theatre check out
Strange Hungers, - a self described
‘grubby lesbo freakshow’. Originally
devised for Glasgow’s Glasgay! Festival,
it’s a joyous deconstruction of lesbian
identity, stereotyping and representation
MR BRAITHWAITE HAS A NEW BOY
Q& A
STRIP SEARCH
T
BOY IN A DRESS
here’s plenty of theatre of LGBT
interest at the Edinburgh Fringe in
2012. These are our Fringe
Editor’s Recommendations...
Homo Promos present the return of
the superb 2011 Fringe hit, Strip Search.
Squaddie is a stripper with a fantasy
military act. In a previous life he was a
real soldier serving in Iraq. He tells his
life story within the frame of a real-time
strip, as fantasy and reality collide.
Featuring the stunningly strong actor
Damola Onadek. SpaceCabaret@54/3-25
Aug. homopromos.co.uk
MADE FOR EACHOTHER
.com
HOW (NOT) TO MAKE IT IN BRITPOP
SGfringe
The same company produce
something completely different, in the
gay comedy, Mr Braithwaite Has a New
Boy. Harold, a well-to-do but lonely older
gentlemen, takes up with young street
prostitute, Johnny. “With everyone after
a slice of the pie, someone’s bound to
get it in the end... You’ll never look at a
choc-top in the same way again”.
Adoption, inheritance, a raunchy rent boy
and “one stressed-out pussy”. C
Aquila/2-27 Aug. outcast.org.au
SGfringe5
How many Fringe shows is that now?
I’ve done a few now. My very first show was called Olympic Swingball Champion 2012. I
was very new to stand up and the show was really an excuse to string all my material thus
far together. I did also have a petition at the time to introduce Swingball into the Olympics
which sadly stalled at around 28 signatures. I’m reclaiming this title in this Olympic year to
work up a brand new stand up hour at Camden fringe and Royal Vauxhall Tavern fringe
before I come up to Edinburgh. I hope to bring a stand up show up to Edinburgh next year
using some of this material. Then I did a couple of science themed shows, one about
memory at Sweet Venues in 2008. And I brought The Science of Sex up twice in slightly
different versions. I’ve been asked by green man festival to revive this show this August.
So I’m rushing off to Wales straight after my short Edinburgh run to do that. Some other
great performers will be there including Zoe Lyons.
Would you trade your comic career to be a pop star if you could turn the clock back?
I don’t think I’d trade my comic career as its been such a fun journey. If anything I would
turn the clock back and tell myself to get going with comedy sooner. I procrastinated for a
bit before giving it a go properly in 2006
Of all the comics appearing on the fringe this year, who makes you laugh the most?
Paul Foot. When I was performing at The Underbelly two years ago I saw his show - for
free! Yay! - and loved it. Especially the stuff about shire horses. Brilliant.
What do you love/hate about Edinburgh?
I love the city and am really looking forward to doing a short run in a wonderful venue I’ve
always loved guesting at, at the legendary cabaret night. The thing I usually hate is being
away from my girlfriend. But because it’s just a week this time she’s able to come up with
me. Yay! It’s nice to have the emotional support - as the fringe can be incredibly stressful.
I always thought it would be wall to wall fun. Until I did it.
How (Not) to Make it in BritPop
6 SGfringe
The Bongo Club
2.30pm 10-14 August
After walking the wall in the West
Bank, becoming Guinness World Record
#####
holder for political protests,
‘MOVING and
ANDchasing
INSPIRING
gripping Mark
as any
arms dealers around the...as
country,
live performance you will see’
Thomas turns his attention to matters
‘A brilliant
investigative
journalist
closer to home. Bravo
Figaro
is the true
disguised as a comedian...
tale of Mark’s father, a self-employed
very funny indeed’
builder with a passion for opera. It is
about love, death, fathers and sons, and
the search for peace - with a few gags
thrown in for luck. Traverse/3rd-25th
Aug. markthomasinfo.com
BATH
CORBY
CAMBRIDGE
Defiantly and
finally, comes Hard HARTLEPOOL
BRIDPORT
DIDCOT
LINCOLN
BRISTOL
Core Pawn, with
SALFORDMick, Lewis and
BRIGHTON
BRADFORD
ST IVES
DERBY
FALMOUTH
WORCESTERexplores aspects of LEEDS
Shaun. The show
TAUNTON
LLANDUDNO
SWINDON
ABERYSTWYTH
NEWBURY
living with a disability,
giving the
audience a reflective, emotive look
through the eyes of working disabled
performers. The performance will also
explore every day challenges that we all
encounter. theSpace on the Mile/3rd-8th
Aug. thespaceuk.com
tangerine • PHIL McINTYRE ENTERTAINMENT: APRIL 2011 • www.mcintyre-ents.com
The show is billed as ‘theatre’ rather than ‘comedy’.
I think being billed as theatre gives me a bit more scope emotionally. I still love proper
pure stand up though and will be guesting at Amused Moose at The Pleasance and a few
other comedy shows while I’m up. My club stand up set has been taking a more surreal
turn lately and diva editor Jane Czyzselska recently described me as a lesbian Eddie Izzard.
Perhaps a response to the real raw honesty of the current solo show!
NGGRFG
Tells us about your new Edinburgh show ‘How (not) to Make it in Britpop’
It’s a reworking of last year’s show with some of the stories and themes explored a bit
further and the central diary/ magazine column element replaced by some more universal
references to the time - such as the death of Princess Diana. I also realised that the
magazine column was fairly obscure so the title we had last year Rosie‘s Pop Diary wasn’t
all that clear in terms of what the show was.
In Three Tall Women, a ninety-yearold woman reflects on her life with a
mixture of shame, pleasure, regret and
satisfaction. She recalls the fun of her
childhood and her marriage; when she
had an overwhelming optimism for her
future. Yet she bitterly recalls the
negative events that resulted in regret:
her husband’s extramarital affairs, the
death of her husband, and the
estrangement of her gay son.
theSpace@Venue45/4-10 Aug.
treadtheboardstheatre.co.uk
THE GUARDIAN
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Nggrfg is set to be one of the most
talked-about productions of 2012 asLONDON
PORTSMOUTH
ANDOVER
audiences struggle to pronounce theNORWICH
MAIDSTONE
BIRNAM
BANCHORY
ULLAPOOL
name of the show which merges two
of
STORNOWAY
KENDAL
the most offensive and controversialTUNBRIDGE WELLS
words in the English language. Written
and performed by Canadian writer/actor
Berend McKenzie, the show is an often
funny exploration of homophobia and
racism. theSpace on the Mile/3-18 Aug.
smallbrownpackage.com/nggrfg
MAY 2011
16-28
JUNE 2011
1
2
6-7
10
13
14
15
16
19
22
Tricycle
New Theatre Royal
The Lights
Playhouse
Hazlitt Arts Centre
Birnam Arts Centre
Woodend Barn
Macphail Centre
An Lanntair
Brewery Arts Centre
Trinity Theatre
020 7328 1000
023 9264 9000
01264 368368
01603 598598
01622 758611
01350 727674
01330 825431
01854 613336
01851 708 480
01539 725133
01892 678 678
23
28-29
30
JULY 2011
1
4
5
6
7
8
12
13
Rondo Theatre
Junction
Bridport Arts
Performing Arts Centre
The Quays
Alhambra Studio
Derby Theatre
Huntingdon Hall
Brewhouse
Arts Centre
Corn Exchange
01225 463362
01223 511511
01308 424204
0844 888 4414
0843 208 6000
01274 432000
01332 255800
01905 611427
01823 283244
01793 614837
01635 522733
14
The Core @ Corby Cube
20
Town Hall
SEPTEMBER 2011
2
Cornerstone
5-10
Tobacco Factory
11
Theatre Royal
20
The Guildhall
21
Arts Centre
25
City Varieties
28
The Hall Venue Cymru
29
Arts Centre
PHOTO : IDIL SUKAN • DESIGN :
ROSIE WILBY
THREE TALL WOMEN
Q& A
‘Negative Capability’ presents a
double bill by Royal Shakespeare
Company prize-winning writer Freddy
Syborn. Crypted is a tragedy based on
the life of Alan Turing, the gay Bletchley
Park code breaker chemically castrated
by the British government. Meanwhile,
Excess is a comic tale of sibling rivalry
and sexual identity – when Joe tells his
sister he’s getting a sex change she
overreacts… C nova/2-26 Aug.
freddysyborn.com
The lifetime ban on gay men
donating blood changed to 12 months in
October 2011, but what does it mean for
gay men who want to save a life?
Inspired by a true story, Dirty Blood
explores the effect the ban has on one
family who are struggling to deal with
leukaemia. This is the first play from
Scottish playwright, Calum Fleming.
theSpace on North Bridge/3-18 Aug.
dirtybloodplay.co.uk
Our old Friends at the ‘About Turn
Theatre Company’ return with Outward
Bound by Michele Flatto and Dan Hyde.
