Comedy: Summer Lovin’

Ignore America’s Independence Day in favour of a bit of independent comedy

We are very fortunate to have one of the South East’s leading – and consistently award-winning – weekend club nights in our fair city. Krater Comedy at Komedia brings us the leading lights of club comics, mixing up some of the most established on the circuit with exciting comics that are just slamming onto the scene now en route to a meteoric rise. Or so they hope.
But not all comedy performers or sets fit neatly into the club night arena. And some of these are coming our way in July.

This Saturday sees the arrival of Luisa Omielan’s follow-up to her worldwide hit and empowerment bullet ‘What Would Beyoncé Do?’. The new show is equally bolshy and invigorating, and was in town in the 2014 Brighton Fringe in preview form. Entitled ‘Am I Right Ladies?!’, it continues the ‘party with jokes’ format of the first, but also crucially continues to tap into a very personal side of Omielan making this more than jumping about and mad laughter, bringing tears and attacking fears.

A clip extract from the show went viral when Omielan attacked the much-discussed thigh gap concept at a Gala performance when she was in Australia. You may have seen it on social media. The joie de vivre is palpable on screen, but catch her in the flesh and it’s an Independence Day celebration for all, no matter what gender or orientation.
Expand your horizons and try out a show that might step away from the familiar format of what comedy is. Friday night at Komedia sees improv elder statesmen group (they’re not particularly old as players, just very well respected as a troup) The Maydays put forth their show ‘Tonight’s Top Story’. Funny, frivolous and touching by turns, anything could happen as the entire show is based upon newspaper articles cut out by audience members just minutes before curtain time.

Plus there’s a triple bill of Edinburgh preview shows over at the Caroline Of Brunswick on Thursday. Rob Beckett, Jake Lambert and Elliot Steel – with over two hours of comedy, long form and in a small room providing the intimate kind of comedy night you just can’t get at a big packed club. Mix and match your comedy experiences. With so much on offer, it would be foolish not to try mixing up your flavours just a bit.
brightondome.org
www.komedia.co.uk/brighton
carolineofbrunswick.co.uk