Archive for the ‘Comedy’ Category
Dr Phil’s Rude Health Show – Bloomsbury Theatre
Tuesday 8th June 2010
The GP funnyman has increased his profile as a frequent guest on Countdown’s Dictionary Corner and is touring with his Rude Health Show.
report to follow…
Harlem Globetrotters – Wembley Arena
Monday 7th June 2010
Hold on, what? The Harlem Globetrotters are playing in London? Time to get courtside tickets at Wembley Arena.
report to follow…
Michael McIntyre – WiP – Leicester Square Theatre
Thursday 27th May 2010
Back to the basement at the Leicester Square Theatre for one final installment of Michael McIntyre work in progress show.
report to follow…
Flight Of The Concords – Wembley Arena
Tuesday 25th May 2010
At the time of booking, I’d never heard of these boys, other than the phrase ‘Flight of the Concords are hilarious’. That’s all the information needed before booking tickets for Wembley Arena.
report to follow…
Micky Flanagan – Bloomsbury Theatre
Monday 24th May 2010
As one of the breakthroughs from the recent Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, the talented Micky Flanagan brings his Out Out Tour to the Bloomsbury Theatre.
report to follow…
Terry Alderton – Bloomsbury Theatre
Friday 21st May 2010
Terry who? Exactly. Sometimes I like to book a show without any knowledge of the performing artist. This was no different and with this approach there are often no expectations at all.
report to follow…
Four Lions / Chris Morris Q&A – Curzon Soho
Thursday 20th May 2010
By chance I’d noticed a tweet with details of special screening of Four Lions at the Curzon Theatre, followed by a Q&A with director Chris Morris. Thankfully, there were tickets still available.
report to follow…
Michael McIntyre – WiP – Leicester Square Theatre
Tuesday 18th May 2010
In the basement for another dose of Michael McIntyre, working to perfect his routine for the upcoming Comedy Roadshows.
A small treat for those arriving early as the owner of the Leicester Square Theatre allowed people into the main hall to see Andy Sharrocks & The Smokin Jackets. Not really a country music fan, but I thought the band were pretty good.
In the basement, John Gordillo was up on stage first, but unlike previous shows, he performed for over 20 mins. Practising for his appearance on the Comedy Showcase at the Comedy Store, He had the audience in stitches talking about his Spanish father’s Communist views. Both the accent and the material were spot on.
At one point, Michael McIntyre jokingly barged open the door to correct John Gordillo on the number of venues and people who had seen his sell-out tour. Slightly disparaging for the support act, who to his own admission is barely able to sell out venues in Leyton Buzzard.
Unfortunately, Michael McIntyre’s performance on the night was slightly under par, but to be fair to him, he was unwell. One of the highlights was when he asked if anyone had any paracetamol, only for an audience member to provide him with an astonishing array of tablets. That inevitably lead to a fun exchange with the audience, involving a number of the drugs on offer.
A fun night out, with John Gordillo outshining a rather poorly Michael McIntyre.
Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Showcase – Comedy Store
Monday 17th May 2010
Time for Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Showcase at the Comedy Store, as the first of five back-to-back comedy nights.
At the Comedy Showcase a couple of weeks ago, Imran Yusuf and Hal Cruttenden stole the show. Referred to as the FA Cup of Comedy, it was now up to a new set of 8 acts to perform their magic. Arrived early and chose the second row, purposely missing out on the front row and any potential eye contact with Michael McIntyre, in case he destroyed me again.
To be fair the front row provided excellent material for Michael McIntyre to comment on, especially the couple and her parents. Although, he was gobsmacked when a girl said she was a funeral director, only for her boyfriend to add that he tidied up soldier’s graves. To everyone’s surprise they didn’t actually meet at work.
Luckily for Michael McIntyre he had other considerations to worry about. Namely, the spider that was gate crashing the event. In sight of everyone, it was now stationed between himself and the front row. Something had to be done, as the audience was fixated on the spider. Obviously, he’s seen the original Karate Kid. A few swift moves and he’d dealt with the spider. Similar to his observation of people attempting to get water from the latest style of wash basins (those without the usual taps).
There was a variety of performances on offer on the night, including musical comedy from the imaginative Paul Thorne and the somewhat scary Loretta Maine. Good performances too from Andrew Bird and Saleem. If anyone was to edge it on the night it was probably Kojo, Andrew Lawrence and Paul Chowdry. However, my personal favourite was Ed Aczel. One of the most absurd, yet innovative acts I’ve seen. He’s unlikely to make it onto the Comedy Roadshow, as he’s not mainstream enough, but his work with the flip chart was hilarious.
Another superb night out, with some outstanding performances on the night. Good luck to all of the performers.
Paul Merton – New Theatre, Oxford
Tuesday 11th May 2010
I’d been looking forward to a trip to Oxford to see Paul Merton, one of my comedy heroes. I’d even had contact with his PR team and booked train tickets in advance. Surely, nothing was going to stop me from going.
Unfortunately, Nottingham Forest were playing the 2nd leg of the Championship Play-Off Semi-Final at home to Blackpool. I considered recording it and switching off every possible type of communication, but I knew deep down I wouldn’t be able to focus. So I had no alternative but to give the tickets away to a friend.
By the end of the evening, the pain was threefold. Firstly, the words ‘David Cameron is the new Prime Minister’ flashed across the screen and covered most of the pitch. Secondly, Forest lost at home to Blackpool, amazingly the fourth time we’d lost to them in one season. And thirdly, Paul Merton’s Impro Chums was excellent and my friend still talks about how amazing the evening was.
Oh the pain of improvising…
