The Meeting, Pleasance Courtyard 3 stars
Russell Kane, Pleasance Courtyard 5 stars
Andrew Lawrence, Pleasance Courtyard 3 stars
Idiots Of Ants, Pleasance Courtyard 4 stars
Wilson Dixon, The Stand 3 stars
Jim Rose, Udderbelly(You'd have more fun blinding yourself)
While cultural stereotyping is seldom a great idea, it is not a massive surprise that the Australian puppet show SAMMY J IN THE FOREST OF DREAMS is as ripe as the locker room banter after an Aussie rules football derby. A subversive spoof on parallel world fantasies such as Alice In Wonderland, it follows the misadventures of Melbourne comedian Sammy J after he is magically transported to the Forest of Dreams.
The forest is populated by charismatic furry creatures whose cuteness is matched only by the foulness of their language and deeds. When Sammy J's misplaced idealism annoys the despotic and sexually rapacious puppet king who rules the forest, then bloody mayhem ensues. The juxtaposition of children's puppets and adult themes is nothing new, but this show scores on account of its charm as much as its appetite for puppet bestiality. Both Sammy J and the ingenious puppeteer Heath McIvor work hard for the many laughs and, remarkably, they manage to provoke genuine empathy for the fuzzy monsters they manipulate. I've never been enchanted so rudely before.
Equally as oddball is THE MEETING, a site-specific comedy play held in a serviced office suite. The audience sit around a conference table while three comics act as thrusting young businessmen conducting the meeting. Much like Ricky Gervais' Office, The Meeting is all about the deadly accurate observation of tiny, toe-curling details which build into a convincing and damning bigger picture. From the office geek with his tie tucked into trousers via the crap Powerpoint presentation to the awful corporate jargon they carelessly fling about, the trio send up the time-wasting Hell of the inter-departmental meeting. It is all horrifyingly recognisable, which makes it a good Fringe show but possibly a better management training video.
RUSSELL KANE's Gaping Flaws is a more conventional stand-up show that examines the love/hate relationship that the Brits have with their faults. We all know that as a nation we drink too much, eat too much, are punchy and start having sex too young but that we also parade these flaws like a badge of honour. Combining a fierce intelligence with an irreverent streetwise line of patter, Kane is well placed to ask why.
Coming from a dysfunctional, working-class family where reading a Penguin Classic was akin to being caught with a copy of Muscle Mary Monthly, Kane's background provides the richest seam of anthropological material and a compassionate context for his more cutting observations. Delivered at a break-neck speed, his set flits easily between the crude and the cerebral and makes telling points with both approaches. Gaping Flaws is one of those rare shows that makes an hour seem a very short time.
On the night I saw ANDREW LAWRENCE's show, it was hamstrung by two drunks who wouldn't shut up until asked to leave. Despite these distractions, Lawrence has a lot of potential. A misanthrope who is convinced that life is a cruel and unusual punishment, Lawrence's stage persona is that of the outsider disgusted by normality and unable to fit in. It's not for everyone, but his bile might make your own day seem brighter.
THE IDIOTS OF ANTS sketch show will make anyone's day seem cheerier. From a bloke dating a transgendered Beaker from the Muppets to the father whose son can't enjoy schoolboy humour, it is enjoyably daft. It also features a very clever use of Photoshop which provides one of the biggest laughs of the night and ties the entire show together ingeniously.
Down at The Stand, modern-day cowpoke WILSON DIXON is skilfully dismembering the conventions of country and western songs. It's slow burn satire but done with heart and humour. Tellingly, many of his songs wouldn't seem entirely out of place on a genuine C&W album.
As to the JIM ROSE CIRCUS, just don't bother. Ten years ago, his shows were as much about wit and humour as they were about freaks doing strange and interesting things to their bodies. His comeback gig is a cross between torture porn and a Bangkok sex show but with less humanity. v
Sammy J In The Forest Of Dreams, Underbelly (0844 545 8252), until August 24 (not 11), 6pm; The Meeting, Pleasance Courtyard (0131-556-6550), until August 25 (not 12), 6.25pm; Russell Kane, Pleasance Courtyard (0131 556-6550), until August 25 (not 20), 8pm; Andrew Lawrence, Pleasance Courtyard (0131-556 6550), until August 24 (not 13), 9.45pm; Idiots of Ants, Pleasance Courtyard (0131-556 6550), until August 25 (not 11, 18), 6.20pm; Wilson Dixon, The Stand (0131-558 7272), until August 24 (not 11), 6pm Jim Rose, Udderbelly (0844 545 8252), until August 25, 11.45pm