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Latest items? Unedited? Fringe Report Uncut
Comedy A JoJo - 60 Acts in 60 Minutes
Verdict: Gatling-Gun of London comedy
London - Madame JoJos - Weekly Tuesdays - April+ 04
Aimiable promoter Rohan Acharya kicks off a new weekly season of Underhand's Comedy A JoJo with a one-off special event - 60 Acts In 60 Minutes. It's the night of London's most torrential storm of the year, and the venue's packed.
MC Damian Kell introduces the fast succession of acts with urbane diction and not a hint of panic.
Performers in order of appearance:
1 - Nick Revell: elegant pastiche of celebrities. 2 - Paul Foot: with outrageous 60s hair, the Gay Men's Curling Champion makes drama with a £1 coin. 3 - Jared Christmas, loud, rude, New Zealander, generous of flesh, improvised wit about the consequences of crossing different animal species. 4 - Matt Devereaux: subtle Irish comedian, tonight in leather coat with umbrella (well-prepared for tonight's monsoon). 5 - Janice Phayre: glorious spiky-blonde-haired Irish comedienne flashes some of her bottom for 'a bit of craic'. 6 - Josh Howie: 'I'm Jewish' - subtle risky humour about 'Jews, blacks, niggers'. 7 - Hugh Jones & Ciaran Murtagh as The Black Sheep: dance in their (clean) underpants to Bossa Nova while filling wine-glass from bottle. 8 - Milo McCabe: 'Celebrity Fat Cunt' with spotted T-shirt delivers sublime comedy. 9 - Kevin Dewsbury: with wild hair and anorak, from Wales, speculates on the right accents for films like Lord of The Rings.
10 - Pete Gold. The tall and handsome guitarist, singer and lyricist delivers The Minute Song - a highlight of the night. Containing most swearwords (email any omissions to reviews@fringereport.com - we'd like to know), 'How do you like my motherfucking song?' is a tailor-made masterpiece from London's best comedy songwriter. It brings the house down.
11 - Alex Lasarev: witty set from Canadian stand-up transposing US cop drama to more leisurely UK officers. 12 - Barry Hall: introduces Book Camp - on a mission to turn squaddies into librarians. 13 - Matt Holt & James Lamont as Matt & Lamont: comedians from drama Nudge wrestle manfully. 14 - Kerry Godliman: gifted London comedienne addresses urgent social topics: 'Do you find wearing a thong a bit like flossing your arse?' 15 - Scott Capurro - blissful American stand-up analyses The Passion - 'Jacking off to Jesus - hottest Christ ever'. 16 - Tristan Chasman - classy trumpet solo starting with strangulated notes. 17 - Sasha Herriman: the tall and elegant newsreader/jazz singer is joined here by gifted Tami Tal for Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht's classic Oh Moon Of Alabama. 18 - Johnny Hansler as The Reverend Dick-Tate: fabulous and topical spoof of American fundamentalist Christian nut-case - 'Bible belt a bit too tight to do up?'. 19 - Gareth Tunley as Sven Stacy: sublime parody of agent delivers one-minute guide to showbiz - 'Like anal sex - it's not for everyone'. 20 - Fergus March, Damian Kell & Matt Kirshen as The StickMen, with James Lamont, Liz Bower: March, Kell, Kirshen deliver sketch from The StickMen, assisted by James Lamont. Gifted comedy actress Liz Bower's pulled from the audience to assist and shows how to climb on stage in a short skirt while not flashing one's pants.
21 - Paul Kerensa: gentle, subtle and funny manipulation of statistics. 22 - The Other Two: funny parody of knock-knock jokes. 23 - Katy Wix as Abigail Williams: inspired character actress delivers Abigail from Wales in anorak and glasses lamenting her twisted tubes. 24 - Marek Larwood: extremely subtle and original material about prejudice towards US and question from his father: 'If it's tail's still wagging, how can it be rape?' 25 - James Dowdeswell - Rising stand-up star ponders unusual death-threat. 26 - Nick Swift's Big Square Head - extremely tall comic with rolled-up trousers recounts problems of his dwarfism. 27 - Sol Bernstein (assisted by Steve Jameson) - he's elderly, he's Jewish, he's been in showbiz more than 60 years - gifted and engaging character comedy, but no time to chat up 'the hookers in the front row'. 28 - The Wayward Council: comedy quartet debate how many comedians needed to change light-bulb. 29 - Hils Barker - very funny set rephrasing kids' rap into classical English. 30 - Nick Tanner (from The Hollow Men) - Sublime character comedian attempts slow reading of Genesis from 1660 King James Bible in 60 seconds.
31 - Naomi Grigg as Naomi The Rollerblader - tall and divine Naomi rollerblades to Elvis's 'A Little Less Conversations'. 32 - Trevor Lock: gifted comic with large hair and glasses recalls 'When I was a little girl' - and subsequent disallusionment. 33 - Ben Willbond as Ed Wellesley-Smith: gifted character comedian delivers 60-second cricket tutorial as merchant-banker Ed from Fulham. 34 - Lizzie Roper as Lady Agatha Bagshawe: stunning beauty Lizzie Roper disguised as old trout with Zimmer contemplating striptease. 35 - Andy Zaltzman: FR Awards 04 Best Stand-Up dissects a Plymouth heckler's claim 'I've shagged your mum' for feasibility - glorious. 36 - Dominic Frisby: as Louis Schaeffer, man of subtle similes - 'Like my wife's cunt / Like sucking cock' - sharp character comedy. 37 - Andrew Clover: fast-paced audio-tour of London from master of accents.
38 - Alexis Dubus. A highlight of the night from a skilful character comedian and stand-up. In satin suit, this lisping character's a hilarious loser on a speed date - with the audience as partner. As the minute draws to a close, it's time for a wank. Wonderful, purpose-written sketch from a delightful and engaging performer.
