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WHAT’S ON | COMEDY
West End meets west country From 9–12 September Rode Comedy Festival is returning, after its launch last year, to the picturesque Somerset venue where it all started, welcoming a host of rather funny guests. Millie Bruce-Watt chats to award-winning comedian and festival organiser Jarred Christmas
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he Rode Comedy Festival is returning for its second year with an incredible line-up of big-name acts, Olivier Award-winning West End shows and a whole host of comedy legends. Taking place in the picturesque Somerset village of Rode, audiences can enjoy four days and nights of performances beneath a stretch tent in the open autumn air. Kicking the festival off on 9 September will be the awardwinning improvised production Showstopper! The Musical, with an intimate performance of their West End show. The Showstoppers will create a brand-new musical comedy from scratch as audience suggestions are transformed on the spot into all-singing, all-dancing productions with hilarious results. With 12 years as an Edinburgh Fringe must-see phenomenon, a BBC Radio 4 series, a critically acclaimed West End run, and an accolade of awards to their name, these musical masters are guaranteed to impress on the opening night. Friday night will see the return of the hilarious Scummy Mummies with their brand-new riotous, warts-and-all show. In support is Daisy Earl, one of the fastest rising stars in comedy today. In 2015, Daisy was crowned Scottish Comedian of the Year, making her the first-ever female winner. On Saturday night, the festival will present TV superstar presenter, comedian and best-selling author Joel Dommett, who will bring you bang up-to-date on his life since his last live show. To close the festival on Sunday night, the likes of Stephen K Amos (BBC’s Live at the Apollo, The Royal Variety Performance), Mike Wozniak (Taskmaster and Man Down) and BAFTA-nominated
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comic Spencer Jones will grace the stage. The brains behind the stellar line-up are Kiwi Somerset-local, multi-award-winning comedian, actor and writer Jarred Christmas and his wife Amelia, a creative arts PR who has worked at London’s Design Museum and for several major book publishers. Together they run Pop-Up Comedy, organising shows in unique venues across the south west. This month, we caught up with Jarred to chat about all things comedy and what exactly we can expect from the four-day extravaganza. “This year’s festival really has something for everyone,” Jarred tells me. “The reason we went for Showstoppers, other than it being such an incredible show, is that we wanted it to be the full spectrum of comedy. We loved this whole idea of bringing the West End to the west country, bringing a show that has been on incredible stages around the world and chucking it in a field in Somerset. If you like musicals and you like comedy, then this is ticking all the boxes.” The festival is not only offering the chance to see an array of famous faces in a beautiful corner of Somerset, but the rare opportunity to see some of the nation’s most-loved comedy geniuses, many of whom are no longer doing live intimate shows. “Joel Dommett from The Masked Singer has always been a brilliant stand-up comedian. We’ve been trying to get him to perform for us for a long time so to finally get him for this festival is very exciting,” says Jarred. “Mike Wozniak is doing a real live performance – he doesn’t do a huge amount of that anymore so it’s quite special that we’ve got him. Spencer Jones is pure silliness. I always watch him thinking ‘an act like this can only be created in
Stephen K. Amos
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