Blue Comedy

Well may be not Blue but definately a late night comedy show at Henley Rugby Club.

A host of different comedians to keep you laughing into the early hours.

Steven Andersen will host this evening. Steven burst back on the Comedy Scene in August 2007 having foccused on TV & Radio for 5 Years with Programmes such as:

Would Like To Meet BBC2 The Fit Farm for Channel 4 and 2 years as ‘Dr Pams’ co-presenter at LBC Radio!

He is currently getting regular work from Geoff and the Team at Mirth Control and has just been booked to Compere the Comedy section of The Barnard Castle Comedy Festival in August.

He has also launched his own portable comedy club !It is Mobile as well as residential and can come to any Corporate Event with Three Acts a Compere (me obviously!) and the P.A. System.

Also featuring James Egan – all the way from Dublin;

“Caroline Pegg’s first foray into stand up after years of tv roles, which included a shop girl fag hag, a vaccuum obsessed single mother; drug addicted northern bird and a corset wearing ghost. Here, finally a chance to do her own charming stunts.”

And much much more – well worth the £7.00 ! See you there ;-)

Tickets : £7
Thurs 24th July : 10.30pm : Henley Rugby Club
buy here

Edinburgh Preview Comedy Every Night !!

Every evening you can see 2 new comedians before they journey up to The Edinburgh Fringe 2008.

Mon 21st – Nik Coppin (stand-up) and John-Luke Roberts & Nadia Kamil (sketches)

Tues 22nd – Kevin Dewsbury (character) and Terry Saunders (storytelling)

Weds 23rd – Mark Allen (stand-up) and Steve Day (stand-up)

Thurs 24th – Andrew O’Neill (stand-up) and James Sherwood (stand-up)

Fri 25th – Richard Sandling (stand-up) and Paul Kerensa (stand-up)

Sat 26th – Robin Ince (stand-up) and Chris Neill (stand-up)

Tickets : £7
Wed 23rd – Sat 26th : The Barn, Kings Road
buy here

Jubilate

Everyone knows someone who thinks they know best.

In JUBILATE!, Rosalind Adler’s one-woman play, that someone is ANNA, vicar’s wife and radio personality.
“She’s the person who has her own life sorted out – apparently – and now thinks it’d be a good idea to sort out everyone else’s.” says Rosalind. “ANNA’s completely sure of herself and for that reason she can appear very charismatic to those who are less certain.”

In JUBILATE! we see ANNA’s ego feed off four other women in her husband’s parish – (Rosalind plays all five characters) – with unpredictable, and sometimes ghastly, consequences.

“Comedy is the best tool for debunking self-deception – and ANNA has self-deception in shedloads” says Rosalind. “I hope that what is funny about her lies in the gulf between her perception of who she is and what we see her to be in reality.”

JUBILATE! premiered at the Edinburgh Festival under the title BRUISED BLUEBERRIES and has since been showcased at the Soho Theatre in central London and – thanks to the support of BBC Media correspondent Torin Douglas – enjoyed a run at the Tabard Theatre in Chiswick.

“This is marvellous – a real miniature drama crackling with comedy both dark and light, performed with all the bravura accuracy of a 21st century Joyce Grenfell” Libby Purves

“I’m so glad I came – I was so impressed by your acting and your writing”
Barry Humphries

JUBILATE! will be showing at 7pm from Wed. 23rd – Sat. 27th July at Dragon Court, 15 Station Road, Henley RG9 1AT
Box Office: 07528 483572
or
www.henleyfringefestival.com

Tickets : £5
Wed 23rd – Sat 26th : 7.00pm
Dragon Court
buy here

La Bodega

La Bodega will be hosting a variety of muscial performances for the week of the Henley Fringe Festival.

Come along and here some of the industrys best West End voices on Thursday and Friday.

Edinburgh Preview Comedy

Every evening from 8.30 – 10.30, come along to The Barn, Kings Road Car Park and experience some of the newwest comedians before they hit the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Each day is different – so lots to see !

