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BALHAM COMEDY FESTIVAL 2024
BEST OF BANANA CABARET – FRIDAY, 19th JULY
BEST of BANANA CABARET
HARRY HILL, CARL DONNELLY, SHARON WANJOHI, ANDREW BIRD, COMPERE – JOHN MOLONEY*
PICTURED: Harry Hill
HARRY HILL Surreal and disjointed, madcap and mind-bending, we welcome Harry Hill back to our stage. Best-known for his surrealist, absurd comedy style, Harry has been one of the UK’s most unique and beloved entertainers for nigh on 30 years. With a gift for spoofing pop culture, he’s probably best known for creating a raft of hit TV series. He recently completed a sell-out live tour, and with long-term collaborator Steve Brown created the critically acclaimed Tony! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera]. He embarks on a new UK tour later this year. Harry is a best-selling writer; as an artist he has shown at the Royal Academy; he holds three BAFTAs and a Level 4 BAGA Gymnastics Award (forward roll, cartwheel, crab and roundoff).
“Reliably, joyously madcap… for Hill, some corner of a comedy stage will forever be nonsense.” – THE GUARDIAN
CARL DONNELLY Here’s an irresistible performer who never disappoints. Carl Donnelly’s conversational, silly sense of humour has secured the high respect of his peers and a host of prestigious awards. The supreme and enviable skill of his relaxed and chatty style is that it seems unscripted; he might be mistaken for some bloke who has just stepped up onto the stage for a chat. Carl finds the funny in anything and everything, especially the minutiae of his personal human condition. A prolific writer and an authentic voice, this accomplished standup comedian is regularly in demand at the finest comedy clubs in the world.
“One of the most engaging and bendy-minded comedians on the circuit.” – THE GUARDIAN
SHARON WANJOHI Sharon Wanjohi secured our attention immediately she hit the circuit. She’s happy to shock, and toys cheerfully with absurdity. She talks (maybe too much) about children’s films and the cartoon dilfs that inspired a generation of sexual awakenings. And she thinks Ratatouille is a commentary on race. A finalist in an array of prestigious award categories, and with an Edinburgh Fringe Festival debut under her belt, Sharon has quickly become a well known and requested name on the circuit, her comedy career is well and truly up and running.
“She impresses with plenty to say about race and gender, laced with sarcasm, delivered with a smile.” – CHORTLE
ANDREW BIRD As we know Andrew so well, he can speak for himself: “This is to be read out at my funeral. We are here to remember Andrew. I would love to say all the usual things, like ‘He was always full of life and put others first’ – but that wouldn’t be true. He was alright wasn’t he? He was from Northampton, so probably not even worth bringing up. As an under-age drinker in the local pub he tried to make the older men laugh. After a few non-starter years, trying to make people laugh really seemed the only option. So he got a job in a London pub* while starting out in standup. Slogging around the circuit he did establish himself, did many Edinburgh solos, and wrote on various TV shows. He got married, bought a car and a house, and had two children during the worst recession since the 1920s. This pressure fuelled his slightly moaning stressed sense of humour but ultimately contributed to his untimely death.” – *Reader, that pub was our venue.
“A great storyteller. Funny, likeable and effortless.” – TIME OUT
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 12th critically acclaimed Balham Comedy Festival from Friday 12th – Saturday 20th 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 2024 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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