Comedy

As the Festival ploughs on towards its final week we thought we would give you a quick update on the shows you really should see in what we like to call our 'Four Star Edinburgh Festival Round-up Bonanza'.

Jonny Sweet – Mostly About Arthur
Jonny Sweet is possibly the best comedic actor at this year’s Fringe. Formerly of the critically acclaimed comedy group The House of Windsor, this is his first solo effort and it is an incredibly assured and wonderfully witty debut. In ‘Mostly About Arthur’ he plays a cripplingly geeky yet utterly lovable, enthusiastic simpleton whose sole purpose for being at the Edinburgh Festival is to secure the legacy of his brother, a world-renowned ‘blurbist’ (someone who writes the blurbs on the back of books) who unfortunately died in a bizarre dog-related incident. It’s a triumph of silliness from start to finish delivered with panache and aplomb by one of comedy’s shining lights of the future.
Pleasance Theatre, 16:45.

Colin Hoult’s Carnival of Monsters
Strap yourself in for a ride to the dark (and distinctly weird) side. All manner of fabulous freaks and wicked weirdoes inhabit Hoult’s chilling collection of melodramatic sketches. Lewis Carroll meets The League of Gentlemen in this quirky little gem. Beautifully staged and wonderfully realized it's unlike anything else around and Hoult’s terrific acting and writing are perfectly supported by his accomplished cast of grotesque oddballs. Will draw out the laughter from the deepest recesses of your soul.  
Pleasance Theatre, 15:30

Elis James – The Most Cautious Little Boy in Wales
Of all the newcomers performing at this year’s festival you’d be hard-pushed to find one with more charm and natural charisma than Welshman James. In this simple hour of delightful reminiscences he talks about his life growing up in Carmarthen, Wales and his love of routine and stability. To say he’s risk-averse would be a massive understatement. Change and spontaneity are anathema to him. Through self-deprecating tales of his mother’s rigid (and beloved) daily meal routines, disastrous paintballing outings and various failed relationships he hypnotises the audience into loving him. There’s also a laugh every ten seconds or so which overall makes it a complete joy.    
GRV, 20:20

Pappy’s Fun Club World Record Attempt: 200 Sketches in an Hour
The boys are back! Pappy’s are without doubt the most fun bunch of scamps on the sketch circuit. Running round like loonies they make a tightly written and precisely directed show look effortlessly messy and chaotic. As always they’ve got some hysterically funny set-pieces and the waves of exuberant energy and infectious bonhomie they exude wins the audience over time and time again. They will make you smile from ear to ear and chuckle deep down into your loins. Silly and fabulous. Pleasance Theatre, 19:20

John Bishop – Elvis Has Left the Building
With this new show, hugely popular Liverpudlian comedian, Bishop has finally fulfilled all the potential that he’s been promising over the last few year’s. This confident and profoundly satisfying show delivers the comedy goods by the truck load. His easy stage presence and gift for storytelling have rightfully made him a Festival favourite but this year’s his joke writing has come on in leaps and bounds. He has a huge heart and his ability to engage every member of the audience in this sublime show about achieving your dreams is second to none. It may not be particularly cutting edge, but that doesn’t matter at all, you’ll leave the show feeling better about yourself and life and grateful for having spent an hour with a genuinely lovable and entertaining performer. This next year should see him rocket into the comedy stratosphere.
Pleasance Theatre, 20:00

Celia Pacquola – Am I Strange?
Australian Pacquola’s show is like a Kinder egg, sweet and delicious, with more to it than meets the eye. Essentially, this is a tale of her painful break-up from her cheating boyfriend and he desire for revenge, but it is actually a wander through her exquisitely delightful mind as she tries to comes to terms with the trauma she finds herself in. Never heavy or depressing, she deals with the material with such a light touch and such quirky charm that it never feels like the bitter rantings of a broken woman rather the humorous meanderings of a bewildered lost soul. It’s far funnier and more uplifting than it has any right to be and it’s impossible not to utterly fall in love with this touching and beautiful little show.
Gilded Balloon, 19:45

