Morning:
14°c
Some fares could fall by more than a third when Oyster is extended to every national rail station in London, it has emerged
More...
New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Fiona Mountford's rating
Reader rating
Daniel Kitson was the reluctant stand-up as, after winning the Perrier Award, he slipped off the comedy radar. Instead of going down the television route and turning into Jimmy Carr, he has, infinitely more rewardingly, plumped for the homespun theatrical storytelling style of Alan Bennett. The result is the treat of the Fringe.
Everything that made him so good in stand-up is even better now he's sitting down, surrounded by suitcases. Freed from hecklers and knob gags, he lets his palpable love of language to flow unrestrainedly, shaping every phrase into a tiny gem. He delights in halfforgotten words such as "slipshod" and "perambulate" and makes us wish that the script were for sale in the foyer.
He has here the perfect fusion of style and subject, lamenting the lost love that was the flat of his old-fashioned dreams in Crystal Palace. In our transient culture, this eulogy to staying in the same place and filling it with love and memories, rather than merely varnishing the floors and moving on, shines like a beacon. His relationship with 66A was, he says, the longest of his life and fleeting, poignant references to an ex-girlfriend invite us to equate the levels of emotional investment.
Kitson certainly hasn't forgotten to how to be funny, with accounts of his dim-witted landlord a particular delight. Laughs and heart: 66A is the address for it all.
Until 24 August (0131 228 1404, www.traverse.co.uk).
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
