Jus' Like That review

Assembly Hall at the Mound, 5.30 'til 29 Aug

An homage to beloved magician and comedian Tommy Cooper

 Clive Mantle brings fez-wearing farce to life as he nails the mannerisms of the late comedian and conjurer in Jus’ Like That. The slapstick puns, the child-friendly anecdotes and the ridiculous humour is all there. Anyone (like myself) who grew up with Tommy Cooper on the telly will undoubtedly enjoy the show.

The Fringe sees comedians of every shape and size fighting to establish their own brand in a crowded arena. Love it or hate it, Tommy’s humour appeals to many and the fact a tribute act is drawing crowds 27 years after his death certainly says speaks volumes for his comic gift.

The show pays homage to Cooper’s style from the tufting hair, skipping steps and hand flourishes as he proudly presents yet another botched trick to his audience; you cannot help but crack a smile. The audience giggled and guffawed their way through Mantle’s act and while it may be simple humour, they left with a smile.

As with the bulk of the magic at this year’s Fringe, it was nothing special, a bit disappointing for seasoned magic-goers. Saying that, it is unfair to judge this show on such merits as it’s a mere sidebar to the main attraction.

4 stars

Mogic review; Magic Silliness

C Soco, 5.10pm 'til Aug 29

The best premise for a magic show I’ve seen so far.

A magician and his two assistants stumble on to the stage which also houses a huge crate labelled ‘Mail Order Magic Kit’. The would-be magician awkwardly tells us he ordered it months ago but owing to a shipping fault, has received it only half an hour before the show.

According to the accompanying audio tape, the kit boasts every trick in the magician’s arsenal and will show you how (‘with plenty of practice') to become a top-notch conjurer. Instructions are now played and what follows is magical ineptitude.

The ‘glamorous assistant’ is in fact, a twenty-something man wearing an evening gown and looking spectacularly disgruntled about it. He begrudgingly obliges when the tape instructs him to flash cleavage at the audience and fawn over our would-be magician.

The by-play between the unwaveringly calm and confident voice on the tape and the catastrophic results of the hapless performers is genuinely funny.

This would have easily attained 5-star status if the sleight of hand itself had been slicker or more complex. As it was, the tricks were very basic, even when the intention was clearly to demonstrate skilled magic.

A fun hour of slapstick but if you’re looking for jaw-dropping magic, go elsewhere.

3 stars

Shylock review

Assembly Hall at The Mound, till 29 Aug 2011

We’re so accustomed to gimmicky rehashes of Shakespeare, it’s a pleasure to discover an intelligent new take on his work; how curious it is to consider the inception of a character like Shylock, to ponder his place in society and why Shakespeare put him there.

Gareth Armstrong’s one-man show, Shylock, does just that. The troublesome character from The Merchant of Venice (one of only two Jews ever to appear in Shakespeare), is explored through his friend (and bit-part) Tubal.

Through a series of clever impersonations, Guy Masterson’s Tubal also ponders the portrayal of the typical Jew in literature. Whilst re-enacting Shylock’s key scenes, he reveals background information about Jewish oppression, citing everything from the Scriptures to Dracula and Hitler.

Humour is a key aspect of the play's success despite its heavy subject matter. Scenes detailing the sadness and oppression are left just long enough to affect us and then Tubal jauntily re-emerges grumbling about the fact he’s a bit part with a mere eight lines of dialogue. Masterson’s performance is fast and furious as he a snaps from one character to another, constantly catching us off-guard. The audience is captivated throughout as he shifts effortlessly from resentful despair to child-like excitement.

Vibrant, poignant, exceptionally well written and beautifully executed.

5 stars

Ian Kendall Obsession, a Life with Magic

Another magic review...

Whether, like me, you find magic fascinating or you’re just mildly curious, Ian has a way of making it seem utterly, well, magical.

With his aptly-titled show, Ian takes us on a nostalgic trip, sharing with us a copy of the first magic book he bought as a youngster. He talks us fondly through his career, occasionally sprinkling and adorning it with tricks and illusions from card magic to weighted dice.

