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TIM VINE, PAUL DANIELS, MILTON JONES and more line-up for 2014 BALHAM COMEDY FESTIVAL in July


BANANA CABARET HOSTS 
THE 2014 BALHAM COMEDY FESTIVAL
30th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

It’s back and better than ever! South London gets its ribs seriously tickled at the 2014 Balham Comedy Festival from Friday 11 to Saturday 19 July

"The Balham Comedy Festival celebrates all that's great about the live comedy scene - motivated by a love of all that's great in stand-up." Harry Hill

Featuring a cavalcade of big names and fresh comedic talent the 2014 Balham Comedy Festival promises to be a mix of belly laughs and side-splitting stand-up.  Featuring a hotbed of new and established merrymakers, primed and ready to shamelessly caress your funny bone, the 2014 Balham Comedy Festival line-up, which celebrates 30 years of London’s premier comedy club, Banana Cabaret, looks better than ever!

A raft of home grown and international talent descends on The Bedford across 8 nights and 9 days of uproarious hilarity, giving comedy fans a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with artists they know, and those they don’t know they love yet but soon will! There will also be special daytime events for parents with children plus complimentary comedy workshops. With ticket prices ranging from £8 to £16, or just £27.50 (Usually £32) if you book 2 shows in the Round Room on the same night, this is an unmissable opportunity to see top-drawer entertainment for pocket change.

Names already confirmed for the festival include Robert Newman, Paul Daniels, Phill Jupitus, Reginald D. Hunter, Tim Vine, Stephen K Amos, Marcus Brigstocke, Milton Jones, Shappi Khorsandi, Mark Steel,  Richard Herring, Jeremy Hardy, Susan Calman, Kevin Day, Gary Delaney, Kerry Godliman, Tony Law,  and Fred MacAulay with more performers to be announced.   The Best of Banana Cabaret, hosted by Festival Co Producer John Moloney,  will feature on 4 of the nights with guest comics including the likes of Rudi Lickwood, Zoe Lyons, Steve Williams, Jarred Christmas, Mary Bourke, Paul Sinha, Carl Donnelly, Loretta Maine, Paul Tonkinson, Jeff Innocent, Andrew Maxwell and Mark Maier.

And if you fancy trying your hand at a bit of stand-up yourself, don’t just sit back and spectate, get involved with the Balham Comedy Festival Comedy Workshops on Saturday 12 July and Sunday 13 July between 2.00 pm and 4.00 pm.  Sponsored by Wandsworth Council, and hosted by John Moloney who is soon to be featured in his new BBC Radio 4 Series The Gospel According to John which will air in the Autumn.   John will team up with Dave Fulton on 12 July for the Adults Workshop and Adam Bloom on 13 July for the Children’s event.  The workshops were introduced last year and who knows, could prove to be the spawning ground for some exciting new comedy talent of the future!

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Banana Cabaret, an unbelievable three decades of creating, nurturing and helping to launch an eclectic hotbed of wise-cracking performers in the heart of Balham. The 2014 Balham Comedy Festival is a force to be reckoned with and a much-welcome addition to the capital’s glittering roster of entertainment.  One of this year’s performers, Jeremy Hardy, was one of the comics who began his career in Balham three decades ago.   Oh how time flies when you’re laughing your head off!

The 2014 Balham Comedy Festival, which is being co-produced by Banana Cabaret’s Dave Vickers and John Moloney, will take place in The Round Room, The Ballroom and The Tavistock. Audiences will have the chance to see a mix of hour-long performances, works in progress and Edinburgh previews from some of the greatest names in comedy bringing the funnage.


THE 2014 BALHAM COMEDY FESTIVAL DIARY OF EVENTS

FRIDAY 11 JULY
7.30 pm - The Round Room:   Robert Newman’s New Theory of Revolution -   in his first new show for seven years, Robert tells the story of how a series of personal disasters and jammy flukes led him to stumble upon a whole new theory of evolution, which he calls the Survival of the Misfits. It's a story which includes altruistic vampire bats, Prince Kropotkin’s daring escape from a Tsarist dungeon and Richard Dawkins’ postman wrestling naked“He is one amazing comedian” Time Out £16.00
9.00pm - The BallroomThe Best of Banana Cabaret hosted by John Moloney featuring Rudi Lickwood, Zoe Lyons and Steve Williams£16.00 * including DJ & Dancing until 2.00am
9.30 pm – The Round Room:   Marcus Brigstocke – Je M’accuse – I Am Marcus.  Marcus Brigstocke returns to the Balham Comedy Festival with the final cut of the show he so successfully previewed as a work in progress last year.   Podium dancer, oil rig worker, food addict, musical theatre enthusiast posh, eco-hypocrite, ex-Goth, Muppet fan, award winning
comedian and chief beverages operator at the Little Chef – screw politics! Let’s talk about me. “If you haven't seen him live, then you haven't seen him at his very  best” *****The Mirror £16.00

