It's not a joke! Following on from a phenomenal first year, the Bath Comedy Festival returns to celebrate the art of making people laugh throughout the city.
The Bath Comedy Festival programme at The Rondo celebrates comedy in many forms - theatre, magic, cabaret, music, sketches and (of course) stand-up.
So come along, join in the fun - and have your fancy well and truly tickled!
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Wed 31st March, Thu 1st April at 8:00pm |
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Whilst trying on trousers in Bill's bits could be glimpsed through the curtains "No cause for alarm" He said, "I'm Bill Smarme, International entertainer from Twerton." Bill Smarme & The Bizness kick-start the “Constant hilarity... excellent musicians.” Philip Horton,
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| Tickets: £10.00, Concessions £8.00 | Comedy |
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Fri 2nd April at 8:00pm |
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Fresh from Channel 4 and a critically acclaimed, sell out run at the 2009 Edinburgh Festival, "the funniest sketch troupe on the Fringe" (The Scotsman) return to take the Join them for a full night of sketches and songs and a chance to see them attempt the impossible. 200 sketches. 60 minutes. 1 World Record. Heroic attempt or spectacular folly? "Whether they succeed or not, they're hilarious." (Guardian) “Beneath the larking about there’s a painstakingly constructed hour of quick fire gags, recurring characters, and snappy songs. By the end of it, the crowd is as elated as the performers, and that’s saying something… 5 Stars” Independent on Sunday
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| Tickets: £10.00, Concessions £8.00 | Comedy | ||||||||
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Sat 3rd April at 8:00pm |
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Chortle Award Winner and Perrier Award nominee Alex Horne tours his hugely successful 2008 comedy show Wordwatching. The show charts Alex’s hilarious quest to get an invented word into the dictionary. After making considerable progress his verbal inventions have appeared on several grown up TV shows, in almost all of the national newspapers and page 2 of Eurofruit, the leading trade magazine for fresh produce buyers in Wordwatching is a hi-tech joke-filled extravaganza tracking the highs and lows of this ambitious, ridiculous campaign. Alex co-created, writes and co-hosts the new comedy quiz We Need Answers airing soon on
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| Tickets: £10.00, Concessions £8.00 | Comedy |
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Tue 6th April at 8:00pm |
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For the past year comedian and activist Mark Thomas has been asking audiences for policies to make the world a better place. In this special Bath edition of Jim’ll Fix It meets Question Time, Mark will be putting your policies to representatives of the local political parties. More at www.markthomasinfo.com
Comedian and activist Mark Thomas has been asking audiences to come up with policies aimed at sorting out the country’s political chaos. Sick to death of bailing out bankers and subsidising MPs’ homes, the audience vote on the best policy of the night to be included in the People’s Manifesto. All politicians will be forced to wear the names and logos of the companies who sponsor them or with whom they have financial links Anyone who supports ID cards is banned from having curtains. Create a maximum wage. Police to wear "How can I help?" and "How am I policing? Phone 999" badges. All product labels to state the age of the person who made the product and display a picture of the working conditions the product was made in. On the voting card there should be a box that says "None of the above." Anyone buying a second home in Somerset has to buy a house of equal value for someone who actually lives in Somerset. Anyone found guilty of homophobic hate crime has to serve their sentence in drag. |
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| Tickets: £12.00, Concessions £10.00 | Comedy | ||||||||
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Wed 7th April at 8:00pm |
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Martyn Smith presents an astounding and jaw dropping comedy magic show. Hailed as “Harry Potter for adults!” (Falmouth Packet) and best described as a cross between Paul Daniels and Ricky Gervais, Martyn is a true virtuoso in his field. Make sure you are an eyewitness to innovative and hilarious magic by this talented rising star, which really has to be seen to be believed, and even then you may not believe it!
