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BALHAM COMEDY FESTIVAL 2025

BEST OF BANANA CABARET – FRIDAY, 4th JULY

BEST of BANANA CABARET

PAUL THORNE, LILY PHILLIPS, MICHAEL ODEWALE, KUAN-WEN HUANG, COMPERE – JOHN MOLONEY*

PICTURED: Michael Odewale
PAUL THORNE We never tire of watching Paul Thorne on our stage. Paul can regularly be seen headlining the UK’s biggest and best comedy clubs. With well crafted material, spontaneous wit, and surreal comedy songs he’s earned himself a reputation as a quality live performer both at home and as far afield as Canada, Australia, Dubai, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, China, and Japan. Comedy festival appearances include Edinburgh, Melbourne, Adelaide, Newcastle, Leicester and Bath as well as two critically acclaimed tours of fringe festivals across the length of Canada including Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver. This culminated in a successful residency in London’s West End at The Leicester Square Theatre performing a brand new topical solo show. A must-see comedian’s comedian who never fails.
“A sharp, fast-paced comedian with just the right mix of edgy political incorrectness. No-one is left unscathed during a hilarious show.” – TORONTO SUN
LILY PHILLIPS With her hilarious brand of feminist comedy, Lily is one of the UK’s most exciting up-and-coming voices in comedy. Runner Up at the 2019 Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year, and Funny Women Finalist 2018, Lily was a part of prestigious Pleasance Comedy Reserve at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2021, she reached the grand final of the BBC New Comedy Awards on BBC One. She is a series regular on The Stand Up Sketch Show and The Stand Up Sketch Show Christmas Special (ITV2), she recently starred in a new hidden camera show for E4 Digital as a fake podcast host. Her credits also include Period Dramas (BBC3), The Joy Of Missing Out (All4), and comedy shorts for Comedy Central Online. She has also debated at the Oxford Union. A talented writer, in 2021 Lily’s script beat over 1,000 applicants to be shortlisted in the final 3 in the Funny Women’s Writer’s Award. Her highly awaited debut hour, SMUT, premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2022 to rave reviews. 
“A polished performer, exudes a life-affirming joyfulness and makes us laugh out loud.” – FUNNY WOMEN
MICHAEL ODEWALE A charming and affable stage presence, Michael’s is a fresh and unfiltered voice delivering sharp and beautifully delivered content. He has well and truly established himself in the comedy world, and takes to the stage with confidence and playful swagger. He’s clever, he gets an audience thinking – no topic is off-limits: politics, economics, racism, pigeons. From one-liners to jokes that slowly build to an eruption of laughter, his versatility, likeability and talent make him very much in demand not only as a performer but also as a writer. Not to be missed if you love great standup, we get him on our stage as often as we possibly can!
“An arresting knack for storytelling… with grit and relevance.” – CHORTLE
KUAN-WEN HUANG Fast-paced and effervescent, emerging Taiwanese performer Kuan-Wen Huang blends the observations of a bewildered immigrant with his bubbly gay persona. Nominated for both the Leicester Comedy Festival Best Show, and Channel 4 Sean Lock Comedy Award, Kuan-Wen stumbled upon stand-up comedy in Berlin, on a break from his corporate career. He caught the itch and swiftly relocated to Britain to pursue a parallel career in comedy. He performed for Comedy Central at the Edinburgh Fringe, going on to record two more series of Comedy Central Live. His debut Edinburgh solo, Ilha Formosa, was critically acclaimed, and featured on BBC Radio 4’s Fresh From the Fringe, with a gag from the show listed in The Guardian’s Top 10 Jokes of the Fringe. The show transferred to a sold-out performance at the Soho Theatre, followed by a European tour. A proud queer performer, featuring strongly in Pride events, Kuan-Wen is a regular host for the LGBTQ+ New Comedian of the Year competition.
“Taiwanese Force of Nature.” – CHORTLE
JOHN MOLONEY – compere & co-producer – Industry legend and esteemed co-producer of the Balham Comedy Festival, John Moloney has been a professional comedian for more years than he’d care to mention. John epitomises dry, dispassionate delivery and is master of the droll one-liner. He entertains audiences across the globe with his crafted, intelligent and original standup. Twice winner of the Best Live Performer award at the London Comedy Festival, John is one of Britain’s most in-demand comedians and also highly sought-after on the corporate circuit.
“It is good to know that there is still room for a stand-up comedian as gifted and unpretentious as John Moloney.” – THE TIMES

TICKETS: £20 plus booking fee

BALHAM COMEDY FESTIVAL – FULL LISTINGS & TICKETS

Banana Cabaret is delighted to bring you our 13th critically acclaimed Balham Comedy Festival from Friday 4th – Saturday 12th July.
It’s 8 nights of choice standup comedy – celebrity and household name acts, rising stars and comedians’ comedians, first-timers and festival favourites, and solo shows  – there are comedians to satisfy every comic taste, all wrapped cosily in the round at our beautiful venue.
There are two acts on each of the solo show dates. The rip-roaring Best of Banana Cabaret shows each feature four superb comedians plus compere.  
Balham Comedy Festival 2025 spans eight nights and features an amazing twenty-five comedians, performing in our home of  41 years, the Bedford’s iconic round Club Room where Banana Cabaret has hosted the likes of Eddie Izzard, Michael McIntyre, Sarah Millican, Jack Whitehall, Kerry Godliman and Romesh Ranganathan.
The festival is presented by Banana Cabaret – one of London’s longest-running premier comedy clubs – loved by comics and audiences alike and always one of the best lineups in town – and is co-produced by Banana Cabaret’s Dave Vickers and award-winning comedian John Moloney. Balham Comedy Festival alumni include Lee Mack, Sara Pascoe, Rhod Gilbert, Zoe Lyons, Joe Lycett and more.
BEST OF BANANA CABARET – Doors: 6.30pm / Show: 8.30pm – 10.45pm. Guests to be seated by 8.00pm. Food orders until 7.30pm. Standing tickets available online when seated tickets are sold out, and from 6.30pm at the ticket desk. Bars and DJs until 2am.
*Acts subject to change

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