A CLUTCH of top comedy talent is aiming to have the aidience rolling in the aisles of one of the Noth East’s newest cultural venue.
Comedians from the UK and beyond will take to the stage at The Fire Station, Sunderland in a programme of comedy which starts this month (Saturday).
Tom Stade
First up is iconic superstar of Canadian comedy Tom Stade, who brings his Natural Born Killer tour to Wearside on Sunday, September 24.
His new show has something for everyone – iGens, Millenials, Baby Boomers, Generation X-ers and everyone beyond. Natural Born Killer toys with the complexities of our ever-changing world, with Tom musing on progressiveness, pronouns, 27 years of marriage and adult offspring who refuse to respect him.
Tamsin Austin, Venue Director at The Fire Station, said: “Tom is a master of his craft and has wowed audiences across the UK for the past two decades. He’s one of the most compelling, instinctive and mischievous stand-ups around and I’m sure he’ll be hugely popular with a North East audience. You’ll have to be quick, though tickets are selling fast.”
Tickets for Tom’s show start at £14 and to book or for more information, go to https://sunderlandculture.org.uk/events/tom-stade-natural-born-killer/
Josie Long
Less than a week later (Thursday, September 28) one of the UK’s best-known comedians Josie Long will perform her Re-Enchantment show at The Fire Station.
Josie has had several successful comedy shows on BBC radio and is a regular guest on BBC TV and Channel 4 comedy shows. She started performing as a stand-up aged 14 and won the BBC New Comedy Awards aged just 17. She has been nominated for the Edinburgh Fringe Comedy Award for Best Show three times, and also helped write (and starred in) hit Channel 4 series Skins.
Her latest tour was inspired by a quote from feminist writer Lola Olufemi, who said: “After defeat, re-enchantment is necessary.” The show is infused with compassion and brief political rants, and explores the changes wrought by time, passion and moving to Scotland.
Tickets for Re-enchantment are priced from £11 and can be booked here https://sunderlandculture.org.uk/events/josie-long-re-enchantment/
Rhys James
Rhys James appears at the venue on Saturday, October 7, when the Mock the Week and Live at the Apollo regular brings his Spilt Milk show to Sunderland.
Rhys, who is behind two popular podcasts Early Work and Fit & Proper, started his stand-up career while a student at Manchester University. His previous tour, Snitch, sold out over 70 dates nationwide and since then he has released a third Radio 4 series, starred in The Great American Joke Off and been hurled through the air on a bungee cord by Micah Richards on Sky’s A League of Their Own.
Tickets for Spilt Milk start at £17 and can be booked here https://sunderlandculture.org.uk/events/rhys-james-spilt-milk/
Jimeoin
Later in October (20th) Irish master of mirth Jimeoin will take to The Fire Station stage with his irrepressible show, The Craic.
The multi-award winning comic has a cheeky, no-gimmicks approach to comedy which has seen him establish a devout following across the UK, Europe, the USA and his adopted homeland of Australia.
It was in Oz that Jimeoin first rose to prominence with his own TV show. He came to the UK public’s attention between 2005 and 2008 while performing a tour of Australia’s outback and major cities which was filmed for a documentary, Jimeoin Down Under.
He made his first appearance at Edinburgh Fringe in 1993 and has never missed a year there since.
UK TV appearances have included Sunday Night at the Palladium, Live at The Apollo, The Royal Variety Performance, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow and Dave’s One Night Stand.
However, his live performances are legendary, and to book a ticket at The Fire Station show, go to https://sunderlandculture.org.uk/events/jimeoin-the-craic/ Tickets start at £21.45.
Axel Blake
A week later, on Friday, October 27, Britain’s Got Talent winner Axel Blake will roll into town as part of his In Style tour.
Axel’s tour came on the back of a fantastic performance at last year’s Royal Variety Show. The Dunstable-born comedian’s witty charm and observational comedy have propelled him to the top tier of British comedians and his Wearside performance will come after sell-out shows at Edinburgh Fringe.
Tickets for In Style start at £17 and can be booked here https://sunderlandculture.org.uk/events/axel-blake-in-style/
Pete Firman
Pete Firman is the last performer in The Fire Station’s programme and will appear at the venue on Thursday, November 9, with his TrikTok show.
With more than 175 million online views and countless TV appearances, Pete is firmly established as the UK top comedy magician. His TV credits include Tonight at the London Palladium, The Next Great Magician, BBC1’s The Magicians, The John Bishop Show and The Sarah Millican Television Programme.
His first TV performance was on Channel 5’s groundbreaking series Monkey Magic, and he has also written a beginners’ guide to magic tricks and produced a BBC Radio 4 documentary, Pete Firman’s World of Magic.
His live performances have taken him all over the globe and his one-man shows have entertained sell-out audiences for ten years in a row at the Edinburgh Fringe and on several UK tours.
He’s been invited to perform at Montreal’s prestigious Just For Laughs festival, Hollywood’s famous Magic Castle and London’s home of mystery, The Magic Circle.
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Tamsin added: “Pete is an award-winning performer who is not to be missed live. Expect an evening of jaw-dropping magic and laugh-out-loud comedy. TrikTok takes Pete’s magic from the small screen to the stage and gives audiences a chance to see his critically-acclaimed magical skills in the flesh.”
Tickets, from £17, can be booked at https://sunderlandculture.org.uk/events/pete-firman-triktok/
- Those under 14 must be accompanied by an adult for all of the above shows.
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