Fringe Comedy
Tommy Tiernan, Gilded Balloon, Five stars
There's brave and there's just plain crazy. I'm still a little uncertain which category Fringe big-hitter, Tommy Tiernan falls into. In this year's show, Alive, he's chosen to perform an hour of totally improvised, free-form material. No cosy chats with the front row to fall back on. No, "hands up if you met your partner online"audience surveys to conduct. Just one man and his gob, going for broke. He prowls the stage. He twists and contorts his body. It's as if he's willing the stories to flow. And flow they do. Mystical tales of Ireland. Romantic recollections his heroes, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan and W.B. Yeats. A wonderful impersonation of the "whiskey devil" as he lies prostrate. This is seat -of- the- pants storytelling at its finest. He snarls and shouts to stay alert and keep those thoughts and ideas coming . He stamps his foot in a rhythmic "deliver" dance. It's feels like a remirthing ceremony. Appropriately, talk turns to One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and in lieu of a sink, Tommy lifts his floor monitor high over his head in a homage to the Chief. This is dark, this is edgy, this is at times uncomfortable, but mostly, this is magnificent. nRuns to August 30
Aisling Bea, Gilded Balloon, Three stars
It's been two years since Aisling Bea appeared at the Fringe. Back in 2013, her award-nominated debut saw the comedy foam finger of fame pointing directly over her head. She's built up an impressive TV profile with Sky sitcom, Trollied, ITV's Delivery Man as well as some potentially game-changing auditions in Hollywood. The celtic queen of craic is back with her new show, Plan Bea. There's an unexpected dance routine to get the party started. It's so silly, so unselfconscious that you can't help but love her for it. The set itself though, like the dance moves, is a bit all over the place. There's no doubting either her energy or charisma. She has more charm than the whole of Hogwarts. The material however lacks a clear theme. It's a series of autobiographical snippets and sound bites that don't utilise her abilities as a natural-born story-teller. There are some screamingly funny moments though, particularly regarding Wandering Micky, that hint at her star quality. From a Hollyoaks homage to an overly-confident American stand up, Aisling punctuates the performance with some impressive accents and mimicry. She's destined to be Queen Bea. Whether in film or doing stand-up has yet to be decided. Runs to August 30
Katherine Ryan, The Stand, Three stars
With deliciously dripping irony, the most bookable Canadian on the block introduces herself as "TV's Katherine Ryan." The new queen of mean may be a telly constant at the moment, but it is in her live shows that her razor sharp tongue gets a proper airing. In this year's offering, Kathbum, she proves that she's ready to be Joan River's heir apparent in the best way possible - by honouring her with the first real kicking. "Joan River's got what she wanted from that final surgery- to stop ageing. Finally, she nailed it." Ding, ding! Round one and Katherine's come out punching. Next targets, Bill Cosby, Peter Andre and Oscar Pistorius are quickly dispatched. She saves her real venom, though for Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Taylor Swift in a barrage of biting barbs that has the jam-packed crowd simultaneously laughing and wincing. The first half of this performance contains some of the slickest, most shocking celebrity abuse that you're likely to hear. Unfortunately, there's a serious vitriol shortage in part two as she chats about her sister's upcoming wedding, her own life as a single mum and growing up in small town Canada. It's got lots more heart but far less humour. The Stand run ended. Extra show Gilded Balloon August 29
Gayle Anderson
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