Comedy Picks of the Week in Manchester ft Scott Capurro

Sidekick Comedy | Via | Mon 24 Nov | 7.30pm | £2
Superhero powered comedy from Kate McCabe and her sidekicks as we are brought four comedians for the price of £2. That’s fifty pence a comic, and they are worth at least twice that. Lewis Charlesworth and Sarah Profit are joined by Hot Water Comedian of the Year 2014 Nina Gilligan and the misanthropic meanderings of Michael J Dolan. The latter has been trying out some new material recently and it is an absolute joy. Well, as much of a joy as you can gleam from Dolan’s typically morose sets.
www.skiddle.com

Jonathan Mayor | The Pub/Zoo | Tue 25 Nov | 8pm | £5/3
XS Malarkey once again stacking its bill with stellar acts, this week they have the flamboyant ebullience of Jonathan Mayor. One of Manchester’s finest Mayor prides himself on his ability to energise a crowd with a mixture of old school comedy tropes and more worthy modern day concerns about the state of the world. Backed up by as solid support as you could imagine with Rob Rouse, Jayne Edwards, Lauren Pattison and Colin Chadwick rounding out the Tuesday night bill. MCed by the ever present Toby Hadoke.
www.wegottickets.com

Ctrl. Alt. Repeat | New Playhouse | Wed 26 Nov | 8pm | £5
The New Playhouse has collected some of the finest comics around to perform for you on a school night. All for the price of a pint and a half. Though you shouldn’t be drinking as we’ve already discussed it’s a school night and frankly your drinking is becoming a problem. Go watch comedy instead. Phil Ellis, Kiri Pritchard-Mclean, Pete Otway and David Stanier will be on hand to provide the laughs all guided by the welcoming enthusiasm of Brennan Reece. A midweek treat.
www.newplayhouse.co.uk

Scott Capurro | The King’s Arms | Fri 28 Nov | 9.45pm | £12
Instantly recognize from a host of panel and talk shows American comic, actor and author Scott Capurro is in town with his provocatively titled one man show ‘Islamahomophobia’. Always offensive, yet strangely endearing, the hilarious Capurro riffs on gay marriage and the Koran in a typically incendiary manner. Not one for the squeamish this is comedy aiming to shock you into awe. If you let it, you’re in for something special.
www.wegottickets.com

Sheeps | Gorilla | Sat 29 Nov | 8pm | £8/10
Once again comedy connoisseurs Group Therapy introduce an act you might not have on your radar but one that you will certainly be hearing a lot about in the future. Sheeps are busy reinventing the tired art of sketch by deconstructing everything about it. Stopping mid sketch to discuss the merits and in that launching into a new darker sketch. It’s all remarkably well acted by the three members (Liam Williams, Alastair Roberts and Daran Johnson) who seem like they could perform for hours as they suffer break downs whilst breaking down what is and isn’t funny. They are certainly the former. See our full preview.
www.seetickets.com

Funz and Gamez | The Comedy Store | Sun 30 Nov | 4pm | £5/3
After storming Edinburgh armed only with an ill fitting jacket and word of mouth praise from a few select comics Phil Ellis has a kind of homecoming before taking his kidz show for adultz to London’s Soho Theatre for an impressive run of weekend shows over the Christmas period like some demonic pantomime. It missed out on the big awards at Edinburgh purely through a technicality (it was billed as a kids show so ineligible for an award sponsored by a drinks manufacturer) before justly scooping the panel prize for comic originality. This may well be the last time it’s in Manchester so you should definitely get down to it.
www.thecomedystore.co.uk

Laughing Cows Birthday Special | Frog & Bucket | Sun 30 Nov | 8pm | £7 (£9 OTD)
Spending sixteen years doing anything is impressive but running a successful and semi nomadic comedy night is the kind of achievement that needs to be applauded. Which is a good thing as Laughing Cows are throwing a party in their honour this Sunday featuring the high caliber of acts we’ve come to expect from this herd. Allyson J Smith headlines with a host of some of the very best comedians around the North West who happened to be female. See our full preview.
www.laughingcowscomedy.co.uk