Nione Meakin – Chortle (on Rob Deb V.S. Army of Dorkness)

Obviously Nione Meakin woke up on the wrong side of the bed the morning she wrote this. Firstly, a 1 star rating is not something reviewers tend to give out willy-nilly, yet she seems adamant about taking Rob Deb down. She opens her review with a scathing line about the show feeling like far more than an hour and, as it progresses, gets increasingly bitter about the entire thing. But, being a review, we’re reading to hear her thoughts and ideas, so we can hardly judge her for that.

In all honesty, this is a well-written review. Nione gives evidence behind her opinions and has a good turn of phrase – which is more than can be said for some reviewers who do little more than describe a show. Because of this, I would have been tempted to give Nione 4 stars (missing out on 5 for coming across as incredibly bitchy and ever-so-slightly pretentious). It’s just a shame that as I finished reading this review, I noticed there was a link to a review of Rob Deb’s 2008 show. Which also received a 1 star rating. Which was also written by the same person.

Now, either Nione Meakin is a glutten for punishment, or she is hiding an enormous crush on Rob Deb and is using her reviews to metaphorically “pull his pigtails”. Surely, if she hated the show so much last year (largely for the same reasons she disliked it this year – themes which go over her head), she should have avoided this one, but no. She spends another hour of her precious time seeing something she knows she won’t enjoy. She then devotes even more time to writing about it. Now that’s just malicious. For goodness sake, leave the poor man alone. Is destroying the pride and dignity of a performer in one year not enough? So, I’m afraid for this act of sadism I have to bring Nione’s 4 stars down to 1. I can only hope she has enough soul left to avoid attempting a hat trick next year.

* 1 star

 

Original Review

Rob Deb vs Army Of Dorkness – Fringe 2009
Live Review

Like most Fringe shows, Rob Deb’s is an hour long (I know. I looked at my watch several times). Yet it feels so much longer.

Demonstrating the sort of innovation that’s to be expected from a man who thinks ‘repli-cunts’  constitutes a decent Blade Runner gag, his fourth Edinburgh outing sees him talking villains, cyborgs, zombies and psychos. An entirely different kettle of fish then, from previous show Heroquest, in which Deb discussed: ‘Elves, dwarves, cyborgs and psychos.’

But it’s not his predictable personal hobbyhorses that are the problem, nor him being a button-badge wearing, sci-fi loser – after all, Andrew O’Neill exploits his left-field idiosyncracies with success. Deb just isn’t very funny and, worse, is too smug to make any real effort to remedy the situation.

The majority of his material isn’t really material, it’s just him rambling on about his interests as if he’s doing a show-and-tell at one of his beloved sci-fi conventions: tedious lists of the merits or flaws of various comic book creations, punctuated by such incisive observation as: ‘My mate used to work at Forbidden Planet before it was a toy shop…’ 

Such is the number of niche references and fan forum gibberish, he boasts he has to hold a Q&A at the end of all his shows, as a sort of glossary. It’s hard to imagine anyone sticking around for that, but apparently there are a few of them, desperate to know things like, why oh why Deb didn’t include a joke on Blake’s 7.

There is the odd glimmer of potential here, such as a segment likening the Top Gear presenters to the Masters of the Universe (what most of us just knew as He-Man), with Clarkson as Skeletor, but it’s not been given much thought beyond the original idea.

For the main part, this set is just repetitive, brain-numbing tedium. A zombie attack would be a welcome relief.

Date of live review: Thursday 20th Aug, ’09

Review by Nione Meakin

Most Out-Of-Context Quote Award!

Forget the “Eddies”, THIS is what it’s about!

No nominations were even needed for this, as these guys certainly set themselves apart from anyone else who caught the attention of this reviewer.

That’s right. The winner of the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe “Most Out-Of-Context Quote Award” goes to Teakshow’s Twisted Sketches for this little gem found on their posters:

“Delightfully Original, Absolute Genius, Wonderfully Poetic, On Top Of Their Game, Hits The Jackpot, The Audience Instantly in Hysterics, Truly Brilliant, Deliriously Bizarre”

Wow! They sound great! It’s even on their website! Surely that’s a 5 star review! Let’s check the FringeReview website…

“3 stars” Oh. What does the WHOLE review say then?

“Low Down

The Teak Show is a collection of increasingly strange sketches from comedic double act Jackie Stirling and Johnny Hansler. Transporting it’s audience into the TeakZone, a land where the Tesco sign is green and, oddly, there are no parsnips, the duo whisk through a fast paced and delightfully original set. Definitely different, the Twisted Sketches are, in parts, absolutely genius.

Review

It is virtually impossible to give a plot description, as there isn’t really a plot. Certain sketches, such as a repressed 1920s couple, and readings from the wonderfully poetic “book of delights”, return several times throughout the show, giving it a loose structure. The effortless, polished transitions between sketches reveal that these two are on top of their game and effectively keep up the rip-roaring pace.