What makes a gay man and Jewish
woman spend the night together? Forced
to explore new terrain with Thermos and
Tupperware, The Vagina Monologues
meets Brokeback Mountain in this new
play exploring growing up, coming out
and moving on. The play tackles how the
education system copes with
homosexuality and how people cope with
getting older and wiser...
theSpace@Surgeons Hall/3-11 Aug.
aboutturn.co.uk
MARK THOMAS
CRYPTED
theatre
01536 470470
01429 890 000
01235 515144
0117 902 0344
08448 717 650
01736 366077
01326 211222
0113 243 0808
01492 872000
01970 623232
For more information visit www.markthomasinfo.com
SGfringe7
Tells us about your new Edinburgh show ‘Kenny Moon This Is Your Life’
It’s a multi-character show again, but this time I’m playing various characters from my
dad’s past in the old TV show ‘This Is Your Life’s format. My dad’s in the show too and the
characters and situations are all based on true events.
How does it differ from last year’s critically acclaimed ‘Get Brown’?
There’s only one crossover character from last year’s show, ‘Tyson Moon’ and there’s
much more of a structured narrative in the show with a twist at the end!
Are you a fan of ‘old school’ comedians?
No. Not personally. I just happen to have one as a dad so I grew up going to his gigs and
seeing that cabaret environment and meeting a lot of the old school comics. Some of them
were tremendously bitter… one colleague of my dad’s used to leave a tape recorder
running in the dressing room backstage to see what the other comedians were saying
about him while he was on! I find that era of comedy fascinating as opposed to funny.
Do character comedians work harder than regular stand ups?
I don’t think you can say one way or the other… I guess it depends on the character comic
and it depends on the regular stand-up. As a character comic you have to have a very
defined persona with an immediate appeal to get noticed on the circuit, but there is a
certain comfort in the security blanket of it ‘not being you’ onstage. As a regular stand up,
your material and delivery needs to be strong and unique enough to stand out from the
three other people on the bill with you that night, but you don’t have the effort of
maintaining a persona - well not as much of a persona - so I think it goes both ways.
Those in their 20’s, like Aaron
Twitchen, leave University facing a world
with no jobs, no hopes and no
Woolworths. The futures bleak. Where
we used to dream of becoming Doctors
and Politicians young people now dream
of becoming reality stars and Kerry
Katona’s nipple tweaker. Few of these
dreams are ever realised. Enter our hot
gay stand-up. Southsider/4-25 Aug.
FREE iloveaaron.co.uk
Are you aware of your gay fan base?
No, but if I have one I’m extremely grateful for it!
Of all the comics appearing on the fringe this year, makes you laugh the most?
Dr Brown, Paul Foot and George Ryegold. I’m lucky enough to be in a play with the
character of Dr George Ryegold this year, but regardless I’m a massive fan of his anyway.
What do you love about Edinburgh?
There’s a massive amount of interesting creative people gathered in one space. The energy
that seems to crack through the air everywhere. I love seeing amazing shows that people
have worked their asses off to perfect, and seeing shows that are beyond shit in a jaw
droppingly compelling way. Being stopped in the street by people who’ve been to your
show and liked it... and the first drink after the last show of the day
What do you hate about Edinburgh?
Being stuck in a show that isn’t bad enough to be compelling and not being able to escape,
looking at your watch and realizing that somehow, only twelve minutes has gone by. I
obsess over bad reviews and break them down in ridiculous detail in an effort to gain
some kind of positive, but beat myself up the whole time I’m doing it too. I’m not an
‘ignore reviews’ bloke, sadly! Seeing myself placed in a totem pole of social importance in
a conversation with a complete stranger who can only define themselves by establishing
who’s higher up the ‘food chain’ of comedy. And missing out on stuff! But you always are
because you can’t be everywhere.
Tell us about your other show, ‘George Ryegold’s God-In-A-Bag’
It’s a show with a guy called Toby Williams, who I’ve been a big fan of for a while, so I was
thrilled when he contacted me about his play. It’s based around Toby’s character ‘Dr
George Ryegold’ and also features Dan Mersh, Lindsay Sharman, Hattie Hayridge and
myself. Well worth checking out!
Kenny Moon This Is Your Life
Gilded Balloon Teviot
9.30pm 1-26 August
George Ryegold’s God-In-A-Bag
Underbelly, Bristo Square
1.45pm 1-27 August
8 SGfringe
ANDREW DOYLE
Do you still perform as the much loved Portuguese alter-ego, Philberto?
Yes! Most weekends actually. I’ve been doing it for about five years now so I’m
experimenting with him quite a lot at the moment. He gets freakier by the gig.
Andrew Doyle, of course, is a firm
ScotsGay favourite. He’s been gigging as
a stand up for just three years, but
stormed the Fringe in 2011 with his
début solo show directed by Scott
Cappuro. He’s keeping mum about this
year’s hotly anticipated follow up, but we
know to expect a good time from one the
UK’s premier gay comedians. Loved by
the critics and the public alike - we urge
you to find out why. Just the Tonic at
the Caves/2-26 Aug. andrewdoyle.co.uk
Robert Xavier Pamplemousse Downe
(aka Bob Downe)- Australia’s Clown
Prince of Polyester - was top of the
Edinburgh pops in 2011 and now he’s
back by popular demand! Direct from
blitzing Melbourne International Comedy
Festival and Adelaide Fringe, you’ll laugh
yourself silly as you sing-along with Mark
Trevorrow‘s unique creation. Gilded
Balloon Teviot/1-26 Aug.
BobDowne.com
All girl sketch group, The Boom
Jennies are firm fringe stalwarts - and
are frequently near the top of any Fringe
reviewers list. Join Lizzie Bates, Anna
Emerson and Catriona Knox for a
guaranteed hour of superior silly fun.
When you see these ladies leaping about
your TV screens in future, remember
where you read it first. Pleasance
Dome/1-26 Aug. theboomjennies.com
Next we have a great opportunity to
see excellent young comedians, Bekka
Bowling and Shane Todd, plus one
surprise star guest in every show. Better
yet, Bowling and Todd +1 is totally free!
Definitely worth checking out. Cabaret
Voltaire/4-25 Aug. FREE
thefreefringe.org.uk
Bridget Christie returns to the Fringe
at the new Assembly Rooms, with a
show that sounds more bonkers than
ever. Entitled War Donkey, expect some
sharp satirical edges hidden around the
delightful silliness. The Assembly
Rooms/1-26 Aug. bridgetchristie.co.uk
This silver-haired Irishman must be
one of the most imaginative selfpublicists in the world. Caimh
McDonnell has offered a kind of bribe for
critics. For every review he receives, he
Canadian upbringing, awakening his
inner badass! Media, celebrity, sex, and
politics - nothing is off limits! He’s
outspoken, he’s lovable, and has
perfected the art of the Sassy Snap! He’s
performed in 22 countries worldwide,
entertaining audiences with his unique
brand of polite brutality. The Hudson
Hotel/4-25 Aug. FREE
danielryanspaulding.com
Droll raconteur and 2011 Hackney
Empire New Act of the Year, David Mills
is known for razor-sharp, hilarious
banter, cutting commentary and stylish
delivery. Ruthless, hysterical rants
delivered with acidic precision and
spiked glee. In 2011 he was the regular
sidekick on Scott Capurro’s chat
show. Alternative Fringe @ The Hive/227 Aug. FREE itsdavidmills.com
Last year DeAnne Smith made such
a good impression on the public and
critics alike, that the Canadian born
lesbian has returned for another go. In
2012 she takes a satirical look at what it
really means to be filthy rich. Gilded
Balloon Teviot/1-27 Aug.
deannesmith.com
Possibly the campiest, cuddliest gay
in Edinburgh, Craig Hill returns for his
850th year of entertaining gays and Blue
Rinsers at the Fringe. His committed, sell
out audiences love Craig - and he loves
us back - even if it’s often returned with a
trademark barbed comment. Hilarious,
cheeky and full of fun energy. Underbelly
Bristo Square/2-27 Aug.
www.mrcraighill.com
Croft and Pearce are the natural
successors to French and Saunders. Not
only that, but, quite frankly, Hannah Croft
and Fiona Pearce are two of the most
beautiful funny women you’ll ever see.
They’ve been honing their act since their
school days - each year they get better
and better. Appearing in 2012 in a cheeky
wee pre-lunch slot. Gilded Balloon
Teviot/1-27 Aug. croftandpearce.com
This last year has been a
momentous one for Britain, from the
media scandal to national riots. What the
average Brit may see as ‘everyday’ can
perplex an outsider. Dana Alexander
gives us an international perspective on
British life because, if we don’t laugh,
we’ll cry... Underbelly Bristo Square/127 Aug. getcomedy.com
DeANNE SMITH
MILO McCABE
Gay Straight Alliance is a comedy
show for fags and friends! USA based
comedians Veronica Elizabeth and Kenny
Neal host a stand-up comedy
performance offering gay and straight
perspectives - and everything in between
- from the popular monthly show at the
historic Stonewall Inn. Kenny says that
he was bored of being ‘just another gay’,
so he became a writer, comedian and
actor dedicated to dispelling stereotypes
and proving that straights and gays are
equally awful. Laughing Horse @ The
Pheonix/19-26 Aug. FREE
GSAshow.tumblr.com
Rob Cawsey and Gabe Bisset-Smith
are Guilt & Shame - a sketch duo that
our colleagues over at Gay Times have
been raving about. Join them as they go
on their quest to find The One (or
whoever’s desperate enough). With a
night that’s filled with painful sexual
encounters, paranoid drug dealers, a
grieving transsexual, talking penises and
a banging soundtrack - this is one latenight party you don’t want to miss.
