THE MIDLANDS ESSENTIAL ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE

Comedy
Pre-Edinburgh Festival
Comedy Show
Solihull Arts Complex, Fri 28 June
If a trip to Edinburgh to enjoy this summer’s
Fringe Festival is something you fancy but just
can’t manage, not to worry - you can catch
plenty of the 2013 event’s top comedy performers
in Solihull instead! The Arts Complex
is this month hosting three shows featuring
comedians who’re en route to Edinburgh. The
last of the three gigs features The Dog-Eared
Collective and Paul Sweeney. Sweeney is a
fast-rising performer much admired for his selfdeprecating
humour and original comic songs.
The Dog-Eared Collective, meanwhile, are a
quartet of laughter-makers who describe themselves
as ‘championing a wildly anarchic and
mischievously surreal brand of comedy’.
The Dog-Eared Collective
Matt Parker
Artrix, Bromsgrove, Sat 29 June
Matt Parker’s unique stand-up show finds him
exploring and explaining all things mathematical,
from debunking number nonsense and flagrant
sudoku abuse to the mysterious patterns
in the locations of ancient monuments... and
defunct Woolworths stores! Sell-out shows at
the Edinburgh Festival
Fringe, the Melbourne
Comedy Festival and in
London's West End bear
testimony to the quality of
his numbers-driven comedy.
If you love maths, you’ll
love Matt. If you don’t, just
ignore the maths and concentrate
on the comedy!
Jo Brand
The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, Wed 26 June
Jo Brand regularly belies her reputation as a
lazy slob by making a good many live appearances
around the country. While her material
can sometimes be a bit predictable, her handling
of hecklers has more spontaneity - a former
psychiatric nurse, she
seems completely unflappable.
For some reason, a
lot of men find her very
threatening - perhaps their
fragile male egos find it
hard to cope with a
woman so obviously uninterested
in impressing
them.
26 www.whatsonlive.co.uk
Phill Jupitus
Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Tues 4 June; Courtyard Theatre,
Hereford, Fri 7 June; The Edge Arts Centre, Much Wenlock,
Fri 12 July
Well known for the unusual spelling of his Christian name, his memorable
surname (an anglicised version of the original surname
Šeputis) and his well-padded physique, Phill Jupitus is an actor, performance
poet, cartoonist and podcaster as well as a stand-up
comedian. A team captain on BBC Two's popular music quiz Never
Mind The Buzzcocks, Phill’s other work includes television’s QI and
BBC Radio Four's I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue. He’s currently doing
the rounds with his You’re Probably Wondering Why I’ve Asked You
Here tour, which is derived from a three-part, character-based comedy
show which he presented at the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe.
Bill Bailey
Civic Hall, Wolverhampton,
Fri 14 - Sat 15 June; Symphony
Hall, Birmingham, Sun 22
September, Weds 02 October;
De Montfort Hall, Leicester, Mon
14 - Tues 15 October
Bill Bailey thinks his comedy
should be educational. “From an
audience perspective, it’s great if
they can leave one of my shows
more informed than when they
arrived,” he says. “I’m delighted
when I get messages from people
saying, ‘I was in this lecture
and I knew who this artist was
because I’d seen your show’, or
‘I was in a pub quiz and I got the
answers right because I’d seen
your show’. I’m delighted by that,
and it makes it all worthwhile.
Obviously, I want people to come
along and be entertained, have a
laugh and get taken out of themselves
for a couple of hours, but
if people can glean something a
bit more lasting than a couple of
laughs, then all the better."
Comedy
Box Office
ALEXANDRA THEATRE,
BIRMINGHAM
0844 871 3011
ARTRIX, BROMSGROVE
01527 577330
BEDWORTH CIVIC HALL
02476 376707
BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL
0121 780 3333
THE DRUM, BIRMINGHAM
0121 333 2444
DUDLEY CONCERT HALL
01384 815 577
GLEE CLUB, BIRMINGHAM
0871 4720400
HIGHLIGHT, BIRMINGHAM,
0844 844 0044
HUNTINGDON HALL,
WORCESTER,
01905 611427
FOXLOWE ARTS CENTRE,
LEEK, STAFFS
01538 386112
KITCHEN GARDEN CAFE,
BIRMINGHAM
0121 443 4725
LG ARENA, BIRMINGHAM
0844 338 8000
LUDLOW ASSEMBLY
ROOMS
01584 878141
MAC, BIRMINGHAM
0121 446 3232
PALACE THEATRE,
REDDITCH
01527 65203
THE PUBLIC, WEST
BROMWICH
0121 533 7161
DRUMMONDS BAR,
WORCESTER
01905 28190
RICOH ARENA, COVENTRY
0844 873 6565
THE ROSES THEATRE
TEWKESBURY
01684 295074
ROYAL SPA CENTRE,
LEAMINGTON SPA
01926 334418
STAFFORD GATEHOUSE
THEATRE
01785 254653
SOLIHULL ARTS COMPLEX
0121 704 6962
THE SLADE ROOMS,
WOLVERHAMPTON
0870 320 7000
THE GEORGE HOTEL,
BURSLEM, STAFFS
07763301081
TAMWORTH ASSEMBLY
ROOMS
01827 709618
THEATRE SEVERN,
SHREWSBURY
01743 281281
VICTORIA HALL, HANLEY,
STOKE-ON-TRENT
0844 871 7649
WARWICK ARTS CENTRE
02476 524524
WEST BROMWICH TOWN
HALL
0121 596 4429
WULFRUN HALL,
WOLVERHAMPTON
0870 320 7000