Burlesque and cabaret artists are known for their talent to tease and create illusions that speaks to your desires and G Live alongside Hundred Watt Club will be hosting a naughty evening to finish of the Guildford Fringe Festival.

Festival director, Nick Wyschna, said: “This show is full of laughs and cheeky burlesque, and certainly one not to missed!

”It’s full of some of the best on the variety scene, with burlesque, boylesque, some clowning around, showgirl antics and even aerial artistry. You’ll be amazed!”

The event will take place on July 25, the last day of the festival. This year’s events run across 11 venues in the Guildford town centre and it is welcoming a variety of arts including: theatre, comedy, kids shows, music, dance, exhibitions, talks and cabarets.

The Guildford Fringe Festival was set up in 2013 and has grown massively since, last year alone the festival brought in over 3000 people.

The festival wants to display that Guildford is really full of artists of all kinds and over 60% of participants in 2013 were from Guildford or the surrounding areas.

Here is a list of a few of the free events taking place:

The Morris dance takes place on Saturday July 11 and features traditional, and not so traditional, sides competing against one another in a riot of colour and noise throughout the day, before taking to the High Street for a mass dance at 3pm.

Local talent provide music for a more serene event at Clandon Wood Natural Burial Reserve on Sunday July 12 from 2-5pm. A paid bar is available and attendees are encouraged to bring a picnic and relax in the 31-acre wildflower meadow.

Another wonderful art exhibition will be at The Mill Studio at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre presented by Guildford Arts. The exhibition runs from July 8-23 from 10am-6pm. All work is for sale and there is a light-hearted quiz for younger visitors.

Firefly on Portsmouth Road hosts a wide variety of free events during the Festival, kicking off with ukelele band the Ukeaholics playing on July 3 from 9pm. There are also three Open Mic nights at Firefly on July  8, 15 and 22, plus two live music nights on Friday July 17 and 24.

Bar des Arts also features one of its popular and offbeat talks, with Dr Tony Bristow discussing analytical science and how it impacts on everyday lives on July 8 at 7.30pm. The Keep, meanwhile, offer a lazy Sunday afternoon of laid-back jazz with Debby Bracknell and A Train on July 19 from 4pm.

Credit: Mendoza(med)

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This month saw resident MC, Debra-Jane Appelby compere the show including a line-up of mischievous, Irish comic Paddy Lennox, the cheeky and charming Lara A King and headline, wide boy act, Nick Wilty. The sell-out show was packed full of excitement and laughs and certainly kept the raucous crowd entertained, despite running over by about half an hour. There were certainly no complaints as the audience got their money’s worth and had a thoroughly enjoyable night.

Debra-Jane Appelby brought her usual brash, Yorkshire wit onto the stage with an energy and venom that kept everyone on the edge of their seats. No one from the youngsters at the front, to Alex with his tight, red chinos and bottle of Pinot, to big Dave on his 26th birthday and his largered up mates at the back were safe from the onslaught that Debra handed out with masterful application.

First up on stage of the featured acts was the warm and witty Paddy Lennox who immediately had the crowd going with his soft Irish accent and obvious confidence. Paddy has played in South Africa, Germany, Ireland, Croatia, Estonia, Malta and Slovenia, whilst also recently supporting headline acts Rhod Gilbert, Lucy Porter and Micky Flannagan. Talking about everyday things like children is always a good starting point and Paddy ended particularly strongly when advising everyone in the audience to buy their kids a box of matches and watch their faces light up.

Lara A King slipped onto the stage and wooed the crowd with her chatty demeanour that had everyone chuckling and feeling at ease, despite her opening line suggesting she was looking for a new label other than ‘confrontational, hard-drinking lesbian’. Her smiley manner and slow tongue softened the blows of the job centre, alcoholism and topping up your petrol to exactly a round figure. Lara had excellent presence and although her set didn’t break any boundaries of comedy, it had the whole crowd laughing, which is all you can ask!

And finally on stage was cocky, Freddie Starr lookalike, Nick Wilty (pictured above), who immediately admitted that it wasn’t a good time to resemble the infamous British comedian. Nick’s act took the audience on a journey through snippets of his life, remembering ex-girlfriends, his leopard-print wedding and how he met his wife at Glastonbury Festival; infusing subtle comedy with obvious one-liners. It’s easy to take Nick for just a bit of a lad with a lot to say, but his humour had a depth and sharpness to it that can only be garnered with experience in the business.

