Tag Archives: Northampton

Review – Comedy Underground, Royal and Derngate Northampton, 11th June 2026

Posted on by

A slightly different format for a comedy mixed bill at the Royal and Derngate; originally to be held in the Royal Theatre with the catchy title Avalon Mixed Bill Comedy Night, it moved to the more suitable Underground venue, and retained the traditional structure of one host, two intervals and three acts. Why change a winning formula?

A change of billing may have necessitated a change of MC, because our host for the evening was the incredible Chloe Petts, and she’s just as assured an MC as she is a headliner, taking charge of proceedings with boundless energy, and striking up a terrific rapport with the crowd. The start of the World Cup gave her the opportunity to talk about her favourite subject (not Donald Trump, although…?) and she also got to know all about front row Adrian (fibre optics, Warhammer), the two sets of jolly neighbours from Cogenhoe, and guessed accurately that another set of four friends were into Amdram. One of our favourite comedians, she was on tip top form and it was a delight to have her in charge.

Our first act, and new to us, was Jonny Pelham; his mild-mannered stage persona only goes to emphasise how daring and boundary-pushing some of his material can be. Among his subjects were the pros and cons of being rich and stupid, the concept of the chicken nonce, and the benefits of being on one of the NHS’ most dubious waiting lists. Entertainingly self-deprecating, he’s certainly one of those comedians who rummage around where angels fear to tread, but he does it with a nicely understated aplomb. He’s also very funny, which is the main thing!

Next up, also new to us and in a change to the advertised line-up, was Tom Lawrinson, whose stage persona is hard to pin down – he’s like a slippery slice of mercury, flowing uncontrollably, flashy on the outside and with a lethal edge. He reminded me slightly of an early incarnation of Russell Brand, back when he was funny and not a menace; intriguing and just a little sinister. He also has some pretty daring material, oriented in family but with a surreal twist, such as how he still has a bedroom at the family home full of his stuff that he certainly doesn’t want around him now, but woe betide you if you tamper with it. He has some extremely funny material about buying sex toys at Big Tesco. A bold choice for Northampton; he might be more at home somewhere trendier and more Bohemian!

Our headliner was someone we only saw a few days ago but with (almost) totally different material – the irrepressible Glenn Moore. Seemingly effortless, although I know that an amazing amount of effort goes into creating his sets, the man is a wit machine who scarcely pauses for breath between each superbly creative idea. He’s the kind of comedian whose material is delivered so freshly and constantly topped up, that it’s impossible to recall his earlier themes because you’re already so engaged on the next one. That said, I totally guffawed at his “Voice Over Awards” sequence; and to wind up his act (and indeed the audience) he had one of the best parting lines ever, which I won’t spoil for you but still has me laughing out loud a day later. You can never go wrong with Glenn Moore; he’s one of the absolute greats.

Overall, a very enjoyable night of comedy and Avalon are welcome to bring another selection of their finest to Northampton whenever they want!

Review – The Comedy Crate Festival, Northampton, 6th June 2026

Posted on by

Comedy CrateA thing of beauty is a joy for ever, and things don’t come much more beautiful than the Comedy Crate and their regular feasts of fun for the good citizens of Northampton and its environs. In the past, the Comedy Crate has hosted a weekender festival over two summer days, but the World Cup and popular music festivals (whatever they are) are getting in the way this year so the weekender has been split into two all-dayers. All the other elements are the same – the three venues (Charles Bradlaugh, The Black Prince and The Lamplighter), a choice of three shows five times throughout the day, and a cheap ticket price buying you one of those must-have wristbands. What more could anyone want?

Comedy Crate June 26Everyone will have created their own individual choice of shows, and I can only tell you about our own particular itinerary, so here goes! As they’re all WIPs (works in progress) in preparation for either the Edinburgh Fringe, UK tours or prospective shows of the distant future, we know we’re unlikely to see a truly polished product, and so giving out star ratings is inappropriate at this stage. So I won’t do it!