SATURDAY 12 JULY
2.00 pm – 4.00 pm: Comedy Workshop for Adults with John Moloney and Dave Fulton
7.30 pm – 8.30 pm The Round Room:  Susan Calman -   this year Susan has written a new show about Rosa Klebb.  This isn't it. This show’s about a lot of things, but it’s best not to spoil the surprise. “Confident, compact…cracking.”  Evening Standard ****
  £16.00
9.00 pm – The Ballroom: The Best of Banana Cabaret hosted by John Moloney featuring Jarred Christmas, Mary Bourke and Paul Sinha. £16.00 * including DJ & Dancing until 2.00am
9.30 pm – 10.30 pm - The Round Room: Tim Vine Edinburgh Preview The punslinger returns with new jokes, silly songs and twitchy dancing. Joke, joke, joke; Prop, prop, prop;  Song, song, song (Sorry, the laptop's jammed.) It's time to put the satire on hold and watch a grown man act the goat. Come along and enjoy the nonsense. WARNING: This show will contain wobbly props, one reference to a panda and a song about getting water in your ear after swimming. “Offering line after line of glorious goofing.”*****The Times £16.00

SUNDAY 13 JULY
2.00 pm - 4.00 pm:  Comedy Workshop for Children with John Moloney and Adam Bloom
No further events due to 2014 World Cup

MONDAY 14 JULY
7.30 pm – 8.30 pm - The Round Room:   Jeremy Hardy Jeremy Hardy talks for money. Sometimes he's on the radio but on this occasion he will actually be present. He is 53 but he wasn't always. He was 22 when he started talking for money and was in Balham, which was very different in those days.  People used to do all sorts for money on Bedford Hill at that time.  “One of sharpest comedians on the circuit” The Guardian the £16.00
9.00 pm –  The Tavistock:  Kevin Day – Stand Uppy -  Kevin has removed his finger from many pies - writing, directing and dicking about on telly with football fans - to come and do what he does best… stand-up comedy. Expect standing up and comedy. And maybe a ghost. “Thoughtful & inspired… very classy comedy indeed’ – Chortle ‘If you laughed at a joke on TV recently, chances are Kevin Day wrote it’ - Clare Balding  £10.00

TUESDAY 15 JULY
7.30 pm – The Round Room:  Paul Daniels - In the world of television magic, no one has enjoyed more success than Paul Daniels. From the moment he burst onto our screens, his magic shows have topped the ratings. He is undoubtedly the most successful TV magician of the 20th century, and international sex symbol! He promises not to dance! He will be joined by the lovely Debbie McGee. A show full of magic, comedy and amazement. **** “Flawless...No one is going to overshadow Daniels Metro £16.00
9.00 pm – The Tavistock:  Kerry Godliman Face Time -  Star of ‘Live At The Apollo and ‘Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow’, Kerry recently appeared as Hannah in Ricky Gervais’ sitcom ‘Derek’ and playing Lacey Turner’s Mum in ‘Our Girl’. You might also have caught her in 'Miranda', 'Getting On', 'Extras', 'Spoons' and 'Home Time' among others. Last year she supported Micky Flanagan on tour and took her critically acclaimed show ‘Wonder Woman’ to the Edinburgh Festival. Her Radio 4 show ‘Kerry’s List’ aired last Spring.  “Goes for the jugular.  Quick wit, frank and engaging” – Independent £10.00
9.30 pm – 10.30 pm  The Round Room:  Richard Herring – ‘Lord of the Dance Settee’.   After covering weighty issues like death, love, religion and spam javelins, “The King of Edinburgh” (List) returns with a show about daftness, being uncool and bouncing joyously on the sofa. “Dependably funny” Chortle. £16.00

WEDNESDAY 16 JULY
7.30 pm  – 8.30 pm = The Round Room: Phill Jupitus Shirking Progress (Work in Progress ) Phill Jupitus truth bombs his way through an hour of laughs, daily. The clown-extraordinaire has been on Never Mind The Buzzcocks since television was first invented in 1925, but he’s so much more than a gold mine of pop quiz trivia and the UK’s greatest beard-face. In his new show, Jupitus rips out his beating heart and staples it to his sleeve in front of a mesmerised crowd of shocked and delighted fans. Hysterical? Sure. Unmissable? Who cares whether The Guardian thinks so. You do. That’s why you’re buying a ticket right now. £16.00
9.00 pm – The Tavistock:  Gary Delaney – Purist - Gary thinks that most shows don't contain enough jokes, and is trying single handedly to redress the balance. Expect: Jokes. Don't Expect: Narrative, themes or a voyage of self-discovery Not suitable for bairns or sensitive souls. From Mock the Week, BBC3’s Edinburgh Comedy Fest Live and BBC Radio 5 Live’s 7 Day Saturday. Dave TV’s ‘Top 10 Joke of the Fringe’ 2013. Double Sony Award winner and Chortle Award nominee.   £10.00
9.30 pm – The Globe:  Mark Steel’s Back in Town - The ‘Mark Steel’s in Town’ show, based on the Radio 4 series in which I writea show centred around each town, has now been to at least 5 million places. It’s a sparkling verdict on humanity that I’ve mocked them all and somehow am still alive.  For this show I’ve found dozens more towns to humiliate, as well as pledging to discover what makes your own town ridiculous.  There will be pictures, and ranting, some people will call things out, and you’ll be a far better audience than the miserable arses from down the road. “Steel’s rapier wit cuts to the chase’”– The Observer £16.00