Underbelly, Cowgate/2-26 Aug.
guiltandshame.co.uk
Australian lesbian, Hannah Gadsby
returns to the Fringe with two shows for
2012. The clue to the content of Hannah
Wants a Wife, is in the title. I hope she
finds one in Edinburgh. Whilst, Mary.
Contrary, focuses on everyone’s
favourite alleged virgin. Gilded Balloon
Teviot/1-26 Aug. hannahgadsby.com.au
The German comedy ambassador,
Henning When, is a fountain of
knowledge; he knows there’s no shortcut
to success, hard work will eventually pay
off and life should mean life. But even
Henning doesn’t know which separatist
idiot decided to schedule the Olympic
Games to coincide with the Fringe. Just
the Tonic at the Caves/15-26 Aug.
henningwehn.de
HOLLY BURN
George Ryegold‘s God-In-ABag reveals a different side to everyone’s
favourite doctor - a precarious love life,
an enduring friendship and a dangerous,
earth-shattering new theory. Starring
Toby Williams, Hattie Hayridge (Red
Dwarf), Dan Mersh (Fresh Meat), Lindsay
Sharman and the lovely Milo
McCabe. Underbelly, Bristo Square/1-27
Aug. tobywilliamscomedy.co.uk
The Ginge, the Geordie and the
Geek are working hard this Fringe.
Graeme Rooney, Paul Charlton and Kevin
O’Loughlin return to Edinburgh for a
fourth year, (fresh from filming their new
BBC pilot) to bring you a brand new hour
of truly uplifting silliness, surrealism and
80’s anthems. Performing the show
twice daily at 4.45pm and then again at
7.45pm, there’s now no excuse to miss
the biggest selling sketch show at the
Fringe. Just the Tonic at The Caves/226 Aug. gingegeordiegeek.com
Touring the world as a young, openly
gay comic, Daniel-Ryan Spaulding has
let go of his humble, soft-spoken
SARAH ARCHER
Q& A
AARON TWITCHEN
T
comedy previews
Bonkers Geordie comic Holly Burn
is one of the most refreshing acts on the
fringe. She may not be to everyone’s
taste, but thank God for that. She’s a
genuine original – unpredictable,
inexplicable, but funny as hell. Make her
show a priority. Just the Tonic at The
Caves/2-26 Aug. hollyburn.org.uk
James Acaster’s show last year was
one of the best on the fringe. If you
haven’t seen him yet, you’d be a fool not
to this year. He’s a natural comedian –
one of those stage presences that is
instantly likeable. Moreover, he has
strong material to back it up. If you want
some guaranteed laughs, you should add
his new show to your diary. Pleasance
Courtyard/1-26 Aug. jamesacaster.com
JEN BRISTER
will donate £100 to Macmillan Cancer
Support. This means, of course, that if
any critic neglects to see his show, they
could be responsible for someone’s
death. We at ScotsGay love emotional
blackmail, so we’ll be there on day one.
Just the Tonic at the Tron/2-26 Aug.
fluid-thinking.co.uk
Another comic returning for a
second year after a début solo show is
Sarah Archer. The openly lesbian
comedian says she has a Head’s award
from middle school, a celebrity nose and
some funny stories - but she’s still
craving! In the show Constant Craving,
she takes a look at the malaise of the
modern world. Laughing Horse @
Espionage/3-26 Aug. FREE
saraharcher.co.uk
he comedy section of the official Edinburgh Fringe brochure appears to be
getting thicker year after year. It’s beginning to look like one of the more
substantial literary endeavours of Marcel Proust, and about as
incomprehensible. Worse still, the entries are arranged alphabetically, rather than
in order of time slot, which means that planning your day’s itinerary can be a tall
order. For convenience, the Edinburgh Comedy Festival brochure arranges its
shows in chronological format, and is considerably more user-friendly as a result.
The down side is that only the shows at the “Big Four” and Just the Tonic venues
are included. And a so-called comedy festival that excludes The Stand venues, for
example, is absurd.
It’s important when you visit the Fringe to take some risks, but you also need to
choose wisely. Remember that your time on this earth is finite, and you don’t want
to spend precious hours of your life stuck in a cave watching a group of adolescent
Ross Noble wannabes talking about pillar boxes made from asparagus and
monkeys with breadsticks for legs. It’s tedious enough when Noble does it himself.
So this is our essential TOP 50 guide LGBT/friendly comedy shows to see this
year. And just to annoy you, it’s alphabetical…
DANIEL-RYAN SPAULDING
.com
THE GINGE, THE GEORDIE AND THE GEEK
SGfringe
The openly gay Jen Brister earned a
rare five star review from ScotsGay’s
Fringe editor, Martin Walker, last year.
According to latest reports, for 2012
she’s somehow managed to produce a
show that’s even better! Wow. Just the
Tonic at The Caves/2-26 Aug.
jenbrister.co.uk
SGfringe 9
What is your new show about?
Well, it's about war donkeys, who are used in wars because of their even temperament
(they're very calm and not scared easily by explosions, etc), and their brilliant memories
mean they are able to remember routes easily (recently donkeys helped to liberate a
beseiged town in Libya called Gharyan by carrying ammunition and supplies across the
mountains to the trapped rebel fighters inside). Colonel Gadaffi hated them and blamed
them for his downfall. I wanted to write about donkeys because horses get all the glory.
I've sponsored a donkey called Walter, who lives in Devon, and I'm hoping one audience
member a day will sponsor one too. They are only £10 a year and you get a drawing of
them in the post. It's not all about donkeys though. I begin the show as Jason the War
Donkey, then it's stand up - mainly about women's stuff - until the end, when Jason
returns for a final flourish of donkeyness. The show is also about the state of women in
the world today. You can't cover everything and I wouldn't want to, as a lot of it (honour
killings, female genital mutilation, stoning, are too grim to even mention), so I'm focusing
on the new brand of Tory feminists and Maternal Health in Third World countries, which
are also very grim but I have some interesting stuff about those things that could be made
amusing. It's not all doom and gloom, though. I will be wearing a donkey outfit
throughout and re-creating a birth at the end to some nice music and clever lighting.
Some have described your style of comedy as “eccentric”.
Would you say this is a fair description?
I suppose. But to me, everything I do is straightforward and normal. In fact, I reign
myself in a lot to appeal to a wider audience. Anyway, it's up to other people to describe
what you do/what you are, isn't it? I don't see myself as eccentric.
What is most unusual experience you’ve had as a stand-up?
There have been too many so it's hard to pick just one. A highlight would be holding a
dog whilst carrying on with my routine that an audience member had brought in to the
show in her handbag. I got it out and held it because I was worried it would suffocate in
her bag. Every time I told a joke, it yawned. It was a tiny Yorkshire Terrier with a red bow
on top of its head.
What makes you happy?
My children. They also make me very unhappy as well, though. Fairs. Alton Towers.
Really old, clanking rollercoasters where you think you might fly off the rails and die. So,
so funny. My husband went on one of those once, and it was so old and knackered, and
looked so unsafe, I'm afraid to say that I actually wet myself laughing as I watched him go
round on it. He looked really worried. Because I was laughing so much, and I'd wet
myself, and I was looking after my toddler at the time, people looked really concerned and
worried for me. I think they thought I had a non-specific mental disorder. Like Ricky
Gervais in his new Channel Four show "Derek".
What makes you angry?
The treatment/abuse of the weak and vulnerable. Dog shit on the pavement. Drivers who
beep when the lights are on amber. Lying.
What other shows will you be seeing this year at the festival, and why?
Loads. I try to see things that I wouldn't normally see in London.
War Donkey
10 SGfringe
The Assembly Rooms
2.45pm 1-26 August
JONNY AND THE BAPTISTS
BRIDGET CHRISTIE
If ScotsGay were casting the next
series of Channel 4’s 10 o’clock Live,
Josie Long would be at the helm. Her
mix of whimsy with unashamedly left
wing satire delivered Long an Edinburgh
Comedy Award nomination in 2011.
Many are saying that 2012 will be her
year. Pleasance Courtyard/1-27 Aug.
josielong.com
In 2010, ScotsGay went along to see
the hilarious musical comedy JUMP,
written by comedian Kelly Kingham. Two
years later Kingham is back with a
deliciously dark stand-up show - in which
he explains how we can all become
‘extremely great’. And it’s free. Royal
Mile Tavern/4-25 Aug. FREE
MILO McCABE
Weaving magic and comedy with his
life story, Rob Bailey explores his
childhood love of supernatural mysteries,
work in secure psychiatric wards, and
becoming a veteran Edinburgh performer.
