Manchester Comedy of the Week ft. Sophie Willan, Jack Evans & more

Gein’s Family Giftshop | Kosmonaut | Mon 6 Jun | 7.30pm | FREE
Free comedy from Manchester’s finest sketch artists (not the criminology kind, though that might be quite fitting) Gein’s Family Giftshop workshop more of their excellent skits before their second radio series later this month. Though that would be enough for the price you’re paying they also welcome the ‘frolicsome and poignant’ Tom Toal and English comedian of the year Brennan Reece. All for the price of a free crisp. Free.
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James Acaster | The Pub/Zoo | Tue 7 Jun | 7.30pm | £5/3
James Acaster is quite simply one of the best stand up comedians in the country. His ability to spin a yarn from the simplest turn of phrase without seeming to care even a little if you find it funny is a wonder to behold. To see his work in progress for Edinburgh for a fiver alongside Canadian Chris Betts and American Russell Hicks is astounding. Go pack it out.
www.wegottickets.com

Jack Evans | The King’s Arms | Tue 7 Jun | 7.30pm | £3
If you’d rather support grass roots comedy of a Tuesday night instead then head to the King’s Arms to catch the master of all things weird and wonderful on the Manchester comedy scene Jack Evans with his brand new hour of magical stand up and character based mayhem. Entitled ‘Melancholy Poontang’ that’s really about all you need to know about this hour of well thought out insanity.
www.wegottickets.com

Sam Gore & Danny Sutcliffe | Sandbar | Wed 8 Jun | 8pm | FREE
On Wednesday two more of Manchester’s best acts are performing a free show at Sandbar for Dead Cat Comedy Club’s new material/new act show Guinea Pigs. Sam Gore is the genius behind the celebrity horror story page ‘I See You’ and his masterful use of the English language makes the most grotesque anecdotes seem like poetry. Danny Sutcliffe is the kind of mad bastard every comedy show needs, shaking up the order with gags, puns, drunken exploits and inventive swearing you’ll want him at every comedy night you go to. And most family gatherings.
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Nish Kumar & Will Franken | Deaf Institute | Thu 9 Jun | 8pm | £5
Continuing Group Therapy’s excellent Fringe Preview season is this stonking double bill of satirists. Though both take the world today and try to make sense of it through comedy their styles couldn’t differ more. American ex-pat Franken uses a wealth of outrageous characters and song to drive home points about the absurdity of our political systems whereas Kumar takes the intelligent angry rant about the state of the world to new, great levels. Both are worth your money. Together you’d be extremely unwise to miss out.
www.seetickets.com

Sophie Willan | The Lowry | Fri 10 & Sat 11 Jun | 8pm | £12
Another Edinburgh preview and one that has a lot of eyes turned toward it is that of Sophie Willan and her debut Fringe effort ‘On Record’. The Friday show has sold out and tickets are running low for the Saturday night for the Bolton comic’s hour of honesty and hilarity. A joy to watch, Willan is relatable and fabulously funny, it’s not hard to see why there is such clambering for tickets to this pair of shows.
www.thelowry.com