2pm – Ahir Shah in The Charles Bradlaugh

One of our favourite comedians and an Edinburgh award-winner to boot, Ahir Shah is WIPing up material for his new show, Golden, at the Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh from 6 – 30 August. This was very much a game of two halves. The first half was slick, polished and classic Ahir. Now that he’s comfortably in his 30s, he reflects on what growing up is all about, relating to family life, class and one’s role in society. We find out how come he doesn’t know his place in the Indian caste system, and get an insight into why he doesn’t trust the Co-Op. Halfway through, however, his material takes a darker, more serious tone as he works his way through some troublesome family issues, and here he is still working hard on finding the funny in the toughness. Many’s the time one sees a comedian and realises that their set is actually an exercise in self-therapy, and this is definitely the vibe here! He admitted that he had prepared a slick ending for the show, but he’s decided against it because it’s just not honest enough. So while there’s no work needed on the first half of the show, the second half still needs to find a shape. But if anyone can, he can, and I’m sure this will be another tremendous Edinburgh hit.

3.30pm – Sooz Kempner in The Charles Bradlaugh

Another comedian we’ve seen several times before in Edinburgh and always enjoyed, Sooz Kempner’s Comedy Crate debut was in preparation for her Edinburgh show this year, Imposter, at Hoots @ Nicolson Square from 15 – 23 August. Sooz Kempner always loves a creative mix of stand-up and media projection, with some singing cropping up for balance, and this is shaping up to be a terrific show which brings together many different threads and ties them up into a very satisfying whole. She’s a wizard with the callbacks (visual as well as verbal) and included in the package is some beautifully unexpected Streisand, a Princess Diana calendar, and how writing jokes for Eurovision could have turned out better. At the heart of the show is her Imposter syndrome, made more acute by a health issue, and – let’s face it – no one wants to turn into Julie Andrews. She was absolutely on fire and the audience loved her. Not much more preparation needed and this will be a knock-out show in Edinburgh.

5pm – Sara Barron in The Black Prince

Unlike the other performers we saw, Sara Barron is neither working towards an Edinburgh show, nor a tour, but just formulating some new material for use at some point in the distant future. So, there was very little in the way of polished material in her set; instead, we were there to help her work out whether any of the vague ideas swirling around her head might be funny. Fortunately, Sara Barron is not just a naturally funny person, she’s a naturally hilarious person who puts me in mind of a less showbizzy version of Joan Rivers, who wisecracks effortlessly with the audience. It’s fascinating to watch the process of material coming together, and whilst there were some ideas that have legs and some that don’t, that’s what it’s all about. Even so, the hour flew by and everyone had a good laugh; and you can’t say fairer than that.

7pm – Glenn Moore in The Charles Bradlaugh

Another favourite comedian, Glenn Moore does have an Edinburgh run coming up, but it’s a work-in-progress show at Monkey Barrel Comedy from 3 – 16 August, before going on a national tour afterwards. Glenn Moore cuts an imposing figure on stage; I always think he looks like a super intelligent chief executive, which has to be a compliment. He takes a scattergun approach to his work in progress, with no obvious connection between any of his comic ideas, and he is brutal in rejecting anything that he doesn’t feel gets a loud enough laugh – even though you can tell he’s dismissing some pretty good material. Nine out of ten jokes were brilliant – high standards have clearly got him where he is today. Always reliable for top quality, well thought-through observations, this is obviously going to be another winning combination when he’s satisfied that he’s got it as perfect as possible!

8.30pm – Rhys James in The Charles Bradlaugh

New to us, but with a good reputation, our final act of the day was Rhys James, whose Chop Logic show will be at the Pleasance Courtyard in Edinburgh from 17 – 30 August.  I guess this was a work in progress in preparation for that run, but the act is pretty much immaculate all the way through and certainly Fringe-ready. A remarkable find, Rhys appeals to young and old because his material is always fresh, creative and incredibly funny. I loved his inventive material about how we should all emulate the Turkish economy, how he’s branching out with his painting hobby, the perils of transporting a poo sample, and a delicious way of teasing pensioners. Polished, confident, and constantly rip-roaringly funny, he’s the real deal and no mistake. A fantastic end to the day.

There are several more Edinburgh preview shows in the offing with the Comedy Crate, and of course Part Two of their weekend All Dayer in July. Can’t wait!

Review – Screaming Blue Murder, Underground at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 30th May 2026

Posted on by

Screaming Blue MurderConstant as the North Star, Screaming Blue Murder returned on Saturday to the Royal and Derngate, under the kindly watch of our regular host with the most, Dan Evans. Battling against the hot weather, he got to know selected members of the full house, including Dean (or was it Paul) and their accompanying stag/hen celebrators, and the teachers at the Academy of Performing Arts (Bedford branch) – I know, that doesn’t sound likely, does it?