Delivered with sensitivity, humour and
baffling psychological illusions, Mind
Reading for Breakfast simultaneously
demonstrates the power of psychology
and mental traps exploited by mystics.
Sweet Grassmarket/11-27 Aug.
psychicpsychologist.co.uk
MAE MARTIN
Another comic with a strong gay
following is Jim Jefferies. His straight
talking, direct humour is frequently called
offensive by people who don’t
understand stand-up comedy. His
popularity with gay folk is entirely down
to the fact that he’s really very good.
Even amongst the gay community he
divides opinion though – for example, is
he better with or without the goatee? The
Assembly Hall/2-26 Aug.
jimjefferies.ning.com
The comedy blues trio, Jonny & the
Baptists present their Edinburgh debut
this year, and we can be sure this’ll be a
firm fringe favourite. Their songs are
original, laugh-out-loud funny, and
bloody catchy. You’d be a damn fool not
to see them. Underbelly Cowgate/2-26
Aug. jonnyandthebaptists.co.uk
MITCH BENN
Q& A
Back in Edinburgh for the third time
with an all too limited Fringe run, the
leading piano playing comic Kev Orkian
will this year explain why he’s the world’s
favourite foreigner. If you’ve never seen
him perform, check out his website for
some quite spectacular musical clips.
theSpace @ Symposium Hall/13-25
Aug. kev-orkian.com
If Kylie were a stand-up comic, she
would be Lucy Porter. Not only is Porter
of a, ahem, similar height, but more
importantly, her act has made her into a
gay icon. The reason? Behind those
impossibly good looks (she doesn’t seem
to age) is a strong women with real
talent. Don’t underestimate her; she has
one of the best delivered sets around.
Stand Comedy Club1/2-26 Aug.
lucyporter.co.uk
Fresh from becoming the winner of
the Best International Act at the Brighton
Fringe this year is Canadian Mae Martin.
Unbelievably, at the age of 23 she’s
already celebrating a decade of ‘doing
comedy’. She’s very funny, and her
tomboy good looks make her extremely
popular with gay ladies… nice. Just the
Tonic at the Caves/2-26 Aug.
maemartin.ca
Michael Pope sold his successful
US midtown bike messenger company to
pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a
filmmaker. Out of money and with only
half of a terrible film in the corner
(opposite the piles of unpaid bills), he
desperately scanned the back of the
Village Voice where he found the ad:
‘Men. Phones. No Sales’. Michael Pope
is Gay for Pay. Laughing Horse @ The
Phoenix/2-26 Aug. FREE gay-forpay.com
The world is shrinking, the
economy’s shrinking and comic
songwriter Mitch Benn is shrinking. In
Jan 2011 he weighed 25 stone (that’s
350lb if you’re American and 160kg if
you’re properly foreign). By last year’s
Edinburgh Fringe he had lost ten stone.
How did he do it? Where’s it gone? How
the hell did he reach 25 stone in the first
place? And the real question; what will he
(and we) do now? Music. Mirth. Morbid
obesity. Stand Comedy Club3/2-26 Aug.
mitchbenn.com
comedy previews
The News at Kate used to be one of
those shows that seemed far too good
for the Free Fringe - then the Free Fringe
got really, really good. Kate
Smurthwaite’s annual satirical show
returns for another year in which she,
‘explores the news, being in the news,
and being on the news’.
Ciao Roma/4-25 Aug. FREE.
cruellablog.blogspot.co.uk
Berliner, Otto Kuhnle has survived
the wild punk and squatter era of the 80s,
has seen the Berlin Wall fall and is now
witnessing his old run-down district
Neukölln changing into a trendy area.
Five years ago, in his street you still got
paid to live in one of the flats. Now they
rent the same hovels to hipsters from all
over the world at exorbitant prices… that
they still find really cheap. Join Malcolm
Hardee Award Winner and Henning
Wehn’s partner in German Humour as he
makes his solo debut at The Fringe, in an
hour of Teutonic mirth, music and yes gnome juggling. Assembly George
Square/2-26 Aug. ottokuhnle.de
Straight from a sold-out run in the
US City of Brotherly Love, three
performers standing at a crossroads of
sexuality come together to perform a
funny and remarkably revealing, Slightly
Awkward Peep Show. Whether it’s
coming out... as straight - or questing for
the elusive orgasm, their brutal honesty
is your awkward peep into Jamison
Foreman, Jennifer MacMillan and Daniel
Student’s naughty bits. Fingers Piano
Bar/4-18 Aug. FREE
slightlyawkwardpeepshow.com
Paul Foot returns to Edinburgh with
a brand new show that will delight and
amuse his connoisseurs. His description
of his show follows but, as anyone who
knows him is fully aware, this bears little
or no direct relevance to what he will
ultimately perform. Here it is anyway:
“Deep within the sinking sands of the
Perspex jungle of youth, in the forgotten
nebula of nothingness, comes an objet
d’esire: a trombone fruit. Needless to say,
it’s another warm year.” Underbelly,
Cowgate/2-26 Aug. paulfoot.tv
Have you ever fantasised about
starting your own religious cult? That’s
the premise behind Rod is God - an
imaginative new dark comedy from the
people behind Late Night Gimp Fight.
Judging from their other shows, they’re
not afraid of risk-taking when it comes to
their comedy, and it should be all the
better for it. Pleasance Dome/1-27 Aug.
pmeedinburgh.com
Meet Ethan Addie – a young and gay
Australian hot mess that identifies with
Beyoncé, but not the gay community.
Leaving home at 17, dropping out of a
chemistry degree at 19, moving to
London to inadvertently live with a rent
boy, his first love (Jehovah’s Witness)
breaking up with him by texting to say he
needed to be tested at 22 - and finally
‘settling down’ in queer-friendly
Melbourne, or so he thought... This anticamp rising star has made a lot of
Rookie Mistakes in his time; learn more
in his Edinburgh Fringe debut. The
Street/15-25 Aug. ethanaddie.com
performs a reverse strip tease as she
combines burlesque and comedy –
including a discussion of how she deals
with Racist bikini waxers and polar bear
asylum seekers. Meanwhile, Stephen tells
all about being dragged up by his
Northern parents, Ronald and Geoff.
Laughing Horse at Bar 50/3-12 Aug.
FREE
With Storytellers’ Club, we have
another opportunity to see this firm
Fringe favourite. Each night a group of
comics gather to tell bedtime stories.
The line-up changes for every show, and
it’s a great way to see your favourite
comedians in a different light. Pleasance
Courtyard/Aug w’ends.
londonstorytellingfestival.co.uk
When Stephen K Amos is truly on
fire, he is one of the very best in the
business. Take a sneak peak at his next
show, with this ‘work in progress’. Stand
Comedy Club3/2-26 Aug.
stephenkamos.com
We’ve raved about the husband of
comedian Bridget Christie enough
already. Just go and see Stewart Lee.
The Assembly Rooms/2-26 Aug.
stewartlee.co.uk
Possibly the most famous
Scandinavian lesbian comedian, novelist
and actor in the world – Sandy Toksvig,
is appearing in Edinburgh as part of her
first major UK tour. A uniquely witty
afternoon of stand-up, stories and
fascinating facts is promised. Pleasance
Courtyard/17-23 Aug. sanditoksvig.com
Scott Agnew is an openly gay
Glaswegian, with a story to tell - and, by
all accounts, a filthy one at that. Last year
Martin Walker in ScotsGay wrote,
‘Imagine the gay son of Amy Winehouse
and Billy Connolly. He is the antidote to
Craig Hill’s light campery’. This year
Angew takes us into, ‘the little known
world of the gay man’s sauna - a tradition
going back centuries…’ Take a look at his
totally out of date website, which details
his 2009 show at The Underbelly. Stand
Comedy Club4/2-26 Aug.
scottagnew.co.uk
Is Simon Anstell the most
successful openly gay comedian working
today? Fresh from gigging in New York
City, USA, the ‘Do Nothing’ and
‘Grandma’s House’ star returns to
Edinburgh with his sellout show, ‘Numb’.
