The live comedy week ahead

The best of the week's live comedy. 

Sunday October 15

NEWCASTLE: Ridiculous local lad Seymour Mace, is at the Stand tonight with his latest solo show Magical Shitcakes From Heaven, blending misanthrophy with absurdity.

Monday October 16

LONDON: It’s the first of the lastminute.com Edinburgh Comedy Awards showcases at the Duchess Theatre in the West End tonight, with a fittingly strong line-up. Ahir Shah and Nish Kumar will rage in exasperation at the state of the world; Al Porter brings some charming camp and Sophie Willan some fascinating and funny first-hand anecdotes, all compered by that charmer, Iain Stirling.

LONDON: If you like puns, Tim Vine AND Gary Delaney share a fundraising bill at the Comedy Store tonight alongside sardonic John Moloney, cheery Lucy Porter and upbeat musical comic Rob Deering in a benefit for Parkinson’s UK.

LONDON: Wonderfully inventive Joseph Morpurgo brings his audacious one-man character show Hammerhead to the Soho Theatre from now until October 28. It’s set in the Q&A after an avant-garde production of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein… and it soon becomes clear this pioneering auteur has also created an artistic monster that he can’t control. Full review here

Wednesday October 18

LONDON: There’s another strong benefit at the The Turks Head in St Margarets, near Twickenham – the usual home of the Bearcat Club. The line-up of Dominic Holland, Sara Pascoe, Hal Cruttenden and Luke Toulson oozes comedy class, with proceeds going to local children’s hospice charity Shooting Star Chase.

Thursday October 19

MANCHESTER: The Comedy Store boasts a strong bill this weekend.. and as always you get some of the best of it for a reduced price – £12 and £9 concessions – with the smart and sardonic Carey Marx, deadpan Mike Gunn and charismatic Jarred Christmas. They are joined by Alistair Williams and Marlon Davis for the rest of the weekend.

FridayOctober 20

HALIFAX: The town’s third comedy festival kicks off tonight with Richard Herring’s touring Oh Frig I’m 50 and Barbara Nice’s Raffle. And over the ensuing eight days, acts will include Sara Pascoe, Lee Nelson (possibly with tales about handing Theresa May her P45) and Britain’s Got Talent finalist Daliso Chaponda.

LONDON: Fancy 50 hours of non-stop improv… for some that might sound like a hellish torment, but if that’s your bag, the Hoopla! collective are celebrating their formal takeover of the upstairs venue at the Miller pub in London Bridge as a full-time dedicated theatre for improv with this two-and-a-bit day marathon. It starts at 7pm tonight and runs to 9pm on Sunday with more than 200 performers. Shows within that time include an improvised Arnold Schwarzenegeger film, a Crystal Maze parody, and Suki Webster's Guest Speaker.

Saturday October 21

LONDON: Marcel Lucont presents another of his Cabaret Fantastique showcases in the plush Brasserie Zedel at Piccadilly Circus. Guests tonight include upbeat musical agitators Jonny And The Baptists and talented mimic Jess Robinson.

Published: 15 Oct 2017