Compere for the evening was self-confessed clinically depressed, recovering alcoholic Rob Collins, who strangely enough has the day job of running a London pub. His observational humour was generally funny throughout and consistently engaging without being too over the top, and although he singled out a few members of the audience, this was done in a good-natured way. He introduced the acts with great gusto, and interacted well with the punters; however one anecdote towards the end was perhaps a little off the mark. Noel Britten Noel Britten tried to endear himself to us by introducing himself as a West Country comedian, but we diehard bumpkins don't fall for that. He's actually a Londoner who has lived in Bath for a mere 23 years - pah! Besides being a stand-up, Noel is the originator of the Bizarre Bath comedy tours, which have been a must-do for many a visitor to the spa town over the past 10 years or so. His material warmed up the crowd nicely; he utilised a bag of props, including a banana slicer with instructions to baffle a rocket scientist, along with books on The Bristol Diet (yes, this does exist) and The Colour Diet, which featured an article on breast feeding - doubtless you can guess how he combined the two. There were also some queasy moments, like when he peeled sunburnt skin from his face and ate it, and his uniquely strange fingers, which formed the central part in his version of Uri Geller's spoon-bending trick. Ken Normal Making only his fourth ever stand-up performance, newcomer, and ex-bank manager, Ken Normal, from Chipping Sodbury, was allotted a mere five-minute slot. He made a dramatic entrance as he fell onto the stage, grabbing at the microphone which proceeded to smash him in the face with concussive force as he proclaimed the venue to be a health hazard. I assume this was all part of his act, but judging by the dent he left on his head, I wasn't completely sure. I don't remember much of his material because he had made the unfortunate mistake of wearing a shirt of exactly the same shade of brown as the backdrop, thereby camouflaging himself. His virginal comedy was more embarrassing than funny, and consequently I found myself concentrating on the self-inflicted big red Cyclops eye (which appeared to be staring at the crowd from the centre of his forehead), rather than his jokes. Sol Bernstein Sol Bernstein is the bespectacled, trilby-wearing, octogenarian creation of Stoke Newington comedian Steve Jameson. Coming across as a mixture of Alf Garnett and Mel Brookes, his style is that of a cantankerous, old-style Jewish comedian but with added swearing. He may be 85, but he doesn't need Viagra - no, he just needs a woman! Parts of his act were hilarious, and the Yiddish phrases provided some mirth. Needless to say, if I'm ever faced with the question 'what is a shmooshky?' on Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, I may walk away with a few quid. Unfortunately his continual references to the sexual preferences of some of the young male audience members became somewhat boring after a while. Luckily, his ageing bladder intervened and he had to leave the stage to answer the call of nature after 20 minutes. Andy Parsons Andy Parsons headlined. He is a seasoned performer, co-hosting his own Radio 2 show, as well as occasional appearances on television. His bullet-headed bald bonce gleamed under the stage lights, of which, luckily, less than half were working, otherwise we may have been blinded. His monotonous diatribe was spewed forth in a mixture of outrage and indignation, using a style of delivery which amalgamated Griff Rhys Jones with the nasal twang of Boycie from Only Fools and Horses. His topical observational comedy was spot on, and he included clever references to the audience, gleaned from watching his colleagues earlier in the evening. Unsurprisingly, he was welcomed back for an encore and finished off the evening on a high. The next Travestees Show takes place on Wednesday 30 November, 2005 at the Tor Leisure Centre, Glastonbury. Doors open at 7.30pm and the first act is on at 8.30pm. For further information and reservations, contact Nick on 0775 994 3299, or e-mail: | 