39 - Waen Shepherd as Gary Le Strange: the gold-waistcoated Neo-Regency Face Warrior excerpts from his forthcoming album. 40 - The Bebeto Dancing Violins: 2 women & 2 men play stringed instruments, while dancing - both blissfully
41 - Spencer Brown as The Penis: expert rendition of ejaculating cock (avoid sitting in front two rows). 42 - Josie Long - London comedienne takes musical requests blowing on two open bottles. 43 - Mark Blake as Helmut the German: 'How many Germans does it take to change a light bulb? One. Most efficient.' 44 - Paul Litchfield & Dan Mersh (from The Trap): Dan Mersh tries to tell a joke over Paul Litchfield's severe farting. 45 - Brandi Borr - blissful comedienne attempts to join in German tutorial soundtrack. 46 - Nat Coombs - American comic proposes Celine Dion as antidote to War on Terror. 47 - Quincy: Large black comedian worried about white people worried about large black men in dark alleyways - lively stand-up. 48 - The Giant Pineapple Boys - 3 skilled impressionists sing & act Pearl & Dean and J Arthur Rank cinema intros. 49 - Peter Buckley Hill: seasoned London stand-up mimes fonts - Aerial, Times New Roman. 50 - Reginald D Hunter: aimiable and risky black comedian muses relative strength of words 'nigger' and 'cunt'.
51 - Tom Meeten (from Oram & Meeten) as Tony Hands: step-dancing (with oohs and aahs) from gifted character comedian in white protective suit, hood, and glasses . 52 - Tony Law: Tall and wild-haired comic recalls going to India and finding himself. 53 - Johnny Candon: Irish comedian muses risky consequences to wrong answers to girlfriend's question in bed: 'Will we be together forever?' 54 - Nick Doody: sharp witty set starting from autistic kid at party. 55 - Phil Zimmerman: 'You're thinking Leo Sayer' - reflects upon his appearance. 56 - John Hopkins & Richard Glover as Hopkins & Glover: leading London character comedians, tonight with wild big hair: tall John Hopkins with nose-bleed plays lead guitarm shorter Richard Glover with mic sings 'Spunk'. 57 - Alex Kirk & Simon Messingham as Kirk & Messingham: sharp character comedy duo brilliantly spoof Richard Harris and Richard Burton in Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf - superb scripting and performance. 58 - Jack Cowley: encourages audience to stick thumb in eye, and play tricks with thumb and forefinger. 59 - Alan Francis: brilliant stand-up from a modern master 'I was in the fish and chip shop the other night, having a piss' - very funny. 60 - Dara O'Briain: distinguished Irish comedian delivers fast set climaxing in sublime and original joke about sectarian Belfast.
Encore: 61 - Nick Coppin: 'She said: I like my coffee like I like my men; so I poured it up her arse'. 62 - Aaron Barschak as John Smith: witty off-stage set from the Comedy Terrorist.
Jonny Berliner opens the night with 11 songs from his repertoire and forthcoming album, including: A Quiet Lament, Tube Song, Laze Around, Sunbathing In My Brain / My Baby Just Cares For Me, Say You're In Love With Me, Bonzai Tree, Sun Gonna Shine One Day, Lobster Song, Love Is The Way, Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard. His rich jazz voice and elegant playing continue after the night's comedy with The Jonny Berliner Band. It's more rocky material, including Steve Miller Band's Gangster Of Love.
Tonight's audience includes elegant cabaret artist Mark McInnes aka Dusty Limits, Rohan Acharya's uni friend Lisa, artist Holly Lucas, pretty comedy agent Alison Blower (Mirth Control), London Comedy Festival's blonde bombshell Leanna Rance and gorgeous stand-up Ava Vidal
Cast Credits (alpha order): MC - Damian Kell. Performers - Hils Barker, Aaron Barschak, The Bebeto Dancing Violins, Jonny Berliner, Mark Blake, Brandi Borr, Liz Bower, Spencer Brown, Pete Buckley Hill, Johnny Candon, Scott Capurro, Tristan Chasman, Jared Christmas, Andrew Clover, Nat Coombs, Nick Coppin, Jack Cowley, Matt Devereaux, Kevin Dewsbury, Nick Doody, James Dowdeswell, Alexis Dubus, Paul Foot, Alan Francis, Dominic Frisby, The Giant Pineapple Boys, Richard Glover, Kerry Godliman, Pete Gold, Naomi Grigg, Barry Hall, Johnny Hansler, Sasha Herriman, Matt Holt, John Hopkins, Josh Howie, Reginald D Hunter, Steve Jameson, Hugh Jones, Damian Kell, Paul Kerensa, Alex Kirk, Matt Kirshen, James Lamont, Marek Larwood, Alex Lasarev, Tony Law, Paul Litchfield, Trevor Lock, Josie Long, Fergus March, Milo McCabe, Tom Meeten, Dan Mersh, Simon Messingham, Ciaran Murtagh, Dara O'Briain, The Other Two, Janice Phayre, Quincy, Nick Revell, Lizzie Roper, Waen Shepherd, Nick Swift, Nick Tanner, Tami Tal, Gareth Tunley, The Wayward Council, Ben Willbond, Katy Wix, Andy Zaltzman, Phil Zimmerman.
Company Credits: Stage Management - Nic Watson. Technical Manager - John Charles. Programming & Promotion - Rohan Acharya. Thanks to Keef Gould, Chris Lincé, Lucy Middleweek, Jake Wiltshire. Company - Underhand (alpha order: Rohan Acharya, Matt Holt, Mike Smith, Nic Watson).
END
John Park
reviewed Tuesday 27 April 04 / Madame JoJos
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012
www.fringereport.com