Fergus Craig Still Watches Neighbours
If you love ‘Neighbours’ and you love comedy then you’ll love this. In fact even if you don’t love ‘Neighbours’ there’s still a huge amount to enjoy in this light and fluffy tale of one boy’s obsession with the Australian soap. Through numerous hysterical bits of commentary over some classic clips from Ramsay Street’s finest moments Craig uses the full force of ’80s nostalgia to wring out the laughter from his audience. There’s more to it than just Jason and Kylie’s wedding or Harold Bishop’s mysterious disappearance, it’s also an examination of the safe places we chose to escape to when life isn’t quite what we expected – even if that place is populated with bad actors and creaky storylines. A hugely pleasurable hour of fun.
Pleasance Theatre, 16:30

Rhod Gilbert and the Cat That Looked Like Nicholas Lyndhurst
With this year’s show Rhod proves yet again why he is one of the funniest and most successful comedians currently working in the country. His skilful use of language is extraordinary and his trademark frustrated rants about everyday events or objects are as impassioned and hysterical as ever. Rarely has one man shouting: ‘My washing machine’s a prick!’ been met with so much laughter. Whilst it might not be quite as perfectly formed and sublime as last year’s consummate effort it’s not far off. If you want to be certain of a guaranteed night of big laughs Rhod’s your man.
Pleasance Theatre, 20:45 

1) Your show, no more than thirty words, go!
'Loads of hilarious true stories, jokes, chat and fun. It's a show that'll leave you with a massive grin on your face.'

2) What's your favourite Edinburgh related story?
'The story of Burke and Hare.'

3) Who or what makes you laugh?
'My girlfriend. Often unintentionally.'

4) What's the best/worst thing about being a comedian?
'Best thing: the gigs. Worst thing: the travel.'

5) What gets you in the mood to be funny?
'Seeing an audience come into the venue and realising that they're waiting for me to be funny.'

6) What's your favourite children's joke?
'What do you play when you're bored? A board game! (my brother came up with that when he was about 6. I still think it's brilliant)'

7) What's the most memorable heckle you've ever received?
' "Axolotls!". To be fair, it wasn't a heckle, more a reply to my question: "Does anyone have any pets?" Apparently axolotls are fish with legs. They sound made up to me.'

8) What subject wouldn't you make a joke about?
'Comedy reviewers.'

9) What's your biggest fear?
'That this Edinburgh will turn out to be a dream and I still have to write my show.'

10) Complete this sentence: 'A man walks into a bar… and has a drink. Then he gets bored so he plays a board game.'

Matt Green is playing daily at the Pleasance, 19:15

Greg Behrendt is probably one of few comedians who has made his career out of stressing (with sincerity) how much he respects women. An American stand-up star, he became a relationship expert overnight by co-authoring the women’s dating manual 'He’s Just Not That into You'. As he explains, it was meant to be novelty literature, but became a self-help phenomenon.

Men, don’t stop reading. This guy is actually funny, regardless of what you’ve got between your legs. I’ve read the book and enjoyed it, but the men in the audience, who I’m sure haven’t, laugh along too.

Behrendt has had twenty years in the business to hone his act, and it shows. He's a real performer, not just a funny man who’s stumbled onto a stage. He’s confident and at the same time insanely personable. Maybe it’s because he makes it clear that while he’s a good guy, he’s also a guy’s guy too.

As you’d expect, relationships are the focus of his material. He takes the familiar routines of dating and marriage and draws out humour in situations that anyone can relate to. The audience were in hysterics for his setpiece about competing with his wife’s 'free pass' (the man she’d like to sleep with if she wasn’t married) in a gym.

Peppering his material are his anecdotes of women he meets in the street asking him for romantic advice. This guy is in a unique position between the sexes, and you want to listen to his bizarre experiences, whether you think he’s wise or just lucky (as he does).

There aren’t many mainstream American comics at the Fringe, and yet Behrendt’s act is something that’s ingrained into our culture through TV screens. It’s smart, well-observed material, and as mainstream as watching an episode of 'Friends'. Ironically, surrounded by the edgy ‘alternative’ giants of British comedy, Behrendt is a rarity; refreshingly safe and upbeat whilst very good at what he does. Guaranteed laughter, and possibly a little wisdom too.

Greg Behrendt is on at the Assembly Rooms daily at 19:40.