Norwich festival and the rest of the week's live comedy highlights

The week ahead in live comedy.

Sunday July 23

SHREWSBURY: Its sounds grand, but the Shrewsbury International Comedy Festival only last three days. But it gets the names in, mainly for Edinburgh previews, but this closing gala is quite the bill, with not a makeweight among them. Doing the business are Abandoman, Barbara Nice, Greg Davies, Joe Lycett, Spencer Jones and Terry Alderton.

Wednesday July 26

LONDON: The Ealing Comedy Festival continues with Dara O Briain headlining alongside I, Daniel Blake star Dave Johns and the very assured stand-up of Paul Tonkinson and Simon Evans.

LONDON: Jaunty comedy protest singers Johnny & The Baptists perform a ‘best of’ show in the intimate Canal Cafe Theatre in Little Venice, ahead of an Edinburgh Fringe run next month.

NORWICH: The city’s Laugh In The Park comedy festival returns for four more days of frivolity, kicking off with the improvised rap of Abandoman, charmer David Morgan, upper-middle-class Hal Cruttenden and hard-edged Tiff Stevenson.

Friday July 28

LONDON: Social politics is rarely served up as mischievously as Andrew Maxwell does, headlining at Up The Creek in Greenwich this weekend.

NEWCASTLE: There’s an excellent bill at The Stand this weekend, with the vicarious thrills of Canadian storyteller Glenn Wool headlining over Jimmy McGhie, Lauren Pattison and Susie McCabe.

LEEDS: The House Of Fun Comedy Club in The Woods also serves up a rock-solid line-up with the audience in the very safe hands of circuit stalwarts Mick Ferry, Tom Wrigglesworth and Andre Vincent.

CARDIFF: Smartly funny Adam Bloom and laid-back observational Aussie Daniel Townes are among the attractions at the Glee Club this weekend.

Saturday July 29

LONDON: Comedians are often a combination of raging ego and gnawing insecurities, and in Nick Helm both are writ brilliantly large. The ‘one-man mega-myth’ shares a bill at Islington’s Union Chapel with the more intellectually fretful, but no less amusing, Mark Watson.

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Published: 23 Jul 2017