Romesh Ranganathan: Irrational, On tour
There are loads of comics who do material about the struggle of coping with family life and the pressures of being a dad. And there are also loads of comics who mine their ethnicity for laughs. Romesh Ranganathan does both of these things (among others), but you never get the feeling he’s serving up something you’ve seen before. That’s partly because the gloriously deadpan glumness of his delivery (punctuated by the occasional childlike giggle) makes him seem so much fresher and more vital than other ostensibly similar acts; it’s also partly the sheer quality of the gags he comes out with. Whereas some comics use charisma to cover moments of weaker material, you get the feeling that Ranganathan is bringing a scientific rigour (appropriately enough, given that he’s a former maths teacher) to each of his jokes, ensuring that each one is perfectly worded and carefully designed to yield as many laughs as possible.
Wring Out The Clowns, Halifax
The omnipresence of comedy benefit gigs has been noted by a number of commentators, but Wring Out The Clowns is slightly different. A rapid response to the devastation wreaked upon the north of England by last month’s floods, it not only shows the willingness of some of our top comics to respond speedily to a crisis, but will also hopefully bring some cheer to those who certainly need it right now. Close to 3,000 homes in North and West Yorkshire were affected by the floods, and this show will raise funds for the Community Foundation For Calderdale And The Upper Calder Valley to allow it to help affected individuals and businesses. Sarah Millican is capable of selling out big rooms across the country, but on Monday she’s putting her talents towards the efforts to recuperate the area. Also appearing are evergreen impressionist Rory Bremner, plus Chris Ramsey and Johnny Vegas.
Bowieoke Circus, London
The career of David Bowie may not be the most obvious influence on the development of stand-up. But many comedians started out as teenage outsiders who felt they didn’t see the world the same way as other people, and that was Bowie’s core audience, too. Here, the comedy world pays its own tribute in the form of Bowieoke Circus, a one-off revival of the much-missed Karaoke Circus night co-run by Danielle Ward, a skilled bass guitarist as well as a writer-performer with a taste for the macabre. At Karaoke Circuses past, A-list comics (including Simon Amstell, Chris Addison and Jessica Hynes) would turn up to perform their favourite songs, backed by a live band. The format is the same for this show, only all the songs will come from Bowie’s back catalogue. It’s likely to be a celebratory rather than lachrymose affair, with proceeds going to Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support.