The Bongo Club/20-26 Aug.
simonamstell.co.uk
Manchester born comics Zoe Iqbal
and Stephen Bailey reunite in Edinburgh
in, Subject to Change. Comic actor, Zoe,
SUSAN CALMAN
What’s it like being the son of a
comedian? Character comic Milo
McCabe presents a funny and moving
show based around the life of his father,
old school comic and New Faces finalist,
Mike. Milo plays different people from his
Dad’s past in an idiosyncratic show that
examines the changing nature of British
comedy since the seventies, as well as
the issue of having a comedian for a
father. Gilded Balloon Teviot/1-26 Aug.
milomccabe.co.uk
JIM JEFFERIES
Imagine the bitchiest, most caustic
drag queen and then trap him in a
women’s body. Add a strong dose of well
crafted and intelligent material and you
get Jo Caufield – one of the very best
comics around. Need we say that gay
men love her? Stand Comedy Club1/126 Aug. jocaulfield.com
KEV ORKIAN
pic by Steve Ullathorne
.com
SANDY TOKSVIG
SGfringe
Readers of ScotsGay Fringe
coverage over the years will already know
that we adore openly the gay Weegie,
Susan Calman. She’s been flexing her
satirical muscles as a News Quiz and
HIGNFY regularly and it shows. Shooting
from the hip in her most personal and
political show yet, This Lady’s Not for
Turning Either will be a real Fringe
highlight. Underbelly, Bristo Square/127 Aug. susancalman.com
Young lesbian comic, Suzi Ruffell, is
bringing her hotly anticipated debut
show, Let’s Get Ready to Ruffell, to
Edinburgh. Ruffell opens the door on her
inability to grow up, her social ineptitude
and desperate need to fit in. Pleasance
Courtyard/1-26 Aug. suziruffell.co.uk
SGfringe 11
stewart lee
.com
Well you could say that, but when I won
two British Comedy Awards I wasn’t
mentioned in any of the rundowns of the
winners in any of the newspapers except
for The Guardian and The Independent.
The same goes for my BAFTA award. They
just missed me out of all the lists in the
tabloids. In a way that’s a victory. To have
managed to win these things is great, but
to still be of no interest to celebrity
journalists means you’ve done it without
being known. So if I could manage to
carry on like that that’d be really good,
because obviously being thought of as a
celebrity compromises you as a comedian.
Unless you’re John Bishop and a lot of
your routines are about knowing famous
footballers and things like that.
In a way, then, you think it’s advantageous
to be marginalised?
Yeah, it is. It’s much better. Because I
don’t have to spend any money on
advertising. I don’t have to employ joke
writers or go on panel shows. I just sort of
plod along at my own pace. And every
now and then the Daily Mail tries to stir
things up against me, but when you look
on their guestbook afterwards it’s clear
that most of the Daily Mail readers don’t
know who I am, or have any idea what I
do, because they say things that just don’t
relate to me at all. So in a way it’s quite
good. Even when they try to make
something up about you, it doesn’t really
stick because there’s no target for it to
stick to.
Do you think mainstream comedy has
trained audiences not to have to do any
thinking for themselves?
Yeah, I do. But I think there’s been a
backlash. Weirdly, I think it might be
economically driven as well, because the
thinking audience is valuable to
advertisers, because they can sell them
certain types of products. But to be honest
I think this Jimmy Carr tax avoidance thing
is pivotal. I think the public need to get
fed up with stand-ups, and then the
distinctive ones will be left standing. It
might be a watershed moment. I think the
assumption will be that any comedian on
stage is a cunt and has stolen loads of
money and therefore isn’t entitled to talk
about anything. It might make it difficult
for everyone. When I was investigated by
the Inland Revenue I got a rebate. I’d like
to point that out. (Laughs.)
What do you think of Jimmy Carr’s position?
First of all, in his defence, what he’s done
is a tiny drop in the ocean compared with
what some of David Cameron’s friends in
business have done. Which is why it’s so
funny when Cameron chose to single out
Jimmy Carr. It’s clear that no one’s
advised him. He hasn’t talked to anyone
pic by Gavin Evans
12 SGfringe
“It’s awful for gay
people at the
moment to have
these major
institutions down
on them, but it’ll
probably force
the issue and I think
that’ll be a
good thing.”
pic by Steve Ullathorne
Who better to interview a
comedian than another
comedian? Andrew Doyle
talks to Stewart Lee about
his recent “wave of
popularity”, Twitter, gay
marriage, and Jimmy Carr’s
tax avoidance.
Were you surprised to be recommissioned
for a third series of Stewart Lee’s Comedy
Vehicle?
Yeah, I was. I was really surprised
because there hadn’t been much
enthusiasm for the second one. You can
be grateful for a commission, but it’s like
awards; you can’t think they mean
anything. They’re all a result of such a
chain of random events. If you start
thinking there’s a rational logic behind
commissioning procedures, then you have
to ask why was Horne and Corden on?
Would I be worse than Horne and Corden if
my show didn’t get recommissioned? But I
am grateful for the work, and I’m really
grateful that lots of people lobbied on
behalf of my show. I’m grateful and I’m
pleased, but I don’t think it means that I’m
any good.
According to Brian Logan at The Guardian,
you’re now TV’s “favourite funnyman”. How
do you feel about that?
That’s ridiculous, isn’t it? Most people
don’t know who I am. I got between half a
million and a million viewers for my last
series, and if you look at the level of
hatred for me online, the people who don’t
like me absolutely hate me. I’m only the
favourite funnyman of a coterie of
journalists writing for liberal broadsheets.
Maybe he means you’re his favourite
funnyman.
I don’t even think that’s true. I think when
a journalist writes opinion pieces like that
they have to sum up their readers’
feelings. But I don’t even think he’s done
that. There are plenty of people going on
the Guardian website saying that they hope
I die of Crohn’s disease and things like
that. It’s weird to be part of a consensus,
especially when that consensus isn’t
reflecting general public feeling. And you
worry about being flavour of the month
before you then disappear. But obviously
this is what I do, I’ve got to do it forever,
and hopefully I’ll be able to ride out this
problematic wave of popularity.
But I wonder to what extent the media are
trying to create that perception. Doesn’t the
media determine what people think?
SGfringe
and he’s just opened his mouth. If handled
properly, this could bring down the
government. To pick on Jimmy Carr when
you’re giving knighthoods to CEOs who are
evading much more is absurd.
And hasn’t George Osborne got a four
million pound trust fund in an offshore
account?
Yeah. And Cameron’s father ran a system
for offshore banking to avoid tax.
It’s hilarious.
It is hilarious. And it would be brilliant if
Jimmy Carr did his next show all about
that and gave all the money to charity.
That would be really interesting. But this
perception that Jimmy Carr is in some way
left-wing has always struck me as funny.
There isn’t any indication of him having
any political affiliation at all, although his
material would suggest if he did have one
it would be right-wing anyway. This might
be the end of irony comedy. The idea that
you’re being ironic about the weaker
members of society doesn’t really work if
you’ve concealed millions of pounds a
year which would have gone towards
helping them.
I know that a lot of your on-stage anger is
feigned or exaggerated. But when you talk
about Twitter in your new show, the anger
seems authentic. Am I right?
I hate Twitter. I can’t stand it. It’s full of
people who don’t know what they’re
talking about, who have done no research,
making ill-informed pronouncements that
have a personal impact on other people.
SGfringe13
Every time I look on Twitter I get really
annoyed and I’m glad that I don’t have an
account. This week I looked up Jimmy
Carr to see what people were saying. And
just twenty-four hours after the story broke
Nicky Clark, the disability rights
campaigner, had said that I had been very
quiet about all this, and suggested it was
because he had paid for my stand up DVDs
to be made.
What does she mean?
Exactly. I’ve been quiet about Jimmy
Carr? I don’t have a newspaper column. I
don’t have a blog. I’m not on Twitter. So
what does she fucking mean? And as for
him paying for my stand-up films: there’s a
bit in one of my books when I say that in
2005 Jimmy Carr said he would fund a
DVD of mine if I wanted one because I
hadn’t made any. But I didn’t do it
anyway. If I was on Twitter I’d now be in a
war of words with her.
So you prefer just not to respond to these
things?
I’m so irritable and paranoid. I couldn’t
cope with going on Twitter in order to
engage with people saying things about
me that aren’t true. It would drive me
mad.
But for less well know comedians Twitter
and Facebook can actually be really helpful
in terms of generating an audience.
I can see that about it, and I wouldn’t want
it to stop. But I hate this assumption that I
should be involved in it. If you’re a
comedian now you’re supposed to be
transparent, you’re supposed to be
blogging about your life every day. But if
you live in the public eye it makes the onstage character less credible. Your last
show was like that, wasn’t it? We were
meant to think: has he really done the
things he’s talking about or not?
Is your on-stage persona a character, then?
Up to a point. I mean, obviously there is a
considerable overlap with me. In my
current show, the Stewart Lee comedian
complains about Russell Kane’s show.
Stewart Lee, the man talking to you now,
wouldn’t complain about Russell Kane’s
show. I haven’t seen it. But the Stewart
Lee on stage would think that because
Russell Kane’s got a streak in his hair, he
can’t be any good. Stewart Lee the
comedian is more pedantic and
pessimistic than I am.
I personally wouldn’t have said that
Richard Hammond should have his head
smashed off in a car accident, but the
comedian Stewart Lee would get to that
point as a result of a forty-minute logical
argument.
14 SGfringe
“What Jimmy Carr’s
done is a tiny drop
in the ocean
compared with what
some of David
Cameron’s friends in
business have done.
To pick on Jimmy
Carr when you’re
giving knighthoods
to CEOs who are
evading much more
is absurd”
pic by Gavin Evans
stewart lee
I hear a lot of people on the circuit having a
dig at the big mainstream comedians. Do
you think you’ve started this trend?