In a change to the advertised programme, our first act, and new to us, was Aaron Simmonds, who despite – or maybe because of – his cerebral palsy presents an energetic and boisterous persona on stage and drives his act forward with enthusiasm and attack. He turns his condition into a strength with some very funny – but also challenging – material on the subject of disability, and he has an entertaining tale about one’s priorities at the Paralympics. His material didn’t always land as it should, but his confidence and endless surprises more than made up for it.

Next up, and another new comic to us, was Alex Bertulis-Fernandes, an engaging performer with a quiet, laid-back style that lulls you into a false sense of security and then hits you with a killer line. She has some great material about rescue dogs and sexual liaisons, which she delivers in a gently knowing manner, with excellent timing and an unhurried warmth. Quirky and original, she gave an assured performance and the audience loved it.

Our headliner, and someone we haven’t seen for more than fifteen years, was Alistair Barrie, who comes out of the traps all guns blazing, with terrifically indignant material about the perils of the world today. He has some great material about how little we had to worry about back in 1999 in comparison with 2026, and he mixes intelligent and ribald observations about world politics with his own family experiences. I loved the idea that his aged parents live in a house made from old Daily Telegraphs! Dynamic and fast developing, he has an instantly captivating style and you hang on his every word. A fantastic end to the evening.

That’s the last Screaming Blue of the Spring, but no doubt it’ll be back when Autumn leaves start to fall!

Review – Comedy Crate Mixed Bill at the Malt Shovel, Northampton, 24th May 2026

Posted on by

Comedy Crate at the Malt ShovelWhat better way to round off a gloriously warm Bank Holiday Sunday than to enjoy an evening of first-class comedy in a traditional English pub? This was one of two Comedy Crate gigs in Northampton on Sunday evening – those nice people at the Comedy Crate are certainly putting their backs into providing our comedy quota, and hurrah for that, I say.

Our host for the evening was Andy Gleeks, late of Ireland and now of Oxfordshire, and what a tremendous live wire he is. Deft at getting to know the audience as well as delivering his own very funny material, he gets the balance between MC and artist perfectly. He has a comfortable, warm persona on stage, coupled with just a little hint of danger – which means he can lull you into a false sense of security and then go for a killer line. He kept the evening going at a great pace and I’d be very happy to see him again.

Our first act – and someone I would normally associate with being a headliner – was the irrepressible Gerry K, another performer who is so gifted at leading you up the garden path with his stories, so you think they’re going to go one way, and then he takes you somewhere totally unexpected. Instantly engaging, he sets up a great rapport with the audience through his enthusiastic confidence and his indomitable cheekiness. With his very relatable material – especially with a middle-aged audience – it’s always a pleasure to spend half an hour in his company.

Next up, and someone we’ve seen once before at the Edinburgh Fringe, was Tim Biglowe, who uses his hippy hair and demeanour to great effect with some well-pitched self-deprecatory jokes, and many sequences of unexpected and original material. Challenging preconceptions, his delivery flows beautifully and dynamically and he had us all in the palm of his hand. An immediately likeable performer, Mr B will surely be a big name of the future.

Headlining was Kevin Daniel, a fifty-nine-year-old Glaswegian (he was very keen that we note his age) who riffs off the audience immaculately, poking good-natured fun at us and getting away with it because he’s simply very funny. His style is to tell longer comic scenarios rather than rattling off a scattergun approach, which works very well as he explores all the humorous possibilities in, for example, an unanticipated prostate examination. Terrific rapport, winning material, Comedy Crateand a great way to end what was one of the best mixed bills we’ve seen in a long time.

There are more comedy shows in and around Northampton in the near future from the Comedy Crate as part of their Comedy Festival – don’t miss out on an excellent opportunity to see great comedy!

