Manchester comedy of the week FT Josh Pugh, Avital Ash and Stuart Laws

Before they kick off a mammoth preview season, XS Malarkey sign off their regular programming with a special appearance from US comic Avital Ash. Avital has just concluded a sold-out run at Soho Theatre and is squeezing in a Manchester appearance before she heads back to New York. A favourite of the NY scene, there won’t be many other chances to catch her this side of the pond.

Stuart Laws’ show title Is That Guy Still Going? is quite the misnomer, being as its technically part of his first UK tour, but aficionados will be aware of Laws’ irreverent style from a string of critically-acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe shows. As a director, he’s also responsible for some of the UK’s best stand-up specials including those by James Acaster and Fern Brady, but as a stand-up in his own right, there are few that can match his minute per gag rate. This is his most personal show to date but will still feature some of this gag-master’s bizarre and brilliant humour. Honk honk!

Inexplicably there are still a few tickets left for Josh Pugh’s tour-extending show at The Lowry. After a sell-out show at New Century Hall back in March, Josh’s Existing La Vida Loca hits The Lowry’s Lyric Theatre with more of his inch-perfect observations about modern life. A sensation of Instagram, it’s on stage where Josh really pops, tossing out one-liners that other comedians would kill for as wry asides. Simply, one of the best comedians out there at the moment.