Ian is not interested in gimmicks or selling his style to you, he’s only interested in sharing what he’s learned in the hope that you’ll find it as amazing as he does.

That said, there are aspects of his performance which are lacklustre which is a shame. He coyly admits he didn’t bother with music to play him on and off stage, as he’s only doing two shows this year.

The routine itself perhaps needed to be more seamless - on more than one occasion he checks his notes to see what’s next - and while he’s too much of a pro to stumble from act to act, more showmanship would have been nice.

Slight lack of organisation aside, Ian remains a talented, charismatic and gentlemanly performer who’s always worth seeing.

He doesn't really hate rabbits... a magic review

James Galea, I Hate Rabbits

The Playhouse at Hawke and Hunter 7.30pm, Until Aug 29

James Galea, in fact, has nothing against rabbits. The tongue-in-cheek title merely tells us that Mr Galea is sticking to good old-fashioned card trickery with this year’s show.

Buoyant and charming, this magician generates a great deal of excitement with his bamboozling tricks as he produces cards from impossible places whilst stealing people’s possessions. He bounds across the stage and on completion of each routine, is visibly excited by the results. Whether you’re impressed by card tricks or not, he is an infectiously chirpy character.

Galea opens his show with a montage of clips of himself performing on a variety of stages and television shows. The clumsy introduction does the man a disservice as he is more than capable of convincing the audience of his skill; the fact we’ve not heard of him is unimportant.

Galea gleefully feeds off the audience and was at his most delicious when involving them in the illusions themselves. His trick of ‘Bawttle’ and ‘Tyoobe’ with a Scottish gentleman at my performance was particularly funny.

The final flourish was touchingly introduced and a lovely way to end the show, garnering some gasps from his captivated audience.

The tricks themselves are fast and fun, although perhaps not wholly fresh or unusual. It’s Galea’s energy, charm and his love of the craft that make this show a pleasurable hour.

Three stars methinks...

Fringey Fun Times

'Nobody gives a shit about Edinburgh unless it's August.'

The full impact of these harsh words uttered by Richard Herring the other day is beginning to sink in. Between waitressing and forcing myself upon the Skinny it's turning into a busy wee time at the moment. When I'm not getting abuse from customers (actually that's kinda harsh, today they were by-and-large very pleasant) I'm being a writing monkey for the Performance side of the Skinny.

Saw a great wee dance show, Actions Irish Dance, read my (co-written) review here

More to magic stuff to follow...

Clowning around at the Edinburgh Filmfest...

Machete-wielding, bedraggled circus clown amidst vicious rebels. Some of the first words I read in the EIFF guide and I knew it was going to make my to-do list. Alex de la Iglesia’s The Last Circus marries the stunningly beautiful with the truly vicious as he explores one man’s life-struggle for happiness.


Strange as this may seem, the opening credits themselves struck me. Propaganda-ridden images of Madrid montaged with personal pictures, giant font assaulting the eyes, pulsating war-like music… when this movie began I was ready for it.

Following in the steps of Del Toro with Pan Labyrinthine-style, Iglesia’s dark tale resists classification, which was initially a bit of a problem for me. I like to know what I’m in for and while I was expecting horror what I saw was a bit of everything; one moment a horror, the next a comedy, then action. Happily though, the characters are expertly crafted – in particular our plump ‘Sad Clown’ protagonist and the tragically beautiful Bardot-esque trapeze artist – and it didn’t take me long to just enjoy the film for what it was.

Iglesia likes contrast in making his point and frankly, it works for him. The circus performers are both captivating and comedic in turn but this is not enough to save them from ruin in the grim reality of Franco’s regime. The movie not only explores, but seems obsessed with, finding sanity amidst the madness.

Happiness itself seems to evade the Sad Clown and the more he chases it, the further he alienates those around him. The resulting consequences make for a memorable finale.

Iglesia already pocketed a Silver Lion award for Best Director in Venice last year and I can’t help but feel he’ll have gained himself a cult following with this one.