Alexandra Haddow, Lou Taylor, Phil Ellis and Joe Kent-Walters are in town for previews of their brand new shows, while Sukh Ojla is touring her current one.

Phil Ellis and Joe Kent-Walters at XS Malarkey | Tue 18 Jun | 7pm | £3/6

A nominee for last year’s Best Show and a hopeful for Best Newcomer at this year’s Fringe combine for another terrific double preview at XS Malarkey this Tuesday. Phil Ellis is an Edinburgh Fringe legend at this point and one of the most original performers you’re ever likely to see, and his new show is another absolute triumph. Joe Kent-Walters meanwhile is the young pretender who scooped up the BBC New Comedy Award last year for his comic creation Frankie Munroe. Two absolute picks of the fringe in one evening.

53Two, Arch 19 Watson Street, Manchester M3 4LP
Alexandra Haddow & Lou Taylor at GRUB | Wed 19 Jun | 7pm | £6

Another double preview from another couple of young hopefuls. Alexandra Haddow presents Third Party, a show about politics, sex, ageing, nihilism, and maybe hope. Meanwhile, Lou Taylor will be bringing ‘Jeans and a nice top’ to Manchester before her debut Fringe show. Haddow is one of the best joke writers on twitter and has a sharp satirical eye, whereas Taylor has found success with brilliant reels on Instagram skewering life as a teen in the late 90s/early 00s.

GRUB, 50 Red Bank, Manchester M4 4HF
Sukh Ojla at The Frog and Bucket | Sun 23 Jun | 5.30pm | £18

Sukh Ojla is at the other end of the Fringe cycle, touring her second critically acclaimed show at The Frog this Sunday. But don’t worry, she still feels like a fraud. In her latest show The Aunty Years she digs into why people think she’s successful and why she really doesn’t feel that way herself in spite of telly work, a debut novel and even being trolled on Twitter. Ojla is a joy to watch on stage even as she trawls through her own insecurities about pretending to be a grown-up and finding solace in a new set of Tupperware.

The Frog & Bucket, 102 Oldham St, Manchester M4 1LJ
Tue 18 Jun - Sun 23 Jun
Words:
John Stansfield
Published on:
Mon 17 Jun 2024