Mon 21st – Nik Coppin (stand-up) and John-Luke Roberts & Nadia Kamil (sketches)

Tues 22nd – Kevin Dewsbury (character) and Terry Saunders (storytelling)

Weds 23rd – Mark Allen (stand-up) and Steve Day (stand-up)

Thurs 24th – Andrew O’Neill (stand-up) and James Sherwood (stand-up)

Fri 25th – Richard Sandling (stand-up) and Paul Kerensa (stand-up)

Sat 26th – Robin Ince (stand-up) and Chris Neill (stand-up)

buy here

The Amazing Singing Dentists

‘The Amazing Singing Dentists’
All the way from Colliers Wood, those four fabulous flossers bring you toothsome numbers from the dental songbook… Like the lovely
‘Teeth of an Angel’
The painful song of a dentist’s dilemma
‘(every time I look in your mouth I want to ) Put My Tongue In’,
The informative
’101 Things to do with an Electric Toothbrush’,
The evergreen
‘(he had) Skunk Breath’
And the joyous
‘I Love being a Dentist..doody doody dood doo doo’
Let DK, Tina, Not Paula and Dave the Gardener, take you, via harmony and tunefulness, to dental heaven and oral pleasure.
(ps only one song contains the sound of drilling)
(pps no animals are harmed during the course of this act)
(ppps because there are none. Though there is a reference to a hamster)
‘I laughed so hard my face ached’ Theatreworld Internet Magazine
‘Hysterical. There is no one like them.’ The Stage
‘Tena Ladies at the ready girls!’ Bee
‘Great singing and loads of laughs’ Triple F
‘Great harmonies outrageous songs. Excellent. ‘ Festival FM
‘Their ‘incisive’ wit deserves a ‘plaque’ by ‘gum’’ Al Duvall
‘I nearly fell out of my seat laughing.’ Stefani Vant

Tickets : £5
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday – come and see us and enjoy a tapas or two at La Bodega
The Amazing Singing Dentists (21-23 July) Venus Gallery – buy here
The Amazing Singing Dentists (24-26 July) Zizzi’s – buy here

Someone Beginning with D

Flying Dragon Theatre presents ‘Someone Beginning With D’

A new one act comedy drama, ‘Someone Beginning With D’ is a story of what could happen if our grip on reality becomes blurred when selfishness and desperation come into play.
Flying Dragon Theatre is a new company of professionals looking to showcase new writing. Originally performed at The Cockpit Theatre, London, as a short experimental piece, we are now very excited to bring an extended production to Henley Fringe. The play was well received on its first outing and we are confident it will be both entertaining and thought provoking.
The play starts with seven women brought together. Who are they and why are they there? With twists and turns to come we will leave the story as a mystery to be unravelled. Suffice to say there are many and varied characters and a wealth of observational humour.

With lunchtime and early evening performance times, come to this show and still have time to explore the town and catch more of the Fringe’s great events.

Written and directed by Verity Richards
Produced by Richard Ward

Cast includes: Brian Eastty, Robert Matthews, Bernard O’Sullivan, Samantha Pilley, Laura Waddell, Hayley-Marie Axe, Kathryn Hegarty, Sophie Morton, Toni Brooks, JR May

Tickets : £5
Monday: Henley Rugby Club: 5pm.
Tuesday to Saturday (not Thursday): Town Hall: 12 noon.
Thursday to Saturday: Town Hall: 5pm
buy here

The Cage Birds

THE CAGEBIRDS
By David Campton

From 21st to 26th July inclusive, The Oxford Repertory Company will be presenting The Cagebirds by David Campton at The Red Lion Hotel, Henley upon Thames, as part of the Henley Fringe Festival.

The Oxford Repertory Company was formed in 2007 by Oxfordshire based actress Vanessa Curtis with the aim of bringing a wide range of well performed plays to a varied audience at an affordable price.

The Cagebirds is a darkly comic and quirky exploration of freedom and oppression. Directed by Kathryn Hegarty, this allegorical play sees six ‘birds’ living in a cage, each absorbed in their own individual world. Although the birds seem to talk to each other, they never truly communicate.

