Comedy: Summer Madness

Feast on July’s comedy offerings, before August snaps them away

As much as Brighton and the South East is the centre of our world, for one month of the year the Scottish capital becomes the focus of the comedy universe as lots and lots of comics (did we agree that the collective noun was a ‘giggle’?) converge for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. A show gallery of talent for the world’s TV executives and venue bookers, August goes pretty darn quiet for most of the rest of the country when this exodus takes place. So, in this last week of July, feast your giggle-gut on a mixture of practically-finished Edinburgh preview shows and local innovative funnies.

Over at the Caroline Of Brunswick the next seven days serve up preview shows from Mark Steel, Nathan Caton, Mike Wozniak and Matt Forde, as well a good selection of local comics at Podium Comedy on Saturday – many of whom will also have razor-sharp material they’re preparing to take up North for the first time.
Otherplace at The Basement is also playing host to a mixture of previews, respected local talent, and brand new comedy voices. It’s worth noting that at this stage in the year what you’re essentially getting when you attend a preview is a fully formed top dollar TV-comic show for under a tenner. Many of them will probably be back in October for the Brighton Comedy Festival, at which point they’ll cost twice as much for a ticket and just be two months older. Not a whole lot of tweaking going on in those two months, so do bag yourself an entertainment bargain.
Anyway, over at The Basement this week you can grab yourself preview shows from Beasts and Tom Parry, as well Off The Cuff Stands Up – combining the skills of the ten-year-established comedy improv troupe with turns from guest stand ups including Sameena Zehra, James McDonnell, Dan Fardell and Roz Ryan. Plus there’s your monthly dose of Rabbit In The Headlights, Brighton’s longest serving new act and new material night on Friday.

Plus, for even more previews just mosey over to Komedia for shows from Tiff Stevenson, Carl Donnelly, Adam Hess, Julian Deane, Gareth Richards and Iain Sterling.
So get your fix of laughter and breathe it in deeply. There’s plenty in town to tickle all of the senses.
www.carolineofbrunswick.co.uk
www.otherplacebrighton.co.uk
www.komedia.co.uk/brighton