If you would like to see Kick Back Comedy in the future, then head down to The Boileroom to catch some great comedians that have worked the London circuit and performed at the likes of Jongleurs and The Comedy Store. Tickets are £12 per person (£10 for those cheeky students) and can be purchased HERE. Be warned, this is not a family-friendly show, expect insults and profanities and hence, it is strictly over 18s only for each performance.

James Martin

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The show is a two-act musical comedy based on the original book by Jeff Whitty and developed for the stage by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx who wrote the music and lyrics. The story follows Princeton, a young college graduate who moves to Avenue Q ready to take on the world, chasing his dreams and fulfilling his purpose in life. He soon finds however, that life on Avenue Q isn’t as easy as it was in his college dorm room.

Although the majority of the characters are played by puppets, Avenue Q is not widely considered, ‘family friendly’ with an age 14+ guideline and so you might not see too many children in the audience. The humour of the show is aimed at a slightly older audience, as highlighted by songs such as, ‘The Internet is for Porn’ and ‘Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist’. The use of puppets as opposed to actors adds a satirical flavour to the show, allowing for hilarious performances that could not be achieved in any other musical.

Cressida Carré delivered a fresh take on the direction of the show. Having not seen any previous productions herself, Carré had the freedom to take Sell a Door’s Avenue Q in a different direction to that of previous West End and UK touring productions.

Particularly notable were the performances of Lucie-May Sumner as Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut and Stephen Arden as Nicky/Trekkie Monster/Bad Idea Bear. Sumner’s comedic timing was impeccable; using subtlety to give Kate Monster a new-found dry wit that was not greatly exploited in the West End. This, matched with the over exaggerated character of Lucy the Slut, showed off Sumner’s versatility and ability to voice two on-stage characters, whilst simultaneously puppeteering one of them.

Arden also stood out for his flexibility; manipulating his voice and the physicality of each puppet to achieve three very different characters, all of whom were individually amusing and enjoyable. His portrayal of Trekkie Monster deserves particular mention for the comedic skill he exhibited throughout the show.

The set and staging of the production was very similar to that of the West End and UK tour. The simplicity of the set design was effective in that it mirrored the basic way that the residents of Avenue Q live. Whilst the puppets were all dressed in bright colours with distinctive styles, the actors controlling them all wore full black, preventing the audience from becoming distracted from the main focus of the show, the puppets. This eventually gave the illusion that the puppets were the ones talking, so much so that you found yourself ignoring the actors on stage, in favour of their puppet counterparts.

Sell a Door’s production of Avenue Q was witty, satirical and thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. The direction and performances were intelligent and refreshing, making the production as a whole a joy to witness. If you can get hold of a ticket make sure you get to see this excellent production – just don’t take the kids!

Michael Goff and Helen Cohen

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Jason’s easy ability to whip up laughter from the audience played a key part in his current set as the ‘First World Problems’ theme didn’t really come to the fore until the interval. The initial stages of the act were filled by jovial banter between man and audience. The late-comers, the front-rowers and even the poor ushers suddenly became part of the show as the customary ‘audience participation’ section introduced proceedings.

Two young teenagers, Steve the Policeman and various other members of the lower echelons of the audience found themselves conversing (for better or for worse) with the comedian as he warmed us into the show. However, what was unusual for a typically reserved Guildford audience, was the large amount of heckling that then followed as certain audience members wanted to make their voices heard. This was all generally done in good jest, but for those who thought they may be able to outsmart one of Britain’s top comedians with a quick quip, they were badly mistaken.

Top comedians often have a pretty tough ride in the early stages of their careers, playing at small, intimate venues in distant parts of the country where their name is little but a last minute scribble on a paper flier. So it is always pleasing to see when a professional dispatches these shouts from the auditorium with such consummate ease. Without a trace of aggression, but with the swagger of someone who has been swatting flies for a long time now, Manford answered these critics with plenty of wit as well as a beaming smile.

“It’s Friday night Guildford and there’s always one or two who have a few too many in the interval and get a bit brave in the second half”. This was ominously correct as, much to the amusement of our host, he was greeted in the second half by someone commenting on the change of his shirt. Very observant, but not that smart was the general consensus.

The audience had been asked to donate their suggestions of perceived ‘First World Problems’ over the interval and a selection were read out just afterwards. These provided some quick and easy laughs before the main crux of the routine got in full swing. The audience were treated to anecdotes about his time in Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, playing under “the only spotlight in the most dangerous desert in the world” as missiles were fired off and snipers were called to the front line during a show.