Certain characters and sketches work far better than others. An American preacher who insists that Jesus was an American, is both modern and hilariously funny, in fact it’s verging on genius. A somewhat terrifying and gloriously clueless sex agony-aunt also hits the jackpot: the audience instantly in hysterics. However, all of the characters in the show have the same base ‘weirdness’: they are all wide-eyed, creepy, and have the same over-exaggerated vocals. For some this works, and for others, it feels tired and overused.

In a similar way, some of the sketches are simply not that funny. Some feel like they are being weird just to be weird, and not to be comedic. The show, on the whole, needs some editing and re-working in order for the truly brilliant sketches to take centre stage, as it were, and to be rid of some of the less effective characters and concepts.

The duo, however, work brilliantly together and really bounce off each other and strive through improvisation.  The audience sits uncomfortably on their seats, nervously wondering whether either of the strange characters in front of them are about to attack them, harass them and drag them into the world of teak. This, in a strangely fantastic way and quite unique way, creates an awkward tension that really works for the nature of the show. One finds themselves hopelessly stuck between the surreal feelings of wanting to leave, but desperately inclined to stay and see what happens next…

On the whole, an enjoyable sketch comedy that is certainly suitable for fans of surrealism. Uncomfortably funny, deliriously bizarre and well executed, a good way of escaping any mundane afternoon.

Reviewed by Lizzie Edmonds 9/8/09″

So congratulations, Teakshow! We await to see what reviews in future festivals you manage to manipulate.

Threeweeks (a general review for Edinburgh Fringe 2009)

Reviewed on 23/08/09.

Every year hundreds of performers descend on Edinburgh in search of recognition – the majority of which lose thousands of pounds in the process. Whether they’re dancers, actors, comedians, or circus acts, these artists thrive on the attention and approval of others. It is this very drive to impress which sees many already out-of-pocket performers offering free tickets to their shows in exchange of reviews.

Most reviewers (while not all of them legitimate) understand this simple exchange – see the show for free, publish a review. However, it seems that somewhere along the line Threeweeks decided it was above this basic concept.

Reviewers failing to show up (and therefore leaving an empty and unsold seat in the process), reviews which have not been published after 2 weeks (and counting), and in some cases – a 2nd reviewer being sent along to make up for an original absent one and yet STILL no review published. This may seem like a few seperate incidents, but it has now become common knowledge to not expect anything from Threeweeks.

When did this become acceptable behaviour? Artists’ hopes and dreams are on the line and it is a terrible thing for them to be treated with such disrespect and disregard. It is not only rude, but it is unprofessional.

Perhaps it is their backlog of reviews which inspired their name? Threeweeks should either pull their socks up, or start paying for the seats they so willingly put aside. Worst reviewers of this festival and definitely not worth the press ticket they arrive on.

no stars

Jay Richardson – The Scotsman (on Andrew Stanley – On Sale Now)

Review reviewed on: 22/08/09

Jay Richardson offers promise with his ability to structure sentences and utilise the spell-checker tool. Unfortunately, he is let down by his inablity to write anything meaningful in this particular review.

He opens his review with a strong statement about eBay being a “deseprately thin premise for a show”. This may ring true for people who do not relate to the eBay experience – however, audiences (and reviewers) tend to be clever enough to steer clear of themed shows which do not appeal to them, just as one born in the 90s might choose to avoid “A-Team the Musical”. By the sounds of Richardson’s comments, it seems he is not passionate about eBay. If this is the case, surely the fact that he cannot fathom why someone would write a show about it is more his fault and less the comedian’s?

He mentions Andrew Stanley’s show as being “a tad unimaginitive”, yet his review is all but four sentences long. Many reviewers make the mistake of attempting to sound strong and cutting by keeping their reviews to a minimum length, but rather than seeming intelligent and mysterious, it all too often comes across as lazy and incompetent.

Richardson notes rather bluntly that Stanley’s show is strongly based around item descriptions. Fortunately for Andrew Stanley, this reviewer has also seen the show and can attest that it is not a simple relaying of “funny things found on eBay” and any item decriptions mentioned in the show were discussed with a high level of observational humour (to the great amusement of the audience).

However, after all of this Richardson still manages to convey a certain air of pretentiousness through only three paragraphs – a skill which will no doubt score him a column one day. It’s just a shame that this review holds all the marks of an amateur journalist looking for a free pass.

** 2 stars

 

Original Review:
“WITH Andrew Stanley, it really is about the way he tells them, because this is a desperately thin premise for a show.

Plenty of comics have eBay routines with reflections on ill-advised purchases, but to devote 55 minutes to the subject seems a tad unimaginative, especially as much of this is mere reportage of other sellers’ descriptions.

Stanley appears aware of this, as he sets up a pointless running gimmick with his technician. He is far more assured and funnier simply delivering straight stand-up.”
http://www.edinburgh-festivals.com/viewreview.aspx?id=629

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