When ‘The Mistress’ introduces an untamed bird to her menagerie the seemingly peaceful life within is disrupted; this ‘Wild One’ has no intention of remaining captive…

Trying to convince them freedom is more important than dependence and safety, she troubles the other birds, who willfully remain secure in their cage, compelling them to unite against her in the shattering conclusion to this unforgettable play…

Performances start at 7.30pm and tickets are available in advance from the Henley Fringe Festival box office on 07528 483572 or from the website www.henleyfringefestival.com. For more information on The Oxford Repertory Company or to view the full cast, please go to www.oxfordrepco.co.uk

Tickets £5
Mon – Sat : Red Lion Hotel : Front Room : 7.30pm
buy here

Old Acquaintances

Old Acquaintances is on tour from Dublin to The Henley Fringe Festival, produced by Turning Heads.

Doctor Alistair Fitzgerald has everything a man wants; wealth, respect, a great job, and a loving wife and daughter. But he is unhappy. His next patient, Adrian is an old friend who will remind exactly why that is. Adrian is a part of the life Alistair is trying to forget but he can’t run away from his past. It’s what’s made him into what he is today. This play is about denial, sabotage, revelations and justification; no matter how much we try to deny the past we can’t help being the sum of our actions.

Tickets £5
Wednesday – Saturday : Dragon Court Hotel : 7.30pm
buy here

Where's Yak ?

Yak goes in search of Normality.
‘Where’d it go?’ Singing-luggage, desperate fishwives, terrorism-by-numbers, pigmy-mothers, and Wimpy-bars.
Sketch comedy vs. The World, in this fast-paced satirical show.
‘Inventive, witty… damn fine show’ Broadway-Baby*****. ‘Uniquely funny’ Kate Copstick. ww.freefestival.co.uk.

Tickets £5
Wednesday – Saturday : Lovibonds Brewery :
buy here

Not about Hereos

Clap Trap Productions presents Not About Heroes by Stephen MacDonald.Directed by Gareth Jenkins. With Dominic Goodwin and Jonathan Lewis.

Stephen MacDonald’s acclaimed World War One play is a moving celebration of two of England’s greatest twentieth century poets –
Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen – their friendship, their poetry, the power of words and the futility of war.

Tickets £7
Wednesday – Saturday : Henley Rugby Club : 7.30pm
buy here

Two

FalconGrange Productions presents ‘Two’ by Jim Cartwright – starring Yvie Magee & Daniel Creasey.

Set in a pub owned by a constantly bickering husband and wife, TWO is a series of vignettes that skillfully combine pathos and humour, with all the fourteen characters played by just two actors. During the course of the evening assorted customers pass in and out; including the hilarious Alice and Fred who have “never been the same since Elvis died” and the slick-talking lothario ‘Moth’. All these characters are linked not only by the pub, but also by their battle with love and their conflicts between public facade and private emotion. This hilarious and touching play from the award-winning writer of ‘The Rise and Fall of Little Voice’ is guaranteed to move you.

Tickets : £7
Two (21/07/08 – 22/07/08) Henley Rugby Club 7.30pm buy here
Two (23/07/08 – 26/07/08) Hotel Du Vin 7.30pm buy here

Lend Us a Tenor

“Judge Me!”
Did anyone ever tell you that you should do what you love for a living?
That success comes when you follow your dreams?
To believe in yourself and go for it?

They’ve probably not tried to make it in today’s world of show business!

Lend Us a Tenor will take you on a hilarious yet emotional journey through their experiences as professional performers, visiting the trials and tribulations of theatrical training, the humiliation of auditions, being rejected (every other week) and the real reality behind reality TV. These true stories will make you laugh, cringe and generally gasp in incredulity!

Philippa, Mark, Trick and Liz are all truly scrumptious singer/actors who have appeared in West End shows, on national tours, waiting tables in Pizza Express… And Mark played Joseph when Lee Mead was only the Pharaoh! (Well, any dream will do).

You only have 3 chances to see this show at the festival:
Friday evening at 9.30pm at The Red Lion, Bell Street
Saturday afternoon at 2pm and 5pm at The Barn, just off the Market Square.