I wouldn’t have thought so. When I started
stand-up in the eighties there was such an
identifiable difference between the
mainstream television comedy and
alternative comedy – a lot of people did
jokes about Benny Hill and Bruce Forsyth
or whoever. And I think what’s happened –
although it’s got nothing to do with me – is
that this identifiable difference is back
again. In 1979 there were a lot of hugely
wealthy tax-dodging people presenting
television programmes and using gag
writers to create generic material. And
there were lots of people doing little clubs
called alternative comedians who didn’t do
any of that. And now, thirty years later,
we’re in exactly the same position. If
there are a lot of people doing jokes about
them, it’s because the mainstream comics
are funny and ridiculous in the same way
as they were thirty years ago.
Do you think having children has changed
who you are as a comedian?
Absolutely. First of all, on a practical
level, I don’t have time to write word-forword a two and a half hour show and learn
every line of it. It has to be generated on
stage up to a point. So obviously that
changes the tonality of the show; it sounds
more conversational and less scripted.
Secondly, I find that I’ve felt more engaged
with society since having children. I
wouldn’t say this is true of childless
people generally, I wouldn’t want to speak
on their behalf, but it’s certainly true for
me. It’s changed me because when I was
young, it was easy and amusing to affect
cynicism. But I think if you’ve got children
you can’t afford to be entirely cynical
because you have a stake in the world, and
you have to hope for their sake that things
are salvageable. You have to be more
optimistic, and that does change what you
write about.
People know you as an outspoken atheist.
Do you have any views on the Church of
England’s reluctance to give up on the gay
marriage issue?
I think it’s really bad. Because as a lapsed
Protestant I like to berate my Catholic wife
with the moral superiority of the Church of
England and now I can’t even do that.
It does feel a little desperate, like they’re
fighting a battle they’ve already lost.
It’s over. It’s over. It just makes them look
ridiculous. It’s awful for gay people at the
moment to have these major institutions
down on them, but it’ll probably force the
issue and I think that’ll be a good thing.
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s a good
bloke really, but he’s a broken man now.
I’ll bet he’s really glad to be retreating
back into the world of academia rather
than having to fight this battle, because it
probably will split the church. And for a
lot of gay people who are religious it’ll be
nice for them to go to a church they feel
they have a connection with, but who don’t
seem to despise the fundamental core of
their being. I think it will work out for the
best in the long run.
Finally, what can we expect to see in the
third series of Stewart Lee’s Comedy
Vehicle?
It will be more abstract. I’m hoping that
the third series will include a three-minute
silent image of a piece of gingerbread
being thrown into the air. That’s the only
idea I’ve got at this point.
Stewart Lee:Carpet Remnant World
The Assembly Rooms
6.05pm 2-25 August
Andrew Doyle: Whatever it Takes
The Caves, Cowgate
8.00pm 2-27 August
SGfringe15
cabaret previews
Tell us about ‘Monstrous Acts’
I like to call Monstrous Acts my 9 day wonder in that it was conceived and completed in as
many days. I had 2 actors and a theatre standing idle. I had 2 ideas. One was a ghost
story, the other prison drama. Of course the idea of lots of horny prison sex was very
appealing and ultimately won out. The actors in the original production, both straight,
jumped at the chance to be fearless with the physicality of the piece. However it was only
after doing some very quick research that I came across a very interesting albeit little
known fact on the life of possibly history’s most notorious serial killer. I wanted to write a
story about how a man can attempt to redeem himself through the love of another. How
love, acceptance and forgiveness can flourish in the darkest of places. I already had the
visuals in my head when I started to write and was always one scene ahead of the actors.
It is very visual and sensual but also very confronting with a haunting soundtrack. I think
people will walk away very moved by the experience. It has a beautiful sadness about it.
The two plays couldn’t really be more different.
This was an opportunity to show Edinburgh audiences the variety of work we sometimes
do. One is very dark but powerful, the other such a fun ride. They both look like they were
written by very different minds. They compliment each other and also showcase the skills
of our ensemble.
You’ve been described as one of Australia’s most prolific writers? What got you into it?
I had no choice in the matter. As part of my training to be a director I also had to come up
with my own script as well. To wholly involve myself in the organics of a piece. I also liked
the idea of telling my own stories. That is why I always tend to direct the first production
of any of my work. Everything you see is what I saw in my mind as I wrote it. I go from
funny little comedies to broad historical pieces if the idea takes me. I saw the statue of
David so I wrote a play about Michelangelo. I read sense and Sensibility so I wrote Jane
Austen’s Guide To Pornography. I am not limited or restricted to one genre. I have plenty
of ideas. I just hate having to sit down and write the damn things. I am always amazed
when I have finished something as I rarely remember the 5.30am writing sessions. I
usually call everyone up and tell them I have finished. It is becoming ho-hum to many of
my friends. But the one thing that really makes me write is an advertised deadline.
Who is your favourite writer?
I do not consider myself particularly well read. I do read a lot of non-fiction, biographies
etc. I like the facts. Fiction is what I try to create.
What other shows on the fringe are you keen to see and why?
Anything that does not have willy wobbling about. I have enough in my shows. Between
flyering and operating 2 shows my time management skills will be tested. it will be quick
grabs of whatever takes my fancy on the day.
What do you love/hate about Edinburgh?
I love it all. The rain, the smells, the angry locals, the foulmouthed youngsters asking for
cigarettes, the terrible theatrics throughout the Royal Mile and the fact that i am ten
thousand miles from home but doing what I love. Bring it on, I say.
Monstrous Acts
C aquila
9.30pm 2-27 August
Mr Braithwaite Has a New Boy
C aquila
6.25pm 2-27 August
16 SGfringe
You’ve heard of burlesque, but have
you heard of bearlesque ….? Hairy
Pretty Things Dave the Bear and ‘close
friend’ Mister Meredith return to the
Edinburgh Fringe, this time hairier
(thanks to Regaine), prettier (thanks to
surgery), and thingier (thanks for
nothing) than ever. Combining naughty,
seductive blues and hip hop covers and
hairy, smoky original jazz and R‘n’B
songs with award-winning (Berlin)
comedy boylesque. Fingers Piano Bar/425 Aug. FREE hairyprettythings.com
Jonny Woo is the ‘Tranny Superstar’
who previously gave Edinburgh
audiences the brilliant ‘Night of a
Thousand Jay Astons’ and ‘International
Woman of Mr ‘E’’. It’s good to have the
hard working Jonny back – this year in a
modern cabaret featuring his latest
creation, Wonder Woo-Man. Expect
surreal, intelligent character comedy in
drag from a master/mistress at the top of
their game. Assembly George Square/126 Aug. jonnywoo.com
DUSTY LIMITS
Tells us about ‘Mr Braithwaite Has a New Boy’
Written and first performed in 2011, it centres on an elderly gay man Harold coming to
terms with loneliness and mortality who inadvertently hooks up one day with a young
street rent boy. Their business arrangement develops into something deeper and almost
farcical as Harold attempts to bring some stability to the young man’s life by suggesting
that he adopt him and as a way of curing Harold’s loneliness. What ensues is a hilarious
struggle between greed and desperation. It has savage one liners, multiple costume
changes, bad wigs, double entendres aplenty and tongue firmly in cheek as Harold and
rent boy Johnny find something within each other they were not looking for. It was written
to showcase the talents of these remarkable actors.
Phrases like ‘rare and unique talent’
abound at the Fringe but Dusty Limits is
the genuine article. To have him perform
as part of the Free Fringe shows just how
far this festival within a festival has
come. Be warned, you’ll probably want to
put the entire contents of your purse in
his collection bucket after the show.
Expect sex, drugs, swearing and singing.
Turn up early. Laughing Horse @ The
Counting House/2-19 Aug. FREE
dustylimits.com
If you’re very lucky you might still be
able to get hold of a ticket for
Fascinating Aïda, performing at the
Fringe as part of their UK tour. This show
will include several numbers hot off the
press, plus a few old favourites including
their infamous anthem to budget travel,
Cheap Flights (eight million plus hits on
YouTube) as well as the Dogging Song, a
fond homage to the joys of al fresco sex.
Gilded Balloon Teviot/1-26 Aug.
fascinatingaida.co.uk
The Lady Boys of Bangkok are an
entertainment institution like no other.
Pulsating with latin beats of fiesta,
infused with chart-topping sounds. Add
laughter, surprises and you have the
unforgettable party that is the lady boys,
returning with their new show as part of
the Carnival Queens tour. Comedy
cabaret at its most magnificent!
