Liam Rudden's Fringe Firsts

Published on Friday 1 May 2009 14:41

AUGUST might be three months away, but already the PR machine that accompanies every Edinburgh Fringe is in full swing. Consequently, here is a sneak preview of some of the celebrities and home grown talent gearing up to entertain later this year.

Let's get the birthday's out of the way first. Julian Clary ("I'm 50. The shame of it," he announces in his publicity) heads to the Capital for a nine-night run – his longest stay in Edinburgh during August for some time. Catch Lord of The Mince at The Underbelly.

Meanwhile, at the Gilded Balloon Craig Hill presents 40 Love... yes, you've guessed it, Craig has turned 40 and found himself single and back on the market. That can only mean one thing, a new show, his tenth in a row.

Also at the Gilded Balloon you'll find Hollywood star Janeane Garofalo – Janis Gold in 24 – who brings her eponymous one-hour stand up routine to town for the first time.

Local talent in 2009 is represented by 18-year-old Scottish comedian Daniel Sloss. The comic prodigy best known for writing material for Frankie Boyle is fast making a name for himself performing in his own right. Don't miss him in Teenage Kicks at the Pleasance Dome.

Other comedy institutions back for more include Reginald D Hunter in The Only Apple In The Garden of Eden And Niggas, at the Underbelly, and Jason Byrne who, as well as his usual Fringe run, will do four nights at the EICC.

On the music front The Magnets – you may remember seeing them support Tom Jones at the Castle – also head to the Underbelly with another a cappella feast called Gobsmacked, while public demand sees the sultry temptress Camille O'Sullivan reprise her five-star show The Dark Angel, at the Assembly Hall.

Talking of beauties, super model turned writer/performer Robyn Peterson will also make her Edinburgh debut at the Assembly Hall in Catwalk Confidential, a one-woman show chronicling her journey to become one of the most successful models of the 1970s.

Other returns include Big Brothers Big Mouth presenter Jack Whitehall, who heads to The Pleasance with a new stand-up show, and Fringe favourite Lizzie Roper who is back at the Gilded Balloon after a year out and a guest role in Shameless. This year Lizzie teams up with Richard Fry, who garnered five star reviews last year for Bully. They play a married couple in Killing Me Softly, a new play tackling domestic violence.

Following the success of Breaker Morant in 2006 and Talk Radio in 2007 I hear that Phil Nichol's Comedians Theatre Company are to return to The Pleasance with a production of Richard Brinsley Sheridan's 18th century comedy of manners, School For Scandal. Rumour has it that it will star Nichol, Marcus Brigstock and... Lionel Blair!

Another drama cast with comedians this year can be found at The Stand, where Gregory Burke's Gagarin Way is the piece receiving the treatment. Phil Nichol again stars, this time joined by Bruce Morton and Jim Muir aka Rev Obadiah Steppenwolf III.

Finally, and he won't be everybody's cup of tea, porn star Ben Dover makes his Fringe debut this year in a show about his life at The Underbelly.

To read the full programme you will have to wait until June 11. In the meantime, I leave you with my favourite title of the year, so far. It's an evening of the finest young comedians at The Stand, called... wait for it... The Silence Of The Trams. Inspired.

ENDS