It may have been Guy Fawkes Night, but
were there going to be fireworks at The Stand Comedy Club that
night? A smaller than usual audience were in place to see what was
on offer, and as usual the bill was a mixture of established
comedy names mixed together with a selection of up and coming
newer comedians, all held together by compere Jamie Anderson.
It was the first time we had seen the
majority of the artistes, including Mr Anderson who had the
unenviable job of warming up a strangely subdued audience and he
certainly gave it a good go. I’m sure if he had had a more
responsive crowd he would have been in his element but with
limited feed back at times he seemed to be at a loss as to what to
do with them.
Alan Miller burst onto the stage with his
madcap style as the opening act. I have to say that both his style
and his material did not light my fire. I’m not sure if really
had a structured set, ‘cause he seemed all over the place, both
physically and also routine wise. He reminder me in looks a little
of Ade Edmondson, but he has a long way to go to reach the same
standard of talent.
Wee ‘Glesga keely’ Marjorie was
second on the bill. As a complete contrast to the hyperactive
opening act, she was a lot more laid-back, and after a somewhat
nervous opening settled down and had some very interesting
material and a nice line of patter. I wonder if she has enough
mileage for a full set, but her 15 minutes certainly had a lot of
potential.
The first interval followed and part two
was kicked with a short set by Derek Johnstone. This tall, skinny
guy seemed very nervous initially, but gradually came into his own
and with a bit more experience I’m sure could go down well with
a slightly less difficult to please audience.
The closing act of part two was Shelley
Cooper. I have spoken to Shelley for a while during her annual
excursions to Edinburgh Fringe Festival, but have never seen her
act before, as Shelley has always been one of Sheila’s ‘must
sees.’ Having finally got to see at least half an hour of her
set I can understand the attraction. Shelley is a trans gender act
and although she uses this fact as part of her set, there is far
more than that to her talent. As I have said before the audience
was not the most responsive, but judging by the feed back I got
from talking to some of them, she certainly made a big impression
and was very well received. I thoroughly enjoyed her set, and who
knows, may have to challenge Sheila for the chance to review her
full show assuming she attends Fringe 2007.
The final interval, then on to the
headline act, Stand regular Michael Redmond. I saw him doing the
Best of Irish during the Fringe and felt he had a bad day at the
office, but I’m afraid his similar set to August went down no
better with this November crowd. Having previously seen him in
action, I know he can be really good, but I’m sorry, again I was
disappointed with his offering.
So that was that, not probably the best
night we have had at The Stand, Shelley was impressive and Jamie
did his job, but one cannot complain with 5 acts and a compere for
only a few quid. Here’s to the next time, and that will not be
too far away.
As in SiStars Tuesday 7th
November 2006.
See www.thestand.co.uk
for further information.
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