They are also singing at La Bodega on Saturday evening if you fancy tapas with your festival experience.

Tickets £5
25th July : Red Lion Hotel – buy here
26th July : The Barn – buy here

Shakers Re-Stirred

From the check-out girls to the chinless wonders, from the yuppies to the local lads, we are given a wickedly funny glimpse of this world by the four long suffering waitresses who work at the oh-so trendy cocktail bar where everyone wants to be seen…Shakers! After a sell-out success in London, L&G Productions revives their production of this incredibly enjoyable and ever-popular play!

Tickets £7.00
buy here

The Rivals

Set in the beautiful spa town of Bath in 1775, Sheridan’s The Rivals has stood the test of time as a classic of late Restoration Comedy. Communication is often difficult during those first forays into relationships, and the plot centres on the courtships of the characters; who often make their lives infinitely more complicated than necessary! The Rivals promises challenges, artifice, rivalry, chivalry, cowardice, secrecy, confessions of love and shameless social climbing. What more could you want from a play? Mr. Hart invites you to come and meet our friends, including the ‘pineapple’ of comedy herself, Mrs Malaprop!

Mr. Hart’s Theatrical Company was founded in 2008 by Chris Hart and Leon Trayman. The company is a collective of actors, designers, stage-mangers and directors all of whom work extensively in theatre, film, television and radio. All of our productions are set ‘in period’, and all Company members have trained at the most prestigious institutions.

The Rivals is our inaugural production, which we perform at Wroxton Abbey, Oxfordshire 2nd-6th July 2008 and are very excited to be involved in the first year of The Henley Fringe Festival 21st-26th July 2008.

Mr. Hart, the company and his dog look forward to seeing you there!

Tickets £7.00
buy here

The Merchant of Venice

In a city where commerce is everything, the right deal could help you win the girl of your dreams, or could lose you an arm and a leg…

Produced by Dave King
Directed by Maggie Edwards

Having achieved critical acclaim for their shows in London and the Channel Islands, The Clockhouse Theatre Company are delighted to perform at the Henley Fringe Festival with their latest bold instalment from Shakespeare’s works – their exciting and hugely entertaining rendition of The Merchant of Venice.
The show will be performed by a troupe of 8 actors in the company’s unique signature style which utilises multi-role-playing, stylistic sets, comedy, storytelling and intimate stage space.

“Unashamedly comic…and as touching as it should be” TimeOut
“If you thought Shakespeare was old and stuffy, think again!” The Wharf
“Fine comedy” The Stage
“Hilarious” LBC Radio
“It was the best Shakespeare play I’ve seen in a long time and that says a lot as I usually see most of the London RSC Season. It was so funny and well directed, my friend and I were laughing all the way home” Prima Magazine

Established in 2006 by Maggie Edwards and Dave King, The Clockhouse Theatre Company aims to make Shakespeare as accessible and as enjoyable to as wide an audience as possible and, as such, seek to cater for not only those people who already love Shakespeare, but also those who would not normally attend a Shakespeare play. Run and managed entirely by actors, the company allows an organic approach to popular theatre and provides a forum in which the actors can challenge their performance and produce inspired theatre.

Director Maggie Edwards comments: “The performances are fast-paced, energetic and of such a style that the language can be enjoyed by any audience. While our emphasis with this show, as with our past productions, will be on the comedy within the play, the particularly interesting thing about The Merchant of Venice is that is does have this current of something darker running through it. So not only do you get all the wonderful things you expect from a comedy, but you also get elements of excitement and suspense which give the play a real edge.”

The Merchant of Venice will be performing at Henley’s Town Hall from Monday 21st – Saturday 26th July, Tickets are priced at £7 each and can be pre-booked though the Henley Fringe Festival website at www.henleyfringefestival.com and will be available on the door during the run of the show.

Please see the full show calendar for daily times.

The Clockhouse Theatre Company’s production of The Merchant of Venice is suitable for all ages and is sure to deliver an evening of high quality entertainment, delighting both Shakespeare lovers and skeptics alike. www.clockhousetheatre.com

Charade - The Girl in the Shop Window

As is the case with fringe festivals, we always try to bring the unsuspecting audience something different.

