Tuesday 8 May 2012

Last Minute Comedy

Some intriguing comedy arriving for 23/24 July at Underground Venues.

From Sheffield is The So Be It Union. I liked this name - but they're going for a re-brand. See the very sensible answers to some dubious questions below.

1] The So Be It Union - well there is some sense of political awareness there. Is your comedy in any way political? If so call you tell us more?
Haha, our unfortunately-punny moniker for Buxton seemed like a good idea amid the joy of this year's New Year celebrations but there's not much more to read into than that. In fact, we're heading towards a name change after Buxton - Dark Matters.

As for the So Be It Union's political comedy, we have a few history and politics graduates in our cast, but its important to us that our show has a lot of variety of subject matter and styles. Political comedy can come off a bit contrived and can date quickly. We'd hate to exclude any audience members with a political message - just pop along, have a laugh with us and hopefully we can all head back home with smiles on our faces -  even that could be a bit too political in these austere times?

2] Can we expect much punning and wordplay?
Wordplay is a quality of our show but its only one facet. We've got some physical sketches, visual gags, music, everything you could want really. However, if the lovely well town of Buxton wants puns, then who are we to pull the plug?

3] What other sources do you use for your comedy?
Our group originally met while forming The Shrimps, Shef Uni's first improvised comedy troupe, so our improv background definitely informs the writing process and gives us the chance to give a unique twist to each performance. There's a quirky mixture of sketches in our show that draw inspiration from all sorts of areas, from the observational to the more whimsical. Our 2009 comedy play at Buxton, 'What On Earth Is A Runcible Spoon?' allowed us to develop a narrative through different sketches and this is something we were conscious of with this show.
 
4] Is there anything you wouldn't try to get a laugh out of?

It would be nice to say that we wouldn't try to get a laugh out of long-since crumbled Eastern European empires but we so blantantly failed in that objective. Obviously there's humour to be found in things that people wouldn't normally laugh at, but its more important to strike a balance between that and not offending people unnecessarily. It's all too easy and not very clever to chose 'nasty' comedy; but it's more fun to perform a show that doesn't need to go down that route. Hopefully, that's what we've achieved.

5] Any comedians/writers you especially like? What about those that are rated - but you just don't get the point of?
There's a great community of young comedy troupes in the UK at the moment and we really enjoy mixing with talented comedians at festivals like Buxton. Naturally, we're looking forward to catching The Noise Next Door's new improv show, and there's a number of great sketch troupes like the Edinburgh-staples Pappy's and the Penny Dreadfuls that are a shining example of the best of live comedy. All 6 of us have our individual tastes and this definitely contributes to the variety in our show.
We'd hate to start any comedian feuds, so we'll maintain a diplomatic silence on the other half of the question! There's our political element coming through again!

Following a world tour Phil Buckley is back with 'Jokes Not Included'. Bit like a pub with no beer if you ask me. This is what he says:

Did you ever hear the one about the comedian who doesn’t tell jokes?

After touring the world with shows in Australia, New Zealand and America, critically acclaimed Bury comic Phil Buckley returns with his exciting new show.

Back by popular demand, rafter his hit shows “Stroke The Panda” (2007) & “Laughable” (2008) & “Stupid World Tour” (2009), Phil has a new subject to laugh at for 2010 and that is stand-up comedy itself

Phil is a different kind of comic, he doesn't tell jokes just hilarious stories. This show is not only stories it's true stories about his life as a comic, listen to stories of gigs gone wrong and how he nearly quite to only come back stronger

Face becoming a familiar face with regular appearances on TV & radio, Phil is widely regarded as a rising star of the comedy circuit and one to watch.

Phil Buckley is an original act with a different approach to stand up, so join him for a brand new hour of stand-up without jokes, just true stories and real laughs, filled with hilarious observations and anecdotes, this is a show you’d be crazy to miss.

“Top-class”
Time Out
“Just keeps getting better”
The Skinny
“I think I love Phil Buckley. Hilarious. Long may his career last”
edfringe.com
“Downright hilarious. Interspersed with savvy observations”
Three Weeks
“Just keeps getting better”
The Skinny
“Hilarious anecdotes”
The Weekly News
“An air of slick expertise pervaded his whole act, with a cool, unhurried delivery and a likeable demeanour”
Steve Bennett - Chortle


PPS Not quite comedy - but not quite straight either - is Bane and Bane 2. Tom Crawshaw rates these shows very highly - and the short run finishes at Underground Venues on Thursday July 22nd. See both shows for £12

by Keith Savage - Published 20/07/2010

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