Fringe Comedy Reviews: Kinsey Sicks, Yianni & Ria Lina
That there might be an odd one out from the three topics of rape, paedophilia and Lady Diana seemed lost on a comedy organiser booking Yianni for a gig. As such, all three subjects were banned equally, and from this curious booking policy, the Australian comedian has developed a through line for his thoughtful show Why Did The Chicken Cross The Line? [★★★☆☆] at The Stand II. Yianni brings out his theme of transgression, crossing that line with a clear simplicity and illustrating his show with an explanation of some of comedy’s individual parts. For example, much comedy works on the element of surprise but he shows that it actually works on a gradient, and the folky wisdom that ‘everyone loves a surprise’ is a flawed idea. Despite Yianni lacing this show with plenty of his characteristic humour, the show perhaps lacks a little bite, and the discussion he provokes deserving more than a Fringe hour.
The show tees up Ria Lina: Taboo Raider [★★★☆☆] a little later in the afternoon at the same venue. Lina’s show is something of a mirror image to Yianni’s, with plenty of thump but not quite the depth. An opener about Angelina Jolie’s breasts is not shocking for Lina’s punchline; more shocking is her agent’s rather alarming attitude towards Lina’s breasts. During the show Lina talks personably about the difference a diagnosis can make to the perception of ourselves. Many of her other examples of taboos though suffer from generalisations that blunten her point of view, leaving this a show that feels a little underdeveloped. However, it’s a solid performance in her pacing and she keeps a strong momentum going.
Lines and taboos are pushed later in the night by The Kinsey Sicks and America's Next Top Bachelor Housewife Celebrity Hoarder Makeover Star Gone Wild! [★★★★☆]. This a cappella quartet are a surprise, considering that the premise of their show – a reality TV contest – doesn’t seem the most original. Yet their sketches have the kind of slick dialogue we might associate with a sitcom such as Frasier, and it’s difficult to forget their lyrical parodies when the words to Mamma Mia are exchanged for a well-known STD. It’s debatable how far or if they actually cross any lines or break taboos but the entertainment is all layered with strong satire and a point of view.
Yianni: Why did the Chicken Cross the line?, The Stand II, 3.40pm, until 30 Aug (various dates), £7-8
Ria Lina: Taboo Raider, The Stand II, until 30 Aug (various dates), 6pm, £8
The Kinsey Sicks: America's Next Top Bachelor Housewife Celebrity Hoarder Makeover Star Gone Wild!, Gilded Balloon, until 31 Aug (various dates), 11pm, £9-12