So come and meet Charade-the Girl in the Shop Window! A loveable and naïve Essex girl, she has somehow managed to travel all the way from Billericay to share her life story so far with the people of Henley.

Enjoy an evening in Charade’s company as she chats about herself, her family and her mates back home.

With an eclectic mix of songs from the worlds of musical theatre and pop, as well as some modern classics, this promises to be a unique and heart-warming cabaret with a difference.

Chris Goepfert of ‘Musical Stages’ says: “ Charade is a wonderful creation. Whilst people like Catherine Tate also create characters, you usually laugh at them. Charade is so loveable that you are laughing with her and you grow really fond of her…This is a truly terrific production that I could easily see transferred to television since the character is so superbly created and so visual”.

Charade is created, written and performed by Janine Hales, a professional actress and singer. Since graduating from Rose Bruford College, she has worked in most areas of the profession, and, after developing Charade for a couple of years, is eager to introduce her to the world outside Billericay!

Tickets £7
Monday 21st – Saturday 26th July : Auvergne : 8.30pm (45 min show)
Charade : Girl in the shop Window

Backward, Forward or whatever

Fixed Gate Theatre Company are proud to present their new production “ Backward, Forward or whatever.” The two actress Aileen Wallace and Molly Jackson met at Drama School. Despite living at opposite ends of the Country; Molly lives in Poole, Dorset and Aileen up North in Newcastle; they have equally combined their talents to create this exciting new production.

‘Backward, Forward or Whatever’, is a new piece of writing that depicts the lives of two middle aged women who commence the play by appearing drunk as they clamber and clatter onto the stage. Dressed in 70’s style ‘Bay City Roller’ gear, they are heard laughing as they collapse onto nearby bales of hay.

Set in a country village up north called Tanfield Lea, which is situated a few miles outside of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the play focuses on the women as they spend the rest of the evening reminiscing over their lives, the good the bad and whatever they feel is in the future.

The essence of the script is predominantly comical, however enclosed in that comical vein are a host of current social and environmental issues that the viewing public can or may relate to. Denise has a dilemma can Brenda help her solve it?

Becoming quite intense at times, the storyline allows the audience to enter their lives and really empathize with the women as they bear their hearts and souls to each other, guaranteeing laughter, as well as creating thought provoking issues.

Forewards, Backwards or Whatever will be one of the productions presented at Henley-on- King’s Arms Barn, Kings Road (above the visitors centre.)
Tickets will be available from www.henleyfringefestival.com

Monday-Saturday, The Barn
tickets £7 buy here

BASH

Little Box Productions will be bringing an edge to the fringe with BASH by Neil Labute.
Bash a collection of three darkly brilliant one-act plays, is a voyage through a nightmare landscape inhabited by commonplace people capable of nearly unspeakable acts. In Medea Redux, a woman tells of her complex and ultimately tragic relationship with her junior high school English teacher; in Iphigenia in Orem, a Utah businessman confesses a chilling crime to a stranger in a Las Vegas hotel room; and in A Gaggle of Saints, a young Mormon couple separately recounts the violent events of an anniversary weekend in New York City. All three exhibit LaBute’s signature raw lyrical intensity.

Monday-Saturday, The Barn
tickets £7 buy here

Rasputin Rocks

Facsimile Productions are delighted to announce the world premiere of new rock musical Rasputin Rocks at this year’s Henley Fringe Festival at Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire.

The play, with book and lyrics by Andrew Hobbs and music by Alistair Smith, is set in Russia in the near future. An insane Russian emperor who finds out he is terminally ill decides to take the whole world with him. He also discovers that Rasputin has never in fact died but has been frozen deep beneath the Kremlin, and thus thaws the immortal mad monk out to help him in his evil plan. Only hero of the free world Tony Blair, fresh from his overwhelming success making peace in the Middle East, and a brave band of resistance fighters who worship the cheesier aspects of Western culture stand between him and a global nuclear dawn.

