Lost Voice Guy, On tour
It’s very important for a comedian to acquire a distinctive voice if they want to stand out on a crowded circuit. Lee Ridley certainly stands out, but that’s because he has no voice at all. As a consequence of cerebral palsy, Ridley has trouble walking and is unable to speak, but he’s managed to overcome these difficulties to become an arresting live performer. He delivers his jokes through a voice synthesizer, Stephen Hawking-style, resulting in a halting RP delivery that you’d think would make it hard to land a punchline, yet somehow means his zingers hit home all the more effectively. While his set tackles the nature of his disability head-on, he’s not an evangelising activist. Instead, Ridley delights in making the audience squirm as he cracks wise about tokenism and political correctness, and also has a flair for the odd moment of macabre imagery. It’s a package that overcomes any initial audience hesitance, and has already netted him the 2014 BBC Radio new comedy award.
Andy Zaltzman (& Guests): Satirist For Hire - Election Special, London
Given that it’s seemingly impossible to get satire on television these days (unless it’s glibly celeb-referencing or peddled by grizzled veterans whose sharp edges have been dulled into cosiness), your best chance of getting a fix prior to the election will come via the live stage. John Oliver had to go to the States in order for his talents to be recognised, but his erstwhile double-act partner Andy Zaltzman is still on our shores, peddling a crisply intelligent take on British politics that’s buttressed by hard fact and peppered with plenty of endearingly silly jokes. This latest show sees him putting his wits at the service of the public in an extremely open fashion: you can email him in advance with a subject you’d like to see covered, and he and his assembled guests will provide satire on demand. This week, he’s joined by Josie Long and the opinionated yet likable Tiernan Douieb.
Udderbelly At Southbank Centre, SE1, Thu
Machynlleth Comedy Festival
Some of the most exciting things in British comedy happen on the margins, and you’d be hard pushed to find something more marginal than the Machynlleth comedy festival. Over this weekend, a small market town in Wales will play host to big names such as Never Mind The Buzzcocks host Rhod Gilbert (Sat), Uncle star Nick Helm (Sat), and The Last Leg’s Josh Widdicombe (Sat), whose brother Henry is the organising brains behind the festival. There are also performers on the verge of massive stardom, such as autobiographical storyteller Brett Goldstein (Sat), and British comedy award winner Aisling Bea (Sun), currently working on a follow-up to her rapturously received debut Edinburgh show. And there are brand-new names to check out too, including dour musical comedy master David Elms (Sat) and gag-heavy sci-fi nerd Tom Neenan (Sun).
Various venues, Fri 1 to Sun 3 May
