Larmer Tree Festival has unveiled details of its comedy line-up for 2020. This year’s comedy headliners will be Mark Steel and Suzi Ruffell.
Since first coming to attention in the ‘90s, Mark Steel has become one of the most potent forces in British comedies. Passionate about social justice, Steel focuses on the absurdities and extremes of modern politics with razor-sharp wit. While addressing the big issues of the day is often the main theme of his set, Steel relates those topics in a way that’s warm, whole-hearted and laugh-out-loud hilarious.
Suzi Ruffell is a real crowd-pleaser, as demonstrated by being named Best Club Comic at the 2019 Chortle Awards. Energetically tackling personal experiences ranging from anxieties to sexual politics, Ruffell has a real flair for making such talking points both riotously engaging and utterly uplifting. Those talents have been showcased on everything from Live at the Apollo to Mock The Week, and she also co-hosts the Like Minded Friends podcast with Tom Allen.
In addition to Mark Steel, the line-up will also feature Charlie George, the LGBTQ New Comedian of the Year 2019, and Ahir Shah’s blend of philosophical inquiry, political vigour and sweet gags. The MC for the evening will be Phil Ellis, who’s renowned for his amalgamation of off-beat observational material and physical comedy.
Joining Suzie Ruffell will be the “triumphantly profane” (The Guardian) American comedian Sara Barron and Sindhu Vee, who explores her cynical and satirical guide to modern coupledom. They’ll be introduced by the MC Jarred Christmas, a boisterous, passionate Kiwi who Time Out described as “One of the funniest men to pick up a microphone.”
Larmer Tree will also be hosting four comedians who will be playing special preview shows ahead of the Edinburgh Festival. There’s the innovative and eccentric Elf Lyons; effortlessly amusing stand-up and low-key comedy songs from Gareth Richards; Olga Koch delivers infectiously entertaining snapshots of her childhood in Russia; and Chortle Award Winner Tom Ward, whose evoking ideas and distinctive looks have made him for a memorable performer.
Tickets for Larmer Tree Festival’s 2020 event are available from https://larmertreefestival.co.uk/buy-tickets/. Super early bird and early bird tickets are already sold-out, but weekend tickets are available, priced at £179 for adults, £105 for teenagers and £35 for children. Adults can also obtain free tickets for children under the age of six. There’s also the option to spread the cost with part payment weekend tickets, which require a deposit of £65 for adults and £40 for teenagers.
