Comedy gig of the week

James Rampton
Friday 29 January 1999 19:02 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Tommy Tiernan Tue & Fri

The Irish town of Navan is a hotbed of comedy. Two of the last three winners of the prestigious Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival have hailed from here. Dylan Moran, who won in 1996, and Tommy Tiernan (above), who triumphed last year, share a facility for easy-going story- telling. Tiernan's act majors on anecdotes from his upbringing, much of it focusing on his bewilderment with religion. He recounts a particularly gripping tale about having to be locked in the RTE studio to protect him from furious protestors after he made a joke about the Lamb of God on The Late, Late Show. He subsequently became the first person this century to be sued for blasphemy. He achieves the difficult balancing act of delivering challenging material in the most likeable way. He shares a double bill with the madcap stand-up Jason Byrne.

The Junction, Cambridge (01223 511511) Tue; Komedia, Brighton (01273 277772) Fri

THE BEST OF THE REST

Alan Davies

Alan Davies admits that he could talk for Britain. "If Radio 1 broke down, I could keep it going for 24 hours," he laughs. "I can't shut up." This ability obviously comes in handy when you're a stand-up. He weaves rambling stories of the everyday into a pleasing tapesty, and takes his show on the road this month. Derngate Theatre, Northampton (01604 624811) Tue; Warwick Arts, Coventry (01203 524524) Wed; Civic Hall, Wolverhampton (01902 552121) Thur; Birmingham Symphony (0121-212 3333) Fri

Ed Byrne

Ed Byrne joined fellow Irish comedian Tommy Tiernan (see above) on the Perrier shortlist last summer. Like Tiernan, his forte is yarn- spinning. His Edinburgh show, A Night at the Opera, was a bravura hour devoted to the recollection of being forced by his girlfriend to sit through Cosi fan tutti ("three-and-a-half hours of crap") just because it was their anniversary. Colchester Arts Centre (01206 500900) Wed; Swindon Arts Centre (017093 614837) Thur

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in