Tonight's Travestees show, on a Thursday rather than the traditional Wednesday, was the final one before the summer break, but what a cracking lineup of high-calibre acts we were treated to for a season's finale. Starting a little later than advertised, due to the tardy arrival of the evening's MC Dominic Frisby, the show nevertheless soon got off to a great start. I must confess I knew very little about Dominic, and from the publicity shot on the posters for this show (in which he sported a large handlebar moustache and white aviator shades), I was expecting a camp, Village People-style performance. Tonight, however, the moustache had taken over his face to become a magnificent beard. Dominic's style of delivery was extremely laid-back, and he possessed an easygoing, chatty manner. He interacted very well with the audience, which he quickly segregated into three factions: the hippy Tor to his right, posh Wells to his left, and finally Shepton Mallet (a place where on a night out, you can be guaranteed a fight and a s**g - usually from the same person) in the cheap seats at the back. Throughout the evening, the quality of his material was uniformly outstanding and as well as questioning audience members about their jobs etc, he covered a wide range of topics: the Notting Hill and Jamaica carnivals, beards (which provoked an outburst of good-natured heckling), some mild ribbing of bumpkins and an extended piece about his application to Fulham Football Club to replace diddy David Hamilton as match day compere, which I found funny despite having little interest in football. There was not a dull moment while he was on stage, and I look forward to seeing him again. Dan EvansThe first act proper was Dan Evans, whose material ranged from the surreal to the cerebral, the observational to the absurd, with a small smattering of smut thrown in for good measure. Kicking off with an item about how to re-enact the opening credits to Dad's Army using three crisp bags and an atlas, he later advised of the latest political scandal regarding Cherie Blair, whose first name it transpires is not Cherie but Chim Chimeny Chim Chimeny Chim Chim. His playful nature continued with a tale of playing Cat Buckaroo, which requires just a sleeping cat and a few household objects (but maybe not a refrigerator in case you wish to try it at home), and how swapping his brother for a Papa Smurf key ring on Swap Shop led to a major falling out with his parents. With over 10 years experience of standup, his act flowed very well. One minute he regaled us with a tale of a failed relationship, when during a meal at his girlfriend's parents he misunderstood her when she suggested: "We should bear our souls to each other." Luckily her dad still keeps in touch! The next minute, he described his attempt at a seance utilising a round table and a tin of Alphabetty Spaghetti. When the eerie message "ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo" came through, he realised this wasn't the action of a particularly malevolent ghost, but that he'd erroneously opened a tin of Spaghetti Hoops instead. This was a performance which was as polished as Dan's baldhead and certainly an act certainly worth seeing again, though I felt slight annoyance at his habit of punctuating what he felt were his best gags with a stamp on the stage. Cole ParkerNext up was the youthful looking Cole Parker, who has been performing comedy since the age of seven, when he came second in a holiday camp talent competition. For the first minute or two he appeared nervous and hesitant, but soon this lad from Bromley, 'Sarf-East' London, settled down nicely into a smooth, if somewhat hyper and fairly offensive, routine. Unfortunately, there's very little of his dark material (in particular the bedroom-related stuff, of which there was plenty) I can even contemplate repeating here. He was more profane than profound, but there was also some spot-on (reasonably) topical humour. Particularly amusing were observations concerning obesity, the Royal Family, Ken Livingstone and binge-drinking, as well as scathing attacks on individuals with narrow-minded far-right political opinions, or fanatical religious views. There was also a spot-on rant about how reality TV shows have now gone too far and that maybe the next step will be the show Terminal Ward One. I enjoyed him, but I can see that, like Marmite, he would not be to everyone's taste. Jack CowleyFinal act of the evening was Jack Cowley (formerly known as Jack Russell). Jack had a confident attitude, but I felt his material was the weakest of tonight's acts. Perhaps if he had appeared earlier on in the bill this wouldn't have been as noticeable, but as headliner I expected more. Or possibly the high quality of the earlier acts had somewhat lessened his impact. Although he now lives near Keynsham, Jack was actually born in Cardiff to Irish parents and then lived in London for 15 years. This has had the effect that he is now too polite to warn you that if you call him a sheep-s*****r, he'll put a bomb under your car. He talked about how he felt living in the West Country is so much more laid-back than life in London. Recently back from the States, he mentioned being searched three times between Heathrow and Atlanta airports, including as he was actually trying to exit Atlanta airport. There was a piece about how pet passports make it easier to smuggle drugs, now that you can stuff them into a dog's orifice rather than your own, which then morphed into a cats-versus-dogs debate. Jokes about baiting steroid-fuelled bouncers and watching Countdown were particularly poor, and his set-closing material about the Glastonbury Festival, while spot-on, would have been better delivered to an audience who had never been, rather than to a group of hardcore seasoned attendees. So yes, this was a fantastic evening's entertainment, and I am advised that Travestees will return towards the end of September 2006. | 