Manford’s easy and homely Northern comedy has earned him his status as one of the country’s top comics and the former captain on 8 out of 10 cats displayed why in the latter stages of the show. This included various jokes referencing family life that we can all relate to, like the concerns of his mother, how he doesn’t love his daughter “until 8am” and what happens when you reach the end of a count to three after giving your children an ultimatum!

There is an unfortunate shortage of high quality comedy in Guildford currently, so it was a real coup for G Live to have attracted one of the very top, A-list comedians to our town. The packed out auditorium suggested that there was certainly still a demand for this kind of show and the response that the audience gave would have further demonstrated this. Jason Manford himself impressed in abundance and was genuinely funny without having to rely on going to the extremities of what is socially acceptable, as many comedians have to nowadays to get a laugh.

James Martin

http://tinyurl.com/lqnsj52

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Research is great! Okay, so it can’t necessarily stop relentless rain. But what it can do is produce a great evening’s entertainment, a sparkling comedy dew drop in the midst of a damp Surrey February. Bright Club Guildford is the smartest show in town and the thinking person’s variety night.

At Bright Club Guildford #8, comedians and musicians share the bill with scientists and other researchers who have prodded and probed their specimens, distilled the humour and are ready to share the results of their experimentation with a friendly crowd. They’ll be joined by hilarious compere Nish Kumar and ukulele songstress Jo Stephenson who will grace the stage of Bar Des Arts for your delectation, entertainment and enlightenment.

Bright Club has been part of the Guildford entertainment scene for two years now, with seven sold out shows at Bar des Arts, plus two extra special shows at the Electric Theatre for Christmas 2012 and Summer 2013. It has featured over 30 University of Surrey academics and researchers so far that have performed stand-up comedy inspired by research.

In fact, some of them are so good that they performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last summer and have been kind enough to give their thoughts on Bright Club…

“Presenting a lecture or a conference paper is one thing, making our research simultaneously accessible, comprehensible and funny requires a whole new set of skills. I love the fact that I got such positive feedback from people who previously knew very little about my field of study” – Diane Watt

“Like a bungee jump: once you take the plunge, thoroughly exhilarating” – Jock McOrist

“The adrenaline kick before was incredible!! Anxiety was sky high – no amount of lecturing prepares you for how to make a room full of people laugh!!” – Sub Reddy

Tickets will cost £6 and can be bought from HERE.

Ellen Dowell

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The name ‘Kick Back’ was potentially a ruse, lulling the unexpected Guildford crowd into a false sense of security, thinking they were in for a gentle night of mild-mannered entertainment. This was partly reinforced with the homely feel that was created in the Back Room by Guildford Fringe Theatre Company, with chairs being set up in rows at the front, a few tables dotted around behind them and even a bar open for patrons to constantly remain refreshed. There were two intervals in between the acts for those wanting to stretch their legs, use the facilities or nip out for any other reason. All very leisurely it would seem, but let’s not forget this was a comedy gig in an intimate setting where the crowd were very close to the performers…

A harrowed fan was heard muttering the words, “I thought I would be safe in the third row… it turns out I wasn’t!” as they exited the show at the end, slightly less comfortable looking than they had been two hours before, but grinning nonetheless. The evening was full of raucous laughter, winces and ooh’s and aah’s as some of the audience vocally questioned the boundaries being crossed on stage, before remembering they were at a comedy show and all of this was good natured fun. And fun it certainly was.

Debra-Jane Appleby (shown above) was our Master of Ceremonies for the night, bouncing onto the stage to begin with and immediately started poking fun out of some of the audience members. There were a few uneasy bums on seats when the crowd suddenly became acutely aware that they themselves would be part of the show as she went about picking on a few of the front row guests. Poor Alan the lighthouse keeper took a lot of the brunt, as did Fabien who was celebrating a birthday and had some reserved seats that were unoccupied towards the front. However, as much stick as they were given, the only tears on show were through laughter and in a lovely twist later on, Fabien was presented with two birthday cakes as we all sung Happy Birthday to her. Debra-Jane Appleby brought the night together well throughout by introducing each of the other acts whilst also showcasing her own talent as a tough-talking, no nonsense Northern comedian.