Meadows Theatre Big Top/4-26 Aug.
ladyboysofbangkok.co.uk
Keris, Catherine and Brooke are
known collectively as the Sundaes, the
larger than life trio who offer stunning
vocals, hilarious comedy and outrageous
costumes. Their latest show,
Knickerbocker Glory! promises to be an
absolute hoot. We at ScotsGay are
looking forward to getting to know these
larger than life ladies a whole lot better –
can you keep a secret? So can we! You’ll
have to wait for SGfringe issue 3 for
more details! In the meantime, go see the
show! SpaceCabaret @ 54/3-25 Aug.
thesundaes.co.uk
LYNN RUTH MILLER
HAIRY PRETTY THINGS
STEVEN DAWSON
The rather unimaginatively titled
Friday and Sunday Fundraiser does
exactly what it says in the title - helping
raise money for Scottish sexual health
outfit, Waverley Care. Coordinator,
Stephen Martin is keeping tight lipped
about the line up for now, but judging by
previous years we can expect the cream
of the Fringe. And it’s free. We’ll see you
there! New Town Bar/Fri & Sun in Aug.
FREE newtownbar.co.uk
Watch out boys! Lynn Ruth Miller the Fringe’s favourite cougar - is back for
another round of outrageous comedy and
songs. If there is a more talented 78 year
old comedian still working in the world
today we’d like to meet them. To call her
a Fringe institution is an understatement.
She’s more of a national treasure.
Sapphire Rooms/4-25 Aug. FREE
lynnruthmiller.net
Hosted by Dave the Bear, Claire
Benjamin and Mister Meredith, Magic
Faraway Cabaret presents a different
enchanted world every night with a
mash-up of themes such as Banarnia,
Doctor Who Does Dallas,
Steviewonderland and Tina Turner Prize.
With its nightly Raise a Dead Celebrity
spot, this is inventive, entertaining and
intelligent cabaret that changes nightly so
you can come again and again. The
Voodoo Rooms/4-25 Aug. FREE
magicfarawaycabaret.com
Mickey and Judy is an hilarious
musical memoir, chronicling Michael
Hughes’ childhood obsession with Judy
Garland and his journey from psychiatric
ward to off-Broadway. With anecdotes
from his doctor’s charts detailing his
childhood propensity for cross-dressing
and a musical score that borrows from
Broadway classics and the Judy Garland
songbook. Space Cabaret @ 54/3-25
Aug. mickeyandjudy.ca
Songs! Jokes! Stockings! There’s a
party in Mister Meredith’s Christmas
Crack and you’re invited. Celebrate the
true meaning of Christmas: shopping,
drinking, shagging, telly and drugs.
Musical tales of random lays, peculiar
diets and Doctor Who - all those things
that make the winter holidays special, but
with added summer! Le Monde/4-25
Aug. FREE mistermeredith.co.uk
JONNY WOO
Q& A
‘Lashings’ is everyone’s favourite
queer feminist burlesque collective - but
you already knew that. In this year’s
Fringe show they’ll be sharing their
stories of an Alternative Sex Education.
Expect tales of terrible teachers, songs
about sub-standard shags, and plenty of
alternative perspectives - delivered with
lashings of wit and charm. This isn’t
about imposing a different set of
standards; it’s about expanding the realm
of what’s possible. It’s as easy as ABC
(that’s Asexuality, BDSM, and Consent).
The Bongo Club/3-17 Aug. lashings.org
Briefs slams together a beef-caked
and disorderly line-up of Australia’s
award-winning mischief-makers in a
circus-infused variety show for the notso-faint-hearted. Host Shivannah,
love-child of the ringmaster and bearded
lady, leads a ragtag team of skilful
buccaneers in a contortion of vaudeville,
burlesque, dance and clowning. Raw and
savvy, a mix political conscience,
theatrical rule-breaking with heaps of
clever parody and good old fashioned
entertainment. Underbelly, Bristo
Square/1-27 Aug.
KNICKERBOCKER GLORY!
.com
MISTER MEREDITH
SGfringe
SGfringe 17
.com
Q& A
ScotsGay
A d v er t i se in
PAUL FOOT
What is your new show about?
Nothing really
What is most unusual experience you’ve had as a stand-up?
Realising that getting booed offstage in a godless caravan park does wonders for your
career.
What makes you happy?
My connoisseurs. They are effectively my family. Everything I write is for them.
What makes you angry?
A lot of things make me angry. In fact there’s a section of my show this year dedicated to
things that make me angry.
It’s not as
e x pe n si v e a s y o u
t h i nk
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My phone contract. I wish iPhone would just sod off. I much preferred my blackcurrant
phase.
What other shows will you be seeing at this year's festival, and why?
Probably very few. I’m performing every day and find it hard to relax in the run-up to a
show. If connoisseurs who come to see my show are also in a show and they tell me
about it then I try to go along though. I support my connoisseurs in all of their
endeavours, be it cleaning window sills, landscaping roundabouts, clog-making, anything.
Kenny Larch is Dead
18 SGfringe
dance preview
pic by Steve Ullathorne
SGfringe
Fl a s h M ob !
Underbelly, Cowgate
7.30pm 2-26 August
C o n ta ct M a r ti n Ma n n
[email protected]
0131-661 6037 / 07850 576106
Dance worlds collide! This
dynamic show is packed with energy
as stars from your favourite dance
reality shows take centre stage.
Tommy Franzen, Alleviate, The ATeam Corporation, Brosena and
more familiar faces from shows
including Got To Dance, So You
Think You Can Dance and Move It
Like Michael Jackson join forces for
the biggest dance fusion Edinburgh
has ever seen! Watch as Latin meets
lockin', jazz joins jump jive and
contemporary goes Celtic! This feelgood production celebrates the world
of dance, building to a spectacular
finale that guarantees everyone is on
their feet! Directed by Gary Lloyd.
Assembly Hall/2-27 Aug.
SGfringe 19
JO CAULFIELD
Scotland’s Loud and Proud Choir
returns to the Fringe with a concert
supporting Waverley Care. Performing in
the stunning acoustic of Stockbridge
Parish Church, the a cappella singing
sensation offers another remarkable
programme to transport the audience
from Scotland’s shores deep into Eastern
Europe and across the Atlantic.
Traditional Scots songs combine with
pop favourites, stirring anthems and
moving ballads, reflecting the diversity of
the choir and ensuring the delight of all.
Book early - this is a real Fringe hot
ticket, with previous performances
selling out. Sponsored by MHD Law LLP.
Stockbridge Parish Church/25 Aug.
loudandproudchoir.org
Tell us about your brand new Edinburgh show ‘Thinking Bad Thoughts’
I just can’t control my big mouth. Apparently I don’t have the ‘polite conversation gene’
that most normal people have. I’ll notice something, say it out loud to my friends and
they’ll react in horror. So this show is me letting out all my bad thoughts...
Like, I read Abercrombie & Fitch have a policy where they only employ slim, attractive
young people, and it made me think, “I wonder if Greggs The Baker have the exact opposite policy?” And, if health food is so fucking good for you, why does everyone working in
those shops look like a cadaver? I also found out I’m NOT legally married to my husband!
We got hitched 10 years ago in New York but apparently we didn’t fill in all the correct paperwork. So that got me thinking...... “Hey, I’m single, what would it be like to be single
again?? Would I choose to marry the same person??”
You are hugely popular with gay men and women.
Well gay people have very good taste! I used to work behind the bar at Bang in London,
which then changed its name to G.A.Y. (like Bang wasn’t obvious enough?), and I spent 5
years writing on the BAFTA winning Graham Norton TV show, so I’m a full-time card-carrying fag hag. Gay audiences bring out the worst in me, it’s like being egged on by your
mates. I will be even meaner and more outrageous because I know you will love it!
I do think it’s very important that my show is inclusive; it’s not just heterosexuals who hate
their partners.
You’ve done a fair bit of TV acting too.
Yes, this year along with “Thinking Bad Thoughts” I’m also doing a play with Phil Jupitus
called Coalition. It’s a comedy about the coalition government. I play the Lib Dem Chief
Whip. I’m completely cynical and have some killer lines, basically I just come on, act like a
complete bitch and leave ......it’s such a stretch!
Is it true that you started in comedy by setting up your own club in a bar basement?
I actually started by entering an open-mic competition on a dare when I was drunk. I was
so drunk I can’t remember being on stage let alone anything I said. But I won the competition! I went back to that club the following week and performed sober. I died on my arse!
That’s when the MC told me the best way to get good is to perform every week. So I borrowed £50, bought a microphone and small amp, and set up my own club in a basement
bar opposite Hampstead Heath. It was a great room, brick walls, low ceiling and a little
cocktail bar in the corner, perfect for comedy; or a brothel, but I went with the comedy. By
running a club I got to learn about the business and was able to watch really good comedians. Also, because it was my club, I could book myself every week!
Of all the comics appearing on the fringe this year, who makes you laugh the most?
Jo Caulfield.
What do you love/hate about Edinburgh?
I love the fact that you can stand on Princess Street, in the middle of the city, and still see
mountains and the sea. The countryside is right there but so is Zara and Top Shop. That’s
the ideal way to see the countryside. It’s such a beautiful city. Walking home after a nightout is like being drunk in Fairy Town. And the people are so friendly. Especially in Scotmid.