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| Tickets: £10.00, Concessions £8.00 | Comedy |
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Thu 8th April at 8:00pm |
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Trifle Gathering presents their hilarious tour through the magical world of the charity shop. Elspeth Garter and her two peculiar volunteers deliver a boisterous pot-pourri of pure entertainment, using physical theatre, quirky dance routines and original comedy writing. Enter a world of bizarre bingo, tea ceremonies and saucy secret love affairs. Trifle Gathering
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| Tickets: £10.00, Concessions £8.00 | Comedy | ||||||||
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| Joe Penhall | ||||
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Fri 9th April at 8:00pm |
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Barry, a hapless TV comic, hopes to laugh all the way to the bank when he's courted by financial executives promising fat fees and the five star treatment that he deserves. Instead, Barry is urged to give a candid account of his life and views. The personality that emerges is the least of the surprises in the tense game power and manipulation that ensues. |
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| Tickets: £10.00, Concessions £8.00 | Comedy |
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Sat 10th April at 8:00pm |
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Richard is one of Britain's favourite performers. His TV specials for ITV ran for a record 11 years and saw him play guitar with Brian May and Status Quo, amongst many others.
Join him for an evening of brilliant self-penned comic songs introduced with panache, style and outrageous humour. Richard is an evergreen performer who appeals to all ages. He has appeared to an audience of 8 in The Falklands, half a million at Knebworth Festival and done thousands of shows in between, as well as occasionally finding 9 letter words on Countdown.
Richard achieved a BAFTA Nomination for TV Entertainer Of The Year in the late 1980s and in 2003 received the Gold Award from The British Academy of Composers and Songwriters for his services to live music.
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| Tickets: £12.00, Concessions £10.00 | Comedy | |||||
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Sat 17th April at 8:00pm |
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Iestyn Edwards presents a true to life account of touring outlying military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan in the inimitable guise of Madame Galina. Find out how Iestyn dodged rockets and some serious square-bashing from RSM ‘Tina’ Turner, why a Royal Marines Commando ordered him to sit on the naughty tank and how he won a coveted ‘Hoofing’ award in Camp Bastion. “Surely the love-child of Pavlova and Captain Mainwaring.” Liverpool Post
“Hilarious... Go Tutu Boy. You rock!” Joanna Lumley |
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| Tickets: £10.00, Concessions £8.00 | Comedy |
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Jean Anouilh | ||||||||
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Wed 21st April to Sat 24th April at 7:30pm |
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In a French Chateau in 1910 the amoral Hugo, identical twin to his brother Frederic is “scheming a scheme” that will change the lives of all concerned for ever. Brilliantly witty dialogue from Christopher Fry, great characters, gorgeous frocks and fireworks... this is an evening guaranteed to go with a bang! Originally starring Paul Scofield and Clair Bloom, the theme of this play is as relevant today as when it was first produced. |
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| Tickets: £9.00, Concessions £7.00 | Community | ||||||||
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Thu 29th April at 8:00pm |
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Former submariner Eric has taken the Edinburgh Fringe by storm for the last two years. Now, he brings his acclaimed one-man show to The Rondo as part of a national tour. With the aid of astonishing visuals, Eric gives you an insider's view of the mysterious world beneath the waves in a nuclear submarine, and transports you to an underwater existence where edgy camaraderie, black humour, death and destruction are the closest of bedfellows!
"A store of charm as deep as the ocean itself, and some of the best stories you'll hear this year." The Guardian |
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| Tickets: £10.00, Concessions £8.00 | Story Telling |
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Fri 30th April, Sat 1st May at 8:00pm |
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When a cruel twist of fate left colourful (and occasionally foul-mouthed) Isla Rose trapped between life and death, all she needed was a friend. Then along came Jack, a brilliant mathematician who wants more than anything to be normal. This quirky new play questions love, chance and the intricate workings of a thing we call ‘life’. Boy meets girl but definitely not a love story.
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| Tickets: £10.00, Concessions £8.00 | Professional | ||||||||
The Rondo Theatre is supported by Bath and North East Somerset Council.