The first featured act on stage was the Aussie comedian Johnny Kats who plied his trade on home shores earlier in his career, playing at a sold out Melbourne International Comedy Festival previously, before now touring round the world. Johnny’s act consisted of a mixture of accents and impersonations thrown in with some of the usual anecdotes about his relationship with his girlfriend as his problems snoring. It was high-energy, high-pitched and often involved a story about the comedian himself being high. Unfortunately, the crowd were still a little shell-shocked from the bombardment they had received first off from Debra-Jane Appleby and maybe hadn’t warmed up properly as some of the genuine moments of comedy were lost on quite a tough crowd who were reserved instead of rapturous.

However, by the time Fern Brady had finished the second set of the night, the mood was very different and the crowd were beginning to loosen up and appreciate the quality on show. Fern had not been on the original billing, but stepped up to the plate as Gemma Whelan had to pull out of the gig just hours before the start. Despite this last minute change around, Fern did an outstanding job of shocking and delighting in equal measure with a sparkle in her eye that signalled both danger and excitement. She has previously been described as “obnoxious, rude and utterly brilliant” and not many could argue with that sentiment, however, there was a cold confidence and underlying intelligence in her set that must be recognised. With Frankie Boyle floundering somewhat nowadays, we could be seeing the rise of a new, foul-mouthed Glaswegian comedian that turns classic toilet humour into a clever reflection on modern society.

Finally, the headline act and most assured of all the performers was Nick Revell (pictured at the top). Nick has featured at the Edinburgh Fringe, The Comedy Store and Jongleurs as well as writing for several top comic TV and radio shows which highlights the calibre of his talent. Nick certainly had the most poise on stage and well-rounded act that simply flew by with a laugh a minute and then built to a crescendo of laughter as he mimicked what morning bird song would actually sound like if translated into English. His set was constructed incredibly well as he threw in a few accents and went on tangents mid-story that may have initially appeared to have taken us in a completely new direction, before actually tying back in nicely later on. Nick had confidence in abundance and proved a fitting way to close the show.

Overall, a big thumbs up goes to Kick Back Comedy and Guildford Fringe Theatre Company for putting on a highly successful and entertaining first comedy night to a sell-out crowd. Despite a last minute pull out, the night went off without a hitch and provided great value for money for those lucky enough to grab tickets whilst they were still available. The next show will be on March 8, but after that will continue to be on the first Saturday of every month for the rest of the year. So if you didn’t make it this Saturday, then fear not, you can get to another show soon to see what all the fuss is about.

James Martin

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Guildford Fringe formed back in 2012 and has produced an amalgamation of events so far; including cabaret, theatre and comedy nights as well as the Guildford Fringe Festival. To this point they have only hosted a couple of stand-up comedy nights, but with a Saturday slot now booked in once a month for the rest of the year, that will be a thing of the past. Currently, there isn’t a huge comedy scene in Guildford with the occasional act popping up at the Yvonne Arnaud or G Live, but after listening to audience reaction, they have plugged a hole in Guildford where there is certain demand.

Kick Back Comedy on the other hand specialises in booking the best comedians on the comedy circuit in London and around the UK. All comedians are high class professionals that have worked at the major comedy clubs, as well as on television and have at least 10 years’ experience in the business. There is a whole variety of acts on show with a varied bill that will see Nick Revell, Johnny Kats, Chastity Butterworth (Gemma Whelan) and Debra-Jane Appleby all perform on the opening night this Saturday.

Nick has worked extensively on the expanding alternative comedy circuit, performing at Edinburgh Fringe as well as all the top clubs in the country, whilst also appearing on radio and TV on shows like Friday Night Live. The opening act is the dynamic Johnny Kats who has performed predominantly in Australia at events such as the Melbourne International Comedy Festival as well as making audiences laugh all over the world. Gemma Whelan who will be performing as ‘Chastity Butterworth’ is a comedian and actress who won the 2010 Funny Women Variety award for stand-up comedy as well as appearing in the film Gulliver’s Travels and the HBO series Game of Thrones as ‘Yara Greyjoy’ in series two. And finally, Debra-Jane Appleby who has one both the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year and Funny Women Comedy Award in the past will be MC-ing the night.

Abbegail Bagley, who is the Director of Kick Back Comedy had this to say, “I am looking forward to running a back to basics comedy club in Guildford as I think there is a real need for it. I like the structure of having varied bills in an intimate yet professional venue. Comedy audiences want to feel like they are involved and I think The Star Inn’s Back Room will give them that magic atmosphere that comedians love to perform to.”