THURSDAY 17 JULY
1.00 pm – 2.30 pm (doors at midday) - The Round Room:  Lucy Porter - Screaming With Laughter the afternoon comedy club, designed for parents with infants under a year old.  See the best acts from TV and the comedy circuit without having to book a babysitter. Feel free to feed and change your baby. The acts won't make fun of you if you have to move around, whip out a boob or a bottle, or if your baby's just having a bit of a shout and scream. All the acts are experienced club performers, used to rowdy stag and hen night crowds at the weekend, so a bit of noise or the odd bare breast won't phase them. Expectant parents are also very welcome, as are grandparents, aunties and uncles, nannies, au pairs, carers and family friends. Feel free to bring along as many people as you like, we just ask that each party contains at least one baby or pregnant woman.  All the comedians will be performing their normal adult material, so the show is not suitable for older children.  That's why we have an 'under one or over sixteen' admission policy.  £8.00 babies free
7.30 pm – 8.30 pm - The Round Room:  Milton Jones Old Friends and New Favourites – Milton Jones in between tours is breaking in some new stuff and er finding it difficult to say goodbye to some other bits.  You know that bloke from Mock the Week with the shirts and short stupid jokes. “No-one can touch Jones when he hits his stride” the Guardian   £16.00
9.00 pm – The Tavistock:  Fred MacAulay - With his popular morning radio show on BBC Scotland and a string of TV credits, Fred MacAuley is still one of the most famous faces of Scottish comedy. His on screen reputation and on air witticisms are the product of years of experience on the live circuit, including a stint as the first ever-Scottish compere at the Comedy Store in London.  Arriving late to the world of stand-up comedy, starting at the age of 31, he has gone on to be a regular at the Edinburgh Fringe (clocking up his 26th year there in 2014) and at comedy festivals worldwide.
9.30 pm – The Round Room:  Stephen K. Amos – The Spokesman - Fresh from total sell-out tours of Australia and New Zealand, Stephen K Amos is back at the Balham Comedy Festival 2014.   The maestro of feel-good comedy, Stephen has had an interesting life so far but he is often asked to be a spokesman on certain matters. Why is that? Is he qualified to do this? What is it about spokesmen these days? They’re everywhere.  Stephen will be looking at spokesmen and many other things besides in his excellent new show. 'Warmest comic around, able to riff off a crowd and make them feel good about themselves' Sunday Times £16.00


FRIDAY 18 JULY
9.00 pm – The Ballroom:  The Best of Banana Cabaret hosted by John Moloney featuring Carl Donnelly, Loretta Maine and Paul Tonkinson.  £16.00 * including DJ & Dancing until 2.00am
9.30 pm – The Round Room: Reginald D. Hunter – Work in Progress “Comedy of a rare scope”««««« Times; “A dangerously funny man….skilfully stirring the audience into morally challenging territory” Independent; “One of the most brilliantly unpredictable comics” Sunday Times; “Searingly honest” Telegraph £16.00

SATURDAY 19 JULY
9.00 pm – The Round Room:  The Best of Banana Cabaret hosted by John Moloney featuring Andrew Maxwell, Jeff Innocent and Mark Maier. £16.00
7.30 pm – The Ballroom:  Tony Law: Enter the Tonezone (Work In Progress )- Dive into the zone of Tone - multi award-winner as seen on Have I Got News For You, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, 8 Out Of 10 Cats and more. 'Takes stand-up to a dangerously funny new level' **** Guardian  £12.00 * including DJ & Dancing until 2.00am
9.30 pm – The Ballroom:  Shappi Khorsandi After being knocked up like a 1950's teenager Shappi missed 2013, but now she is back and it's forward march. Reflecting on the good things, she celebrates her haphazard, zigzag towards her dreams. She introduces us to friends, family and total strangers who have helped her on her personal Yellow Brick Road. “seriously funny and surprisingly filthy” The New Statesman £12.00


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