Looking for a laugh? You’ve come to the right place! Today’s comedy news roundup features a selection of comedy gems. Whether you’re a fan of stand-up, sketch comedy, or just witty observations, there’s something here to tickle your funny bone.
DALISO CHAPONDA – FEED THIS BLACK MAN AGAIN
Malawian-born stand-up comedian Daliso Chaponda has extended his UK tour due to popular demand. The tour, ‘Feed This Black Man Again’, kicked off on February 11th at Glasgow’s The Stand. Since then, it has been met with overwhelming enthusiasm, with numerous sold-out shows.
TICKETS: https://dalisochaponda.seetickets.com/tour/daliso-chaponda
Daliso did his first solo show ‘Feed This Black Man’ 20 years ago in Canada, this hour saw him dissect the way Africans were always portrayed as starving, negative stereotypes that were all supported by charities. The jokes were mediocre, it included an offensive rap about poverty and the big finale was his eating a sandwich on stage…
Now, two decades and half a lifetime later, he is a seasoned writer and performer having secured a coveted spot on theRoyal Variety Show, written and starred in four series of ‘Citizen of Nowhere’ for Radio 4 series (that was nominated for the Rose d’Or) and was a finalist on Britain’s Got Talent! So, 22 years after starting comedy, Daliso has achieved more than he imagined was possible!
In this brand-new show Daliso mulls over the wisdom of age. Wouldn’t you love a chance to have your first relationship again? Be employed at your first job, but this time stand up to your boss? This show has the same themes as ‘Feed This Man’ (written when he was extremely thin!), but with brand new jokes that Daliso has re-written.
PAUL ZERDIN – PUPPETMAN
Paul Zerdin has announced a second leg of his current touring show ‘Puppetman’ after overwhelming public demand. The tour continues from 31st May at Maidenhead’s Norden Farm with more to be added.
Ticket link: https://paulzerdin.com/#tour
Despite being worried due to lack of work, lockdown proved to be one of the most creative periods in his life during which he wrote his last tour show, his latest comedy special and created his own TV show for YouTube called ‘Sponge Weekly’!
During this time, he also became single for the first time in years, which he found a big shock – no job, no partner, and the future of live entertainment at that point looked very, very uncertain. However, he got through it with the help of his close friends including Nigel Havers and his lovely wife with nightly Zooms. He joined dating apps, from which he has multiple stories.
He loves travel and has been lucky enough to work all over the world; he even once went on a 30-hour trip to Argentina for a single 15-minute performance, making time for a steak before he came home! Paul is totally obsessed with his job and even works on new ideas and jokes when he is on holiday!
RAKUGO FEATURING KATSURA SUNSHINE & LUCA CUPANI
Rakugo featuring Katsura Sunshine & Luca Cupani bring their unique show to the Leicester Square each month for the rest of the year. Canadian Sunshine and Italian Luca combine stand-up and 400-year-old Japanese comic storytelling for the first time. The show is now in its third year in London with Luca joining Sunshine from 2023 and with Rakugo celebrating its 5th year on Broadway.
The stories of Rakugo have been passed down from master to apprentice aurally through the centuries. Every story is preceded by a comic monologue which consists of the individual storyteller’s own “material”, much like stand-up comedy.
Toronto born Sunshine has been living in Japan for more than 20 years and in 2008 he became the 15th apprentice to the great Rakugo Master Katsura Bunshi VI, from whom he received the name Katsura Sunshine. Luca is considered the most British of the new generation of Italian comedians, not just because of his double citizenship, but also because of his style and quirky dry humour.
The pair met for the first time at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2014, where they realised they had many things in common: they were both expats (Katsura in Japan, Luca in England), they were both performers with a background in Classics and they were both performing comedy in a second language. Now they finally get to share the stage together in the West End: Sunshine performs in English Rakugo and Luca performs a stand-up set and a short Rakugo story.
LEICESTER SQUARE THEATRE RESIDENCY – 6th June/13th July/10th August/14th September /12th October/12th November
DANNY BEARD – STRAIGHT EXPECTATIONS
Straight Expectations’ will take you on a musical and comedy journey through the eye of a 6-foot, scouse drag queen. Expect anecdotes about life growing up gay in 90’s and 00’s Liverpool, and what was expected of you, and becoming Britain’s next drag superstar. There’ll be hot celebrity gossip, and of course a soundtrack to the perfect night out. Danny will be asking, and trying to answer, all the right and wrong questions. What makes a drag queen? Who’s drag really for? Is it really fair to pick on straight people? After all, it’s not their fault.
“I’m so excited about my new touring show, ‘Straight Expectations’! It’s going to be a fabulous extravaganza of glitter, glamour and gags. It’s been one hell of a ride since winning RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, reaching the heady heights of “Celebrity” – whoever said TV was glamorous clearly had never had to do their own make up in a portaloo! One of the many highlights of the whole thing was touring the country with my phenomenal band, who obviously knew that leaving the tours of some of the biggest pop stars and most successful musicals was the right thing to do, in favour of supporting a Drag Queen belting out Adele tracks. The audiences were electric last year and I can’t wait to see all my fans and make some new ones along the way with this new show.”
TICKETS & INFORMATION: http://socomedy.co.uk/artist/danny-beard/
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