At The Sunday Night Laugh-in 11^th February 2007 we were presented with Joe Heenan as our host. Geoff and I had seen Joe before and although I enjoyed that set, I felt his compere talents are far superior.  He assessed the crowd quickly and brought us all to his level.  He was enjoying himself so much he struggled to introduce the acts.

Antony Murray, this Edinburger describes himself as a posh, rich, twat, three things he would rather be than a Glaswegian. This self-description was astonishingly apt. Despite his shaky start accentuated by his production of a list of insults which have been shouted at him, which vibrated. he settled down and was almost relaxed by the end of his set. Some of the topics covered were sisterly love, sharks and heat ray machines.  This young lad presents his humour in a deadpan manner and with further exposure and more practice I can se him moving up to longer slots.

Derek Johnston not entirely new to me having been on the same bill as Shelly Cooper last year. Derek haling from Fife, so for once isn’t picking fun at my adopted home, but the fact that it separates Edinburgh from Dundee.  He reports to having ADHD and his parents sent him to Auschwitz as they thought a concentration camp would be of benefit to him. The attention deficit disorder explains his continual movement around the stage. His whole approach to his slot was imaginative and different, presenting some totally new aspects to anything I have seen yet.  Lets hope we see more of this guy in the future.

Jim Park’s opening lines were casting aspersions at comedians who rely on scripts, being an impro performer, then proceeded to do most of his act referring to a clipboard with lines on it.  He eventually broke into impersonations. For me he was not the best act of the evening but certainly has some good ideas worth developing.

Dee Custance totally surprised me when she said she had only been performing for three months, any shakiness I had attributed to her style of presentation.  She is a very young looking woman and plays upon this fact in her comedy. Her overall performance could be said to be a little twee, but it certainly not sickening. With a lot more material, some direction and a little polish this young lady should go far.

The penultimate act of the evening was Keir Mcallister, Geoff had seen Keir during the Fringe but this was my first introduction to him and his humour. I was just about rolling in the aisle with laughter.  He oozes confidence and much of his material is close to my heart especially when he describes the main Scottish cities and their inhabitants. Please please can I see more of him.  

Although Shazi Mirza topped the bill to me she was not the best act of the evening. Her exotic humour is predominally Asian orientated and although obviously stemming from her personal experiences and background, just did not make me laugh as much as most of the preceding acts. Don't get me wrong most of the rest of the audience seemed to be thoroughly enjoying her set but myself and one or two others around me seemed to have enjoyed others more.

This particular Sunday Night Laugh-In offered a wide variety of comedy and the quality is always high for further information as to who is on when go to  The Stand Comedy Club Edinburgh.