Oh sorry, I’ve just confused friendliness with nosiness. I don’t think there’s anything I hate
about Edinburgh, apart from tourists standing in the middle of the pavement OBLIVIOUS
TO PEOPLE THAT WANT TO GET PASSED THEM!
Thinking Bad Thoughts
20 SGfringe
Stand One
8.15pm 1-26 August
Following last year’s sell-out Little
Shop of Homos! the London Gay Men’s
Chorus Ensemble are back for a fifth
year, to premiere their new musical
comedy, Hi-de-Homo! Set in a holiday
camp of yesteryear, expect their usual
variety of magical musical styles
including Irving Berlin, Elton John, The
Smiths and Lady Gaga, show-stoppers
from favourite productions and their
famous brand of homo humour. This
summer, let the boys put the camp into
your holiday! C Venues/12-18 Aug.
www.lgmc.org.uk/ensemble
MOLLY WOBBY’S TIT FACTORY. PIC BY NEIL HARRISON PHOTOGRAPHY
Do you prefer TV, radio or live stand up?
I like them all. I just filmed Mock The Week and I’ve a show on BBC Radio Scotland at the
moment, “Laughing In All The Right Places”, it’s me interviewing comedians about traveling the world doing comedy. But ultimately I prefer the freedom of live Stand-Up. I can say
anything I like and no one can ‘edit’ me. And I like having audience involvement in my
Edinburgh shows, so every show is different. And we’ve talked about everything! Last time
I asked audience members where they lost their virginity. The show before that I asked
how many sexual partners they’d had.
The whole town gets an unexpected
makeover when a stranger arrives on
Mammary Lane - in Molly Wobbly’s Tit
Factory - this musical comedy by Paul
Boyd. Join the good shopkeepers of Little
Happening as they plot to get a few
things off their chests. Heavily laden with
big laughs, catchy songs, and leaky
implants, this rampant tour-de-force
sticks a finely-tuned musical hypodermic
firmly into the bosom of today’s surgeryobsessed culture. A must see for fans of
The Rocky Horror Show, Jerry Springer:
the Opera, or Avenue Q. This is the adult
musical comedy Sweeney Todd wishes
he was in! The Assembly Rooms/1-26
Aug. mollywobblystitfactory.com
LONDON GAY MEN’S CHORUS ENSEMBLE
How many Fringe shows is that now?
This is my 9th show. But I prefer to count my career in dog years, so this is actually my
first Fringe show and I’m only 21. For the 25 time. I think when I get to 10 shows they
should let me do a “Supermarket Sweep” round Harvey Nichols.
How about baroque music and
characters from ancient history, seen
through the pink eyes of a German gay
choir? The highlights of Handel’s famous
opera Julius Caesar - Losing Your Head
in Egypt are condensed to this
extraordinary and spectacular version by
composer Alexander Strauch. He created
a clever blend of original and
contemporary choral and piano music,
containing elements of baroque, avantgarde and Egyptian pop. C Venues/15-18
Aug. philhomoniker.de
JULIUS CAESAR - LOSING YOUR HEAD IN EGYPT
LOUD AND PROUD CHOIR
Q& A
musicals
SGfringe 21
SGfringe
.com
Edinburgh International
Festival
In the next
Issue of
SGfringe
22 SGfringe
Edinburgh International Book Festival
Yet again there will be hundreds of events in Charlotte Square Gardens between
the 11th and 27th Aug when this Festival comes to Edinburgh. Masses of events for
children also and a special children’s bookshop.
Many of your favourite writers will be there, reading and discussing. There will be
a chance to see and hear Carol Ann Duffy, our lesbian Poet Laureate, at 11.30am on
Sat 25th Aug. She is sure to be reading from her latest collection, The Bees, which
includes moving poems about the loss of her mother.
Will Self appears later that same day (9.30pm) talking about his new novel
Umbrella (an item surely selling well this summer!) focusing on a munitions worker
who falls into a coma. Is her disease a microcosm of the technological revolutions of
the 20th century?
Simon Callow appears on Sat 11th August at 4.30pm: in this Dickens bicentenary
year he has written, “Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World.” – Dickens
and his life as theatre.
Sun 12th sees Alasdair Gray, a legendary must for fans of one of the greats of
contemporary Scottish literature. “Lanark” is now 40 years old, but still a very relevant
read. Gray has just published his collected short stories – 75 of them, 12 new. He is on
at 6.30pm.
A L Kennedy is there on Mon 13th at 11.30am. Her most recent novel was The
Blue Book, but she has also produced a series of essays on the problems facing
writers today and her own descent into illness last year.
The distinguished Irish gay writer Colm Toibin will appear at 3pm on Mon 13th.His
new collection of essays has a eye-catching title: New Ways to Kill your Mother. This is
about famous writers – Synge, Yeats, Thomas Mann and many others, their families
and the effects they have on those around them.
The ever-popular lesbian top crime writer Val McDermid, who hails from Kirkcaldy,
will be appearing at 4.30pm on the 14th. She will be with Prof. Sue Black, director of
the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at Dundee University in a session
called, “Crime Fiction on the Dissection Table.”
Important one coming up.......Amnesty International each year runs a series on
Imprisoned Writers and issues relating to creative freedom. An event of special interest
to our readers will be the one entitled, “Love is a Human Right.” Amnesty campaigns
against the persecution of the LGBTI community wherever that occurs. On Fri 17th Aug
at 5.30pm this event will feature extracts from works by and about people who have
been criminalised or tortured because of their sexuality.
More and more....the delightful Jackie Kay with her short stories “Reality, reality,”
at 8pm on 17th; Liz Lochhead at 8pm on 19th and again at 4.30pm on Tue 21st;
Jeanette Winterson at 6.30pm on Mon 20th with her life-affirming new work, “Why be
happy when you could be normal?”. Then Polly Toynbee with David Walker at 3pm on
Sun 26th with, “The Verdict,” – their analysis of the last British government – that’ll
cheer you!
This is just the tip of the iceberg. To learn more about the hundreds of other
events at this Festival, pick up a copy of the full programme, The World in Words, free
at many venues, or look on edbookfest.co.uk
Susan Calman
David Mills
The Ginge, the
Geordie and the Geek
Jen Brister
Kev Orkian
Lucy Porter
Mister Meredith
Mitch Benn
Monica Bauer
Otto Kuhnle
Paul Boyd
Andrew Doyle
Lady Boys of Bangkok
and online at
sgfringe.com
The World Explodes into Edinburgh from 9th
Aug to 2nd Sep. This year the Festival is taking into
account the World Shakespeare Festival and the
Cultural Olympiad. At the same time, director
Jonathan Mills is concerned, as he says, “to
introduce audiences to the thrilling virtuosity of a
new generation of talented performers.”
A work of interest to an LGBT audience will be
David et Jonathas – a reinterpretation by Charpentier
in 1688 of an Old Testament tragedy – the story of
the love between two men that comes from a book
by Tony Challis
that offered so much damage to sexual minorities –
indeed to human sexuality. This is presented by Les Arts Florrisants at Edinburgh
Festival Theatre between 17th and 20th Aug.
Another mind-expanding opera is The Makropoulos Case by Leoš Janáček. This
was a very forward looking work for the 1920s when it was written, about the desire
for eternal life and youth and the unwanted consequences this can have. The
mysterious opera diva Emilia Marty seems to know much more about this than she
should... At the Festival Theatre 11th and 13th Aug.
There is plenty of dynamic and youthful dance available, including New York’s
famous Juilliard School of Dance. With choreographers from the school and from
Spain and Sweden their show comprising The Waldstein Sonate, Gnawa and Episode
31 Is sure to be stunning. 25-27 Aug at Edinburgh Playhouse.
Bathsheva Dance company’s Hora is another thrilling spectacle of movement,
deliberately working without soloists. Playhouse, 30th Aug to 1st Sep.
Ballet Preljocaj “draw you into an all-consuming exploration of human rituals,
beliefs and relationships” And then one thousand years of peace exists in a postapocalyptic world. At Edinburgh Playhouse, 17th-19th Aug.
Villa + Discurso goes into the dark heart of one or the 20th Century’s many savage
episodes. This is 1970’s Chile, in Villa Grimaldi, the torture and extermination centre of
the Pinochet regime. Guillermo Calderon’s work exposes “both a terrible heritage and
the great humanity it inspired.” 20/21st Aug at The Hub.
Shakespeare appears with A Midsummer Night’s Dream (As you like it) the
Russian Dmitry Krimov’s take on the play from the Chekhov International Theatre
Festival. 24th-26th Aug at The King’s Theatre. The Royal Shakespeare Company brings
us the Shakespeare’s tragic poem The Rape of Lucrece, performed by the stunning
singer Camille O’Sullivan. Those who saw her show last year will recall her very vibrant
voice.
This has been a very short intro to a few if the glittering host of events. Find out
more by picking up a copy of the sky-blue-with-doves programme, widely available, or
go online to eif.co.uk This will open the door to a fabulous festival.
Reviews of many of the above pieces will be published on sgfringe.com. Or, for
more information on all EIF events go to eif.co.uk
...other events
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