Critics' choice

COMEDY

RICKY GERVAIS

For many people, Ricky Gervais will always be The Office’s David Brent, the type of self-deluded, incompetent workplace manager most of us have experienced at one time in our lives.

Yet pre-"Brentie" Gervais did exist, in many guises. He was a late starter, first entering the world of comedy back in 1998 at the age of 36. Before that he had been employed for seven years as an entertainments manager for a student union, worked as a pizza delivery man, played in a failed 1980s band called Seona Dancing and briefly managed indie band Suede before landing a presenting job on London’s XFM radio station.

It was there he started developing a taste for comedy and a character called Seedy Boss who would later become his award-winning turn in The Office.

A brief period on Channel 4 as a reporter for The 11 O’Clock Show and presenting his own chat show, Meet Ricky Gervais, back in 2000 proved unsuccessful, but the Reading comedian more than made up for lost time with his role as the Slough-based office manager.

A year after the first series became a cult hit, The Office’s second run scored huge ratings. The success of the Gervais/ Stephen Merchant writing partnership won them a Bafta and this year the series became the first British show to win at Hollywood’s Golden Globes, collecting Best Comedy and Best Comedy Actor for Gervais.

His stand-up tour, Politics, comes to Glasgow on the back of the success of last year’s live show Animals, which was quickly released on DVD to catch the wave of critical success Gervais was riding.

This time Gervais adopts the persona of a self-deluded politician whose outrageous diatribes not even Alastair Campbell could spin into a good news story.

Like David Brent, Gervais says the unsayable but this time it’s deliberate, bigoted and utterly politically incorrect. Gervais manages to crack jokes about the Holocaust, paedophilia, gays and Nazis, as well as presenting a short film where he tips a disabled passer-by out of their wheelchair (which may sound strangely familiar).

Yet it’s all in the delivery, and many of the reviews the show has received so far have praised Gervais for his ability to remain disarmingly likeable. It will be interesting to see whether he has the stature and stage presence to really cut it live, but those who are expecting a stage version of The Office are set for a few surprises, as it seems that Gervais is anything but a one trick pony.

Pavilion, Glasgow (0141-332 1846), tomorrow, Tuesday, 7.30pm

ART

SHARED SPACE

Although they have been inseparable since they first met as students at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen in 1962, Will Maclean and Marian Leven have always worked independently. Shared Space is their first ever joint exhibition, apart from group shows, and, as Leven explains, it has shown them that there are more similarities between their work than they ever thought.

"We both work very independently, I mean we obviously see each other’s work and talk about it, but we have separate studios at home," she says. "My pieces have always been based on Scottish landscape but they have become more abstract and textural, and more of an emotional response to it rather than a straightforward depiction over the years. Will’s work is very much specific responses to certain incidents in Scottish history, smaller and more intricate and detailed than mine, but we found that they complement each other."

Despite working in different media - Leven on canvas and Maclean on found objects such as wood and bone - the pair’s common interests have meant that there are definite links between them.

"Our colours work quite well together and there is almost a theme to it, but I think that comes from our interest in Scotland and its history. It had never crossed our minds before to do a joint show, but now that we’ve done it. We are definitely thinking about doing more in the future. They’ll never be collaborative though, we both feel strongly about that, it involves too much compromise," she laughs. "Oh dear, that sounds awful."

Compass Gallery, Glasgow (0141-221 6370), until April 28

CLASSICAL

RSNO: ALPINE SYMPHONY

After an incredibly diverse and star-filled season, the RSNO season finally draws to a close. Over the months audiences have been treated to performances by leading violinists Janine Jansen and Leila Josefowicz, young jazz sensation Stacey Kent, and a birthday celebration for much-loved pianist John Lill, and it all comes to a spectacular conclusion with this series of performances.

Alexander Lazarev (below) takes the reins as the RSNO chorus and orchestra take on a programme featuring Mussorgsky’s stirring Night On A Bare Mountain, Shostakovich’s The Execution of Stepan Razin featuring legendary Russian bass Mikhail Svetlov, and Strauss’s epic Alpine Symphony, in which all the grandeur and majesty of the Alps are musically rendered by a gigantic orchestra. It should make for a triumphant finish, leaving us wondering what they can possibly come up with next.

Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow (0141-353 8000), Thursday, 7.30pm; Usher Hall, Edinburgh (0131-228 1155), Friday, 7.30pm

JAZZ

MATTHEW HERBERT BIG BAND

While some jazz-lovers feel safe in the hands of performers such as Jamie Cullum, who interpret the classics, others prefer something a little more experimental, in which case Matthew Herbert is just the man.

