YOUR GUIDE TO THIS WEEK IN CULTURE
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Comedy Festivals Theatre ThisWeek In London
Three To See 9-15 Jan: Funny Stuff, More Funny Stuff, Theatre…
By TW Editorial | Published on Friday 5 January 2024
FUNNY STUFF
Jason Patterson: Public Enemy Number One | The Bill Murray | 11 Jan
Hello everyone – and a Happy New Year Three To See to you all. I’m hopeful that you’ve all had a lovely break, but I’m also mindful that some people will be feeling sad a) because Christmas is over and b) just because it’s miserable old January. So let’s remedy that with lots of funny things. Starting with super-competent comedian Jason Patterson, over at the old Bill Murray. Click here.
Max & Ivan: Life, Choices | Soho Theatre | 15-20 Jan (pictured)
Lots more competence coming up, this time from Max & Ivan, whose work we have – of course – covered and loved for a number of years up at the Fringe, where they’ve been nominated for – and won – awards. Anyway, here’s their latest London run with a show about “fatherhood, friendship and the future”, and you know it will be good. Head to the venue website here to book tickets.
Comedians In STEM | The Bill Murray | 14 Jan
Woohoo, I love STEM people. And I also love comedians. So it’s clear why I would be attracted to this show, as it involves people who are both. And you won’t be able to resist this, surely? “Comedians will be showing you mathematic graphs of their love life, then delving into their frustration with specific lab experiments. All whilst ensuring a chemical bond with the audience”. Come on, click here.
MORE FUNNY STUFF
Martin Urbano: Apology Comeback Tour | Soho Theatre | 15-20 Jan (pictured)
Talking of the old edfringe (which we were, two tips ago), here’s an act we were introduced to for the first time at the 2023 festival, and boy, we are glad to have met him, because we saw this show and gave it a resounding 5/5. Which was handy, because we’d almost kinda recommended him in advance by doing a Q&A with him earlier in the Festival. Read that here, book tickets here.
Hang The Dog | The Hope Theatre | 14-22 Jan
We’re onto funny theatre now, and we’re starting with a show that promises a comical look at how people can achieve lives that are truly happy, and how they can learn to express love in a world where open communication isn’t the norm. “Sam’s throwing a bday party and you’re invited. There’s gonna be music. There’s gonna be cake. There’s gonna be tequila. Hope you’re as buzzing as he is”. Click here.
Triskaidekaphobia | Old Red Lion Theatre | 9-13 Jan
“When Janet and Alfie arrive at the Borden Grange for their wedding anniversary late at night they are subjected to the hotel’s unsettling history by the morbid manager, Mr Richardson. What ghostly secrets lurk in room number thirteen? And will anyone get out alive?” Yay, a spooky dark comedy with frightening tales and twists, returning to the Old Red Lion after a debut at the fab 2023 Grimfest. Book here.
SHORT STOPS
Will Pickvance – Pianohood | OSO Arts Centre | 12-14 Jan (pictured)
And now some short runs for you, not categorised by genre. Seriously, it’s a truly mixed bag genre wise here, starting with much loved TW favourite Will Pickvance, who does amazing shows involving music and storytelling, and once took home one of our very important ThreeWeeks Editors’ Awards. Expect amazing piano work, humour and anecdotes, on this occasion focusing on his relationship with his father. Info here.
Perfect Bodies | Etcetera Theatre | 11-12 Jan
Just a couple of chances to see this piece exploring themes of eating disorders and not being able to see the beauty in yourself despite seeing it in others. “Pearl is a talented artist who paints bodies for a living – while existing in fear of her own. Having cultivated a tidy sense of solitude, an unlikely alliance with a new neighbour looks to disrupt what she has control over”. Details here.
The Fruity Prince | The Space | 9-13 Jan
“The Virgin Queen? I don’t think so! Lizzy I has got a son and he might just be a little bit fruity. Henry IX has been lost in the mists of hetero history for too long. Finally, he’s here to claim what is rightfully his (only took him 500 years!)” This sounds fun and, although it clearly has little basis in reality, I still like the historical theme. See the venue website here for more info and to book.
LONGER RUNS
Godot Is A Woman | King’s Head Theatre | 9 Jan-3 Feb (pictured)
Yay, time to head over to the King’s Head Theatre’s shiny new space for another show that got a 5/5 from a member of our highly discerning team at the Edinburgh Fringe last summer. Silent Faces are the acclaimed company behind this, an examination of gender and authorial copyright inspired by the refusal by Samuel Beckett to allow women to perform his play. Expect something skilled, funny, fast-paced. More here.
SPIN | Arcola Theatre | 9-20 Jan
“Join an aspiring spin instructor as her enthusiastic attempts to create the perfect class are derailed by a forced journey of self-discovery”. Sounds rather interesting, this solo show from Kate Sumpter, not least because it’s performed on a spin bike, but also because it’s a “darkly comedic takedown of a capitalist society obsessed with attaching morality to our bodies”. Click here for all the info.
The Good John Proctor | Jermyn Street Theatre | 10-27 Jan
And so to our final tip for the week, on as part of the venue’s Footprints Festival, a show set in Salem in the year ahead of the events depicted in ‘The Crucible’, exploring the inner lives of the real girls who ended up at the centre of the notorious witch trials. “Betty Parris and Abigail Williams’ adolescent world is full of sin and suspicion. Their New England world is turned upside down when Abigail starts working for a local farmer, John Proctor…” Info and tickets here.
