Buzz Magazine Buzz Magazine - July Issue | Page 22

upfront

CARDIFF CUTS
THE COMEDY
CARDIFF Comedy Festival has been chuckling its way into south Wales’ calendar of
annual events for six years now. While it clearly has a formula that works (previous
performers include the delightful Alan Davies, the rant-filled Rhod Gilbert and the
acclaimed Richard Herring), it isn’t afraid of keeping the funny fresh.
There will be the classics as the Welsh Unsigned Standup Award continues to
bring new talent to the forefront. The competition is no joke for these amateurs
though, with the winner getting £1000, paid gigs and the ultimate winner’s
garment, a purple fez. The semi-finals will be on Fri 11 and Sat 12 at Chapter Arts
Centre, with the final taking place on Thurs 24 at the Glee Club.
The winner of WUSA 2012, Jordan Brookes, will be involved in a number of shows
including a story about his guilt at shouting at an old and confused Chinese man.
Also performing among the long list of stand-up shows, comedy plays and musical
events will be Ian Cognito (bringing Songs For Whingeing Lovers with him on Sat
26), Mary Bourke (finding the funny in feminism on Thurs 10), and The Scottish
Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre (proving that footwear can be hilarious on Tue 22).
The festival will also be joining forces with another of the city’s annual festivities,
Cardiff Mini Film Festival. Both festivals will be heading to Porters Bar to screen
some of the best comedy films Cardiff has to offer, as well as a Q&A with Keri
Collins – the director of BAFTA Cymru-nominated comedy Funday.
Brand new to the festival this year will be some spoken word poetry at the
Sherman. Luke Wright, the Essex Lion himself, will be telling tales of tragedy and
triumph on Wed 16; Porky The Poet (aka Phill Jupitus) will be returning to the
mic after 27 years away from his lyrical witticism on Fri 18 and Richard Sandling
will be screening his award-winning stand-up poetry film Perfect Movie on Sat 19.
HEATHER ARNOLD
Cardiff Comedy Festival, various venues across Cardiff, until
Thurs 31 July. Tickets: Individual events £3-£15 / some events
free. Info: www.cardiffcomedy.co.uk

SHOW TIME FOR
SHOW BOAT
WITH a production featuring over 50 performers, 200 period costumes and with
the 30-strong Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, Cape Town Opera brings its premier
staging of Show Boat to the UK.
Previously, Cape Town Opera (who are currently celebrating their 15 year
anniversary) has presented us with a musical tribute to one of South Africa’s
most iconic characters in The Mandela Trilogy, while on their last visit in 2012,
they sang the tale of a disabled African-American begging in the slums of South
Caroline in Porgy & Bess.
Based on Edna Ferber’s novel of the same name, and created into a musical in
1927 by Jerome Kern (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics), the
plot of Show Boat spans 40 years from 1887 to 1927 and tells the story of a
troupe of performers, stagehands and dockworkers as they ply their trade up
and down the mighty Mississippi River on the Cotton Blossom showboat.
Show Boat features old chestnuts including Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man and Ol’
Man River while highlighting everlasting love and humour and exposing poverty
and prejudice. Along with being America’s first true musical Show Boat can boast
a number of groundbreaking firsts on Broadway such as having a coherent plot,
integrated songs and cast onstage together and interracial marriage with a mixedrace character passing for white.
The show’s had its share of controversy over the years (not the least being the
use of the n-word) with songs and lines being dropped and/or changed, but that
hasn’t put off the award-winning Cape Town Opera. Last year the company won
‘Best Opera Chorus’ at the first ever In \