Monday-Saturday, Kenton Theatre 8pm
tickets £7 buy here

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Facsimile Productions will be bringing their world renowned touring classical theatre company to present A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This production is a great combination of modern accessibility and classical performance making it suitable to all ages.

Monday-Saturday, Phyllis Court Paddock
tickets £7 buy here

An African's Blood

Historia Theatre Company is delighted to present An African’s Blood, written and directed by Kate Glover.

The play traces the events leading to the Abolition of the Slave Trade which was finally achieved on March 25th 1807. It tells the story of William Wilberforce, Thomas Clarkson and the ex slave Olaudah Equiano as they battle to change the hearts and minds of those who felt that the slave trade and the use of slaves on sugar plantations in the West Indies was essential to the British Economy. Finally the people understood, and actions such as a sugar boycott helped the abolitionists to achieve their goals.
The play works as a dramatised reading done by six professional actors who all play more than one part.

The Company
Historia Theatre Company (Registered Charity 1099807) puts on plays that have their source or inspiration in history. Past productions include A Passionate Englishman (a play about William Penn) Evelina, an adaptation of Fanny Burney’s delightful first novel and Five Eleven, a play to mark the 400th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot.
Our website gives a good idea of what we do. www.historiatheatre.com

The Issue
The play starts and finishes with the idea that slavery is still with us and we feel that this is something that cannot be repeated too often. We are also in partnership with Anti Slavery International.

Audience reactions
…a fantastic production – alive and well crafted – I loved the snippets from the debates in the House.
…a poignant and powerful piece of writing – and so well done…
…a wonderful play, beautifully written, and a fantastic performance…
…fascinating and moving…very skilfully written and superbly performed.
…your cast were magnificent and the atmosphere was great.
…a terrific play, excellently performed.

Nightly at the Council Chambers on 24th, 25th and 26th July at 7pm.

Thursday-Saturday, The Chambers, 7.30pm
tickets £7 buy here

Comedy

A cast of 4 leading comedians have been confirmed including Steven Andersen, for the Comedy on Water, Tuesday 22nd July on New Orleans Boat.

Steven Andersen Steven has just finished a 2 year Contract at LBC Radio working with Dr Pam Spurr as her ‘Dating Guru!’ but is facially recognized as ‘The Confidence Coach’ from BBC 2’s hit Dating Show ‘Would Like To Meet’, recently Steven spent 2 Months, 5 Days a Week 2 times in the Morning, playing Manager/Presenter of Channel 4’s hit show ‘The Fit Farm.
Steven is in the process of making a Documentary for ‘Discovery Channel’ which he is to write and Present called ‘From Austria To Zanzibar’a Record he set in 1999 in which he went to a different Country for every letter of the alphabet! (it took 2 years to complete!) this time he is doing it Alpahbetically and pland to do it in under 28 Days! Phew!!!

Ava Vidal : Started stand-up in 2003, becoming a finalist in the BBC New Comedy Awards and the Hackney Empire new act competition (where she came third) within a year. In 2004, she was one of the six stand-up housemates in E4/C4’s Kings Of Comedy show. In 2007, she was selected to take part in NBC’s Last Comic Standing after taking part in the London audition, but was unable to take part in the American legs of the show after encountering visa problems.

Hennig When possibly the only German comic working on the British circuit, which is obviously going to be the springboard for many gags playing up to the stereotype of an efficient, but humorless people.

Gordon Loncaster So who is he then ? Well, he’s a London based radio presenter and comedy writer. He doesn’t really like writing about himself so he pretends to be somebody else and writes in the third person. It’s a split personality thing. Strange, because he’s got a mouth on him. Gordon started doing bad stand-up in the early 90s at university. It was hilarious and very successful, but maybe for the wrong reasons. Soon after, he acted in BBC TV comedy shows “Alexei Sayle’s Merry Go Round” and with The League Of Gentlemen in BBC1’s Saturday night “Lenny Henry Goes To Town”.
Tickets will be £10.00 per person. A river cruise and comedy – perfect for a summer evening !

Tickets £10.00
buy here