Comedy: On your own

After cutting comic teeth on a group bill, solo shows can change the shape of a comedian with a single tour

We are very fortunate here to have, not only a home for professional comedians and aspiring comedians, but also a large number of venues that mean solo tours from the funnsters are no rarity. It’s a very different skill, writing your very first hour-long show, penned simply for your own audience to enjoy, rather than making any concessions to – say – the raucous birthday party in the corner, only having 20 minutes to make a full body impact of your unique sense of humour, or any lingering taste the last act may have left in the air.

Jim Jefferies has said that he can no longer play on mixed bills, though, as he’s so used to performing to an audience that already ‘gets’ him. That’s not to say that all comics with their own distinct styles grapple this way, as I have seen Milton Jones draw every member of what was a maelstrom of a weekend audience into his own magically surreal world with the power of only his comic persona. It’s just different.

This is why it’s very much worth seeing full shows from comics you’ve previously only seen a snippet of material from. If it’s resonated, made you laugh, or made you think, then it really is a treat for the senses to see the comic in question holding court on topics they’ve selected as interesting, rather than simply ‘sturdy
in the face of possible non-plussed faces’.

Of course, a lot of these shows came to town during the Brighton Comedy Festival and Brighton Comedy Fringe, but they haven’t stopped with the month of October. Komedia, this month, has solo shows from as diverse acts as Paul Foot and Eve Ferret. Over in Shoreham the Ropetackle Centre plays host to Andy Zaltzman, and The Old Market welcomes Sean Hughes in Hove.

Plus Bar Broadway is putting on shows from Luke Benson and Fin Taylor. Just as, when you order a taster board at a restaurant, it’s good to have a bit of everything – sometimes what you really want is just one strong flavour. There’s every reason to enjoy a mixed bill, but combine it with a few solo shows in your live comedy repertoire and appreciate the time and effort these comedians put in to writing something that fully showcases their talents. After all, they’ve spent all that time writing it, and no one invited the stag do this time around.

www.komedia.co.uk
www.ropetacklecentre.co.uk
www.theoldmarket.com
www.otherplaceproductions.co.uk