BALHAM COMEDY FESTIVAL 2018 - LISTINGS
FRIDAY 27 APRIL
Best of Banana Cabaret – The Round Room – 7.45 pm – 9.00 pm (Condensed): Angela Barnes - BBC New Comedy Award winner Angela Barnes as seen on Live At The Apollo, a regular on Mock The Week on BBC2 and The News Quizon BBC R4 and she is the host of BBC Radio 4 Extra's Newsjack. "She's just a gloriously down-to-earth, straight talking and extremely funny comic" The Guardian; Imran Yusuf - Edinburgh Best Newcomer nominee, star of BBC3’s & Netflix’sFried, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Dave’s One Night Stand, CBBC’s Ultimate Brain and a bunch of other stuff you’ve seen him on and over 3 million views on YouTube!; Roger Monkhouse, a consummate stand-up who employs a deadly combination of charm and menace to exert a masterful control over any audience. (£10.00 plus booking fee)
Al Murray The Pub Landlord – The Round Room – 9.30 pm: Al Murray Publican. Politician. Other thing beginning with P. Philosopher, yeah, that. The nation’s critically acclaimed bar-based-braveheart, Al Murray, The Pub Landlord continues his Common Sense campaign to re-Great Britain. We live in troubling times. Europe. The NHS. Whatever the hell is going on in the Middle East? The gathering storm of fortnightly bin collections? Who knows where it will all end? Watch the one man who will answer the call of destiny even though it’s an unlisted number. Watch the one man who will call time on tyranny even though he isn’t quite sure what it means. Watch the one man who isn’t afraid to say no to women ordering anything other than a glass of white wine (or fruit based drink). (£17.00 or Combo Ticket £24.00 including Best of Banana Cabaret plus booking fee)
SATURDAY 28 APRIL
Best of Banana Cabaret – The Round Room – 9.00 pm: Joe Pasquale, currently getting rave reviews for his performances as legendary comedy character Frank Spencer in the touring theatre production of the TV comedy classic,Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, returns to the Balham Comedy Festival for the second year following his triumphant debut in 2017; stand-up comedian and writer Tania Edwards, whose credits include Stand Up For The Week, Twit of the Year, Mock The Week, Après Ski and Radio 4’s Unbelievable Truth is fresh from supporting Katherine Ryan on her sell out tour; a sensational live performer, Yorkshire man, marathon runner and former double award winning Time Out Comedian of the Year, Paul Tonkinson has long upheld his reputation as one of the finest stand-ups the UK has to offer; Carl Donnelly is one of the most popular comedians around with regular appearances on Mock The Week and Russell Howard’s Good News– he’s also been nominated twice for an Edinburgh Comedy Award. (£16.00 plus booking fee), Students £6.00 on the door
SUNDAY 29 APRIL
Rich Hall – The Round Room – 8.00 pm: OFF THE KERB PRODUCTIONS PRESENT RICH HALL’S HOEDOWN: Rich Hall returns to the Balham Comedy Festival with his critically acclaimed new show. There has never been a better time to be an American comedian in the UK. Hall’s precision dismantling of the tenuous relationship between two countries is as freewheeling and deadly accurate as ever. His BBC Four documentaries, most recently Rich Hall’s Countrier Than You andRich Hall’s Presidential Grudge Match and BBC Radio 4 series Rich Hall’s (US Election) Breakdown have built him a new legion of followers, as has appearances on Have I Got News For You and QI. But if you’ve only ever seen Hall on TV, you’ve short-changed yourself. “As close as it gets to a guaranteed good show” - Scotland on Sunday.
The Hoedown begins as a withering dissection of Trump’s America, but ends up being a celebration of Americana. There’s stand-up, improvised ballads, cracking good musicianship, and ultimately a hilarious, foot-stomping, shit-kicking good time to be had by all. Even if you don’t own a hoe. “Blissfully Funny” - The Guardian (£17.00 plus booking fee).