Well-regarded as a dance music pioneer in his guises as an esoteric DJ, avant-garde producer, label owner and soundtrack scorer, in 2002 he accidentally turned his hand to big band jazz after taking up Gilles Peterson’s offer to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival. With a 20-strong band, stunning vocals, live sampling and irreverent theatrical movements, Herbert breathes new life into an old style and opens it up to a younger generation. This event is a double bill also featuring cutting edge Norwegian jazz pianist Bugge Wesseltoft and his band which mixes jazz and dance music.

But it is Herbert, who is set to be the genre-bending star attraction of this performance, and those interested in exploring more about his output can also look forward to his appearance at the Triptych Festival later in the month.

Usher Hall, Edinburgh (0131-228 1155), Thursday, 7.45pm

MUSICALS

THE FULL MONTY

Who could forget the sight of Robert Carlyle and co stripped down to the bare essentials in 1997’s smash-hit comedy The Full Monty. Now hoping to ape the popularity of the film, which went on to become the most successful British screen comedy ever, comes this faithful stage adaptation from London’s West End which has already won the Evening Standard Award for Best Musical Award in 2002.

Set in Sheffield, The Full Monty tells the tale of Jerry, who is out of work and desperate to raise money so that he can keep seeing his son. Six out-of-shape men follow the path of the Chippendales in an attempt to get rich quick. Choreographed for the UK tour by Tara Wilkinson, directed by Madeleine Loftin and with the music and lyrics of David Yazbeck, The Full Monty features all the classic moments and musical highs of the cinematic original.

Reviews so far have praised it for keeping the heart of the original, with some members of the press even calling it the best of all film-to-stage adaptations. All that remains to be seen is whether the cast look as hilarious in their boxers.

Playhouse, Edinburgh (0870-606 3424), Tuesday until May 1, 7.30pm

POP

CALEXICO

Mention country music and stetsons and Dolly Parton automatically shoot into people’s heads. Yet if you dig a little deeper into the alternative side of the genre you can come across stunning acts such as Calexico.

Hailing from Tucson, Arizona, the band comprises two core members, Joey Burns and John Convertino, and was formed in 1996 with the release of the Spoke LP, although Burns and Convertino had already been playing together with Arizona mainstays Giant Sand. Over time, Calexico has featured a revolving cast of musicians and instruments, but it was the album Hot Rail released in 2000 and last year’s Feast of Wire which brought them to the attention of a wider audience. Their most varied record to date, the latter mixed understated piano tracks with full-on jazz and bittersweet pop and pushed the band’s music into lush new areas.

Now a six-piece, Calexico make a long overdue visit to Glasgow and will no doubt thrill the devoted with their legendary atmospheric performances. Any attempts at line-dancing will be severely frowned upon.

Carling Academy, Glasgow (0905-020 3999), tonight, 7.30pm

STAYING IN

KILL BILL VOLUME 1

After the cool of Jackie Brown, Kill Bill is Quentin Tarantino in trash mode relishing everything that’s commonly frowned upon in cinema; from its opening Shaw Brothers logo to its cheesy "our feature presentation" card and references to spaghetti Westerns, comic books and kung fu efforts.

Tarantino’s fourth offering features his trademark flashback-and-forth structure as we start with the Bride With No Name (Uma Thurman) being apparently murdered at a Texas wedding only to come alive again, intent on tracking down the unfortunates on her ‘to-kill’ list. The Bride is soon trying to wreak vengeance on the first of her enemies, the yakuza queenpin O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu).

With its superstar-crammed cast and superb soundtrack, which features everything from Nancy Sinatra to The RZA and the Green Hornet theme, Kill Bill was one of last year’s biggest box office successes and makes for hugely enjoyable watching. Once you are in the trash zone, you will be hooked and unable to wait for the follow-up to the fantastic cliffhanger fade-out.

Released on DVD tomorrow

THEATRE

THE MARQUISE

Whether it’s a scandal in the Royal Family or a lord who’s been up to no good, we seem to have an unquenchable thirst for the passionate exploits of the nobility. So feel free to gawp and gasp as events unfold for 18th-century aristocracy in this production of Nol Coward’s The Marquise.

Directed by Guy Retallack and set in a dilapidated castle in Paris, the Marquise, played by veteran vixen Kate O’Mara, descends uninvited on the Chateau de Vriaac and manages to wreak havoc.

"I play an actress, and because of that I am allowed to really perform and can put on many guises during the play from sexy, to brittle, to sweet and charming," she says.

"I’m enjoying playing it enormously, I just wish it could go on longer."

After receiving rave reactions in England, O’Mara hopes that the production will go down just as well north of the Border.

"People are loving it and I do hope they love it in Scotland," she says. "It’s so gorgeous to hear people enjoying themselves and laughing like mad."

King’s Theatre, Edinburgh (0131-529 6000), tomorrow to Saturday, 7.30pm, matinee, Wednesday, Saturday, 2.30pm