Comedy Shorts
The Stand ***
THIS showcase for local company Edinburgh Mediabase is an extension of their monthly screenings at the Cameo, focussing specifically on their comedy contributions in a drive to find the hidden Hot Young Things of Scottish film and video-making.

While it’s fair to say one punter’s side-splitting jaunt to incontinence and back is another’s short trip to impatience and frustration, EM representative and compere "Ukrainian" Bene Linchestikov does labour a cornball routine which feels more like a token gesture to his comedy club surroundings rather than an appropriately enthused introduction to the films themselves.

Little Shop of Horrors
Church Hill Theatre **
IT’S "Open wide, let’s see inside!" at the Church Hill Theatre this week, as the Royal Bank Drama Club get their singing tonsils around this meat-eating musical comedy.

This might be the RBDC’s first foray into musicals in their six-year history, but they have not succumbed to most of the pitfalls. The result is a virile little production which, if it is not perfect, is always entertaining and contains some excellent singing.

It helps that Little Shop of Horrors has a ludicrous, B-movie plot. Before it was a musical it was the Roger Corman movie which gave Jack Nicholson his silver screen debut. And it shows.

Chris Rogers
Royal Oak ****
CHRIS ROGERS has a green cap with a little sun symbol on it, which he only seems to wear when he’s singing. If it’s some kind of superstitious talisman to bring him luck or success, then it’s worth its weight in gold last night at the Oak, because he played a cracker.

Whatever next?
Over the last 18 months, Audio Deluxe has brought a steady stream of heavy-hitting DJs to Edinburgh.

With names like Kenny Dope Gonzalez, Jellybean Benitez, Paul Trouble Anderson and Terry Hunter, the club’s visitors book reads like a who’s who of the international house music scene.

In return, the DJs haven’t exactly been shy when it comes paying tribute to Audio Deluxe. Kenny Dope tells anyone who’ll listen that he loves playing there, while Terry Hunter has name-checked it as his favourite gig in Europe.