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Non Fringe 2010

Wicked Wenches - March 2010

It was the first Tuesday of the month, the location Stand Comedy Club in Edinburgh; it can only be Wicked Wenches, the all-female monthly line-up that has become something of a must see for us.

Those who doubt the quality of female comics, or even the numbers around, would be well advised to check this show out and then they would just have to change their opinion.

Regular Wicked Wenches compere is diminutive one time lawyer Susan Calman. This role is one that she excels at, as the gregarious Glaswegian has the gift of the gab and an innate ability to identify characters from the audience to chat to, take the mickey out of, and generally warm up proceedings for the acts that follow. Susan has a fund of stories to entertain as well, but it’s her spontaneity that I really like best. So her job done, the crowd ready to rock, the opening act was introduced, Bethany Black.

Self billed as UK’s foremost goth, lesbian, post-op transsexual stand-up who is worried about being pigeonholed. She is a ‘recovering alcoholic, drug addict and love addict too’. Di from our Fringe team has seen the last two Edinburgh offerings, but it was the first time I had seen her perform. Ms Black has plenty of stage presence and a whole lot of material on wide ranging subjects, computer infestations, relationships, Daily Mail and its readers, Sunderland and a romantic gesture by her partner are all subjects she went into and elicited some good laughs to boot. Certainly worth seeing, and I feel with a longer time to build her set I would have enjoyed it more.

After the first of the two intervals Susan introduced the opening act of the second segment, Edinburgh based Sian Bevan, a young lady we have seen a number of times within the last year or so. I have always enjoyed her humour and style, she is not confrontational in any respect, in fact at times she comes across as a big kid and I mean this in a nice way.

Sian seems to have the knack of almost bonding with the audience instantly, which get’s them on her side and then hits home with a whole raft of very funny, new material which had most in peels of laughter throughout. I must say I have never seen her on better form than in this performance. The lady rocked!!

Stand and Wicked Wenches stalwart Alison Kennedy was the closing act of part two. Alison is a award winning author in her other job, and has also branched out into writing plays, her latest Confessions of a Medium will be broadcast on Radio 4 on Saturday 13 March. Ms Kennedy was missing from the last Wicked Wenches due to being on tour with her literary life, so, as usual she had a whole lot of new experiences to expound on. As always Alison is a word master, able to paint mind pictures with a few sentences. It was easy to imagine the two guys discussing a shed for hours and where she led us to; well you just had to be there. It’s always a pleasure to see this very talented performer and this was certainly no exception.

Following the second interval and prize draw headliner Ava Vidal took to the stage for the final half hour. I have been a fan of this tall, stunning woman since I first saw he way back in 2004 and each time her confidence and stage presence has grown. This is matched with some really funny, occasionally edgy, yet wonderfully delivered material. A veteran of several Fringe’s, numerous TV and radio shows including Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow has seen her profile raised and boy has she grown with this. Ms Vidal, a one time prison warder, certainly takes no prisoners with her set.

Ava has a wide range in her stuff, reviewers, her kids, relationships and racism are just a few of the topics she visits and her wickedly put together and delivered set was well appreciated by all, with numerous virtually in hysterics throughout. I can’t wait to see her again, so the battle to see her in the Fringe in August will well and truly be on again.

To see the line-up for next month’s version, or in fact any of the gigs The Stand stage in both their Edinburgh and Glasgow clubs you can always check their website www.thestand.co.uk for details.