The show on Saturday starts at 8.00pm (doors 7:30 pm) and will finish at 10.00pm and include two intervals with plenty of time to top up on drinks. So if you haven’t already booked your tickets, then click the link HERE or email the box office at [email protected].

James Martin

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There are only 3,200 tigers left in the wild today, a smaller number than those privately owned in the United States for pets and amusement- something must be done about this and fast otherwise the tiger could be wiped out within the next 20 years. The Caspian, Javan and Balinese tiger are all already extinct and Tigers are currently being farmed for their body parts in countries including China, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.

And so, fresh from his critically acclaimed tour The Brig Society and the Edinburgh Fringe, Marcus Brigstocke made his debut on the G Live stage last night with guest comedy artists Joel Dommett, Zoe Lyons, Richard Herring and Simon Evans. This fundraising event was all in aid of local charity TigerTime with all proceeds from the door, collections and gift shop going to the charity. It must also be commended that the comedians themselves were also playing for free in an attempt to make the evening more profitable for TigerTime.

TigerTime is a campaign of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) based in Shalford which is an adaptable and flexible, non-bureaucratic organisation which responds promptly to conservation threats. The DSWF supports trusted, reputable individuals and organisations operating in the field as well as a range of innovative, vital and far-reaching projects throughout Africa and Asia, achieving real results for wildlife survival.

The TigerTime campaign specifically funds key tiger projects in Russia, India and Thailand where there are three key threats to the tiger which are all induced by humans; loss of habitat, poaching and hunting. The charity supports vital anti-poaching patrols, undercover investigations, educational programmes and monitors activities central to the survival of the tiger in the wild, all so that this beautiful beast can sustain its numbers.

Vicky Flynn, a spokeswoman from the DSWF had this to say about the event, “It was a fabulous evening with some great acts all giving their time and enthusiasm for free. We were thrilled with the public response and the strong message about tiger conservation we were able to get out in such a light-hearted way.”

A hard hitting topic was obviously lightened by the comic element on the evening as a packed out G Live turned up to see a feast of British comedy, knowing their hard-earned pounds were going to a good cause. Marcus Brigstocke was first on stage to introduce the event, talk about why we were all there and to compere the night’s proceedings. Marcus did a wonderful job of keeping the night running smoothly, even when final act Simon Evans arrived a little later than expected and he had to produce some filler material on the spot. On top of this he treated the audience to a plethora of anecdotes and accents (some better than others), as well as running and hugging an audience member whose birthday it was and plugging the event at the right moments.

First of the support acts was young and relatively unknown comedian Joel Dommett who many of the audience would not have heard of before the show, but will certainly remember afterwards. Joel set the bar very high with a few funny stories before playing over the speakers a rap song that he had recorded in his younger years. He stopped the tape several times whilst outwardly cringing at his work with his camp mannerisms and lamenting his own lyrics and voice whilst stringing the audience along well.

Zoe Lyons completed the first half of the show with her typical energy, sarcasm and scepticism, talking through her philosophy of being much happier in her 40s not having to try and get a buzz from extreme sports, simply a slip in the bath tub will get her heart racing fast enough. The interval was followed by the classically brash and adult-themed Richard Herring who spent the majority of his slot explaining how a romantic gesture of giving his wife Ferrero Rocher for Valentine’s day was going to eventually bankrupt him. He explained that giving her twice the amount of chocolates as the previous year would enable her to complete a life-long dream of building a pyramid out of them, but had not taken into consideration the exponential power of a mathematical number sequence that doubles in value infinitely.

The final act was Simon Evans, a 48-year-old British comedian who talked about his life in Hove and how much his kids are a strain on his life- suggesting they were lovely really, but why did they have to live with him? Unfortunately Simon arrived a tad late which cut his set short and meant that he wasn’t in his usual stand up attire of a suit, but this did not detract from his humour and he still had the crowd laughing, especially at the casually racist Welsh jokes he led with. Simon finished the night off with this simple, poignant and beautiful thought which drew to an end a great night of fun and fundraising and is something that we should all consider…

“I found it difficult enough recently telling my twelve year old daughter that the tooth fairy didn’t exist, I can’t imagine what it would be like having to do the same with tigers”

If you would like to find out more about the TigerTime campaign, fundraising and donations then please go to the website HERE. Watch this space for another TigerTime event hosted by Marcus Brigstocke in 2014!

James Martin

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