Comedy: Seann Walsh
Caroline of Brunswick Weds 2nd
As Edinburgh zips into pant-pissingly exciting sight again, so do the memories of Brighton’s finest in the Scottish capital last year. Despite being tired, bedraggled and emotional, local hero Seann Walsh’s memorably resolute, bug-eyed gig in front of a tiny cavern of stoned Jock teenagers on the closing weekend last year was an undoubted highlight, even if it all felt a long way from the razor sharp performances which have earned him awards and small screen fame. (BM)
Film: SEX & THE CITY 2
Duke Of York’s until Thurs 3rd
187 years old between them, the vivacious oestrogen-free gadabouts who make up the S&TC quartet return to the silver screen for the second in a credibility-and-credulity-stretching big dollar franchise. Two years since we last glimpsed into their unlikely lives, we find Carrie’s marriage to Big somewhat on the rocks. Duh, who’d have guessed? The gals repair to Abu Dhabi for an exotic break to cheer up the horse-faced wife and, inevitably, show off their matching shoes and accessories. It sounds truly awful. (NC)
Talk: The Space
The Basement Thurs 3rd
The achievement of The Space in persuading production overlord William Orbit to pop down to The Basement for a chat seems too implausible to miss, particularly if someone can persuade him to accidentally destroy every last trace of the Katie Melua album he’ll have created last month. In a tag team Never Mind The Buzzcocks would be proud of, he’s joined by Tim Pope, the director of multitudinous videos by the likes of The Cure, David Bowie and Reverend And The Makers. (BM)
Theatre: My Name Is Sue
The Basement Thurs 10th
In a cross between Julia Davis’s sinister spinsterdom as Jill in Nighty Night, the unhinged provincial tragedy of The League Of Gentlemen and the piano-plonking falsettos of a drunken 30-something virgin entertaining indifferent cruise shippers, Dafydd James’s cross-dressing Welsh weirdo became the unnerving oddball of last year’s Edinburgh. Back for another blistering, surprisingly affecting assault on the keys and heartstrings, the intrigue this time around will be whether he can add substance to shock value. It’s definitely going to be memorable. (BM)
Comedy: Claire Dowie
Upstairs at Three and Ten Thurs 10th – Fri 11th
Whenever Claire Dowie surfaces, the results are worth watching – in three decades of provocative stage busting she’s set herself up as a beer-swilling, fag-guzzling anti-heroine of “dyke culture”, morphed into a man and single-handedly spun a twist on interactivity through monologue, stand-up and no-stone-unturned audience involvement. Buy Little Buy Less Buy Nothing At All centres on “a tragic inability to shop”, apparently involving comedy, music and “interpretive dance”. These are also the only two performances of it she’ll be doing. (BM)
Dance: MICHAEL CLARK COMPANY – COME, BEEN AND GONE
Dome Tues 15th
Michael Clark has always been the rock star of ballet, fusing the noble art with contemporary and alternative music – notably a run of leaping-about-with-arses-exposed pieces for the likes of The Fall, Laibach and Erasure. His credibility credentials have always been tip-top; dressing up and messing up with Leigh Bowery in the theatre-inspiring Taboo days, resplendent with mohican and tutu. This time around, he’s focusing somewhat intriguingly on the work of David Bowie, as well as a litany of Dame collaborators and inspirations, from Lou Reed, Iggy and Eno to Kraftwerk. Ballet doesn’t come with more balls, quite possibly on show tonight. (NC)
Theatre: Salome
Theatre Royal Tues 15th – Sat 19th
A big, brash, showbiz reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s notorious byzantine vision of biblical characters making out with each other and getting their heads lopped off, Headlong’s Salome has added “edgy” modernism to iconic theatre, receiving a mixed reception along the way. A high-energy cast keep the bloodletting camp and high energy enough to compel, and there’s little effort spared in the “urban” wardrobes and flamboyant imagery. It’s a sure bet to hold the attention, for absurdity if nothing else. (BM)
Comedy: Marcel Lucont
Caroline of Brunswick Wed 16th
Arrogant Gallic love God Marcel Lucont perceives himself as the high-brow antithesis of his idiotic English audiences, and you do need an essentially juvenile ability to laugh at crude puns mused in a French accent to appreciate his endearing genius. Assuming you’ve got that, you’ll probably find it impossible not to be seduced by Alexis Dubus’s repulsive lothario, prattling about the stage sipping wine, moaning about London and sneering derisively at humanity’s stupidity. He’s worth it, even if we’re not. (BM)
Event: Factory
Phoenix Sat 19th
If you tripped through the weird, seemingly inescapable maze of glowing tents and bizarre performances in the exotic underworld Phoenix became during White Night last year, you’ll know what to expect from these occasional fundraisers for the gallery’s ambitious expansion plans. For the uninitiated, this time there are sets from Shoreham nautical rave duo 55th Flotilla, solo loop loon Bunty and the formerly-acclaimed Le Band Extraordinaire in their new life as Grow Claws, as well as the usual melee of live art and photography. (BM)
Theatre: A View From The Bridge
New Venture Sat 19th – Sat 26th
The star summer turn at the Venture is an Arthur Miller 1950s classic portraying the folly of a randy Brooklyn husband who foolishly falls in love with his adopted niece, which bodes predictably badly for the illegal immigrant Italian object of her desire. Alan Ayckbourn, Brittany Murphy and Scarlett Johansson all had a crack at this one over the years, and it’s the last chance to catch a major show here before the end of the current NVT season. (BM)
Literature: SHORT FUSE
Komedia Studio Bar Sun 13th
Regular lit night Short Fuse roars up on its scooter for a night dedicated to all things mod, for the launch of Charlie McQuaker’s Die Hard Mod novella. The author will be read from the book and answer questions from the audience, possibly like “Vespa or Lambretta? Well the former is probably more reliable but the latter just looks the business…” Mod DJ Stan Ogden spins old 45s, there’s a short film on local mod culture and writer Paulo Hewitt is inevitably present too. Jimmy! (NC)
WORDS BY NICK COQUET, BEN MILLER