Review – Birmingham Royal Ballet, BRB2, Carlos Acosta’s Ballet Celebration – Diaghilev and the Birth of Modern Ballet, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 23rd May 2026

Posted on by

It’s always a delight to welcome members of the Birmingham Royal Ballet to the Royal and Derngate; this time the dancers were largely drawn from the BRB2 company, their emerging talent and rising stars of the dance world. There was much to thrill and enchant one’s inner balletomane on Saturday night, with a highly entertaining programme of works, all of which were first performed by the Ballets Russes between 1909 and 1924. With the exception of the two short dances from Les Biches, choreographed by Nijinksy’s sister Bronislava Nijinska, all the choreography was by Mikhail Fokine, no finer exponent of the art (imho).

The first part of the evening was devoted a performance of Les Sylphides, with Chopin’s music played live on the piano by Jeanette Wong. That opening tableau is one of the most iconic images in all classical ballet, with the corps de ballet slowly peeling off, whilst the main characters remain unmoving until their dances finally begin. The stark white of the costumes against the dark background creates a powerful impression, and there’s no hiding place during that sequence; any imperfection is instantly noticeable. To be honest, there were a couple of minor wobbles at first, but these were far outweighed by the overall excellent standard of dancing. The pointe work is extraordinary, and the fluidity, grace and delicacy of the performance was superb. My personal favourite sequence was Airi Kobayashi’s Mazurka; Ms Kobayashi has a remarkable lightness of touch, and she was always a sheer delight to watch. Marlo Kempsey-Fagg’s performance as the poet was also very engaging and precise, giving excellent support to his ballerinas, and delivering his solos with style.

After the interval, we had four shorter sequences of dance, starting with what was probably the best individual performance of the show, the pas de deux from Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sheherazade, performed by Yoli Meurisse and Alfie-Lee Hall. The Birmingham Royal Ballet spares no expense on costumes, and this performance truly evoked the exoticism of the east. Ms Meurisse and Mr Hall had tremendous chemistry together, full of playfulness and excitement, and created a very rewarding and enjoyable dance.

Next came Le Spectre de la Rose, with Tom Hazelby giving a riveting performance as the spirit of the rose that falls from the hands of the sleeping young girl as she dreams of the ball she has just attended. Then followed two dances from Les Biches; Airi Kobayashi wickedly rattling her pearls as she performed an elegant Mazurka, and Hannah Martin and Jacopo Bianucci’s witty pas de deux – her, aloof and majestic; him, trying to impress as a strong man straight from the beach.

The final dance was a pas de deux from Stravinksy’s Firebird, a demanding and expressive piece full of angst and power, given a strong performance by Ellyn Knol and Ixan Ferrer. As a finale, the corps de ballet from Les Sylphides returned for a final dance before being joined by all the artists from the other dances; merging all the performers in their disparate costumes demonstrates the range of performance styles, skills and talents that they can all offer. It was a delightfully irreverent final combination and brought an engrossing and beautiful evening of dance to a very positive conclusion. There is one more performance of Carlos Acosta’s Ballet Celebration – Diaghilev and the Birth of Modern Ballet, at the New Theatre Peterborough on 29th May. Highly recommended!

4-starsFour They’re Jolly Good Fellows!

Review – Phil Ellis, Bath Mat, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 21st May 2026

Posted on by

Phil Ellis’ first Edinburgh Fringe show was back in 2008, and he was once a contestant on TV’s Taskmaster. Nevertheless, I’d never heard of him until the Royal and Derngate announced his Bath Mat tour on their listings; that was all the impetus we needed to see him for ourselves. As soon as he came on stage, Mrs Chrisparkle felt that he looked like someone else but couldn’t quite put her finger on who. Halfway through the second half it came to her in an instant, and she whispered it to me. She’s absolutely bang on, but you’ll have to read to the end to find out who it is.

Phil Ellis comes at his humour from an unusual angle, embellishing himself as a top drawer, master performer, full of pizzazz and charisma, only to spend the next two hours deflating himself as a plucky loser. Essentially, he takes the showbiz comedy genre and neatly deconstructs it; your all-singing all-laughing comedy genius is in fact just a guy from Preston who’s had to move back in with his parents at the age of 44. To enhance that façade, he is often accompanied by Tom Short; not a traditional, separate support act, but someone engaged to whoop us up in a frenzy of excitement for his first appearance and who crops up occasionally when Mr E needs an extra pair of hands.

It’s a very clever idea and fertile ground for some great self-deprecatory material, which Mr Ellis delivers with great timing, heart and a lot of appeal. He cuts an immensely likeable character on stage; someone we can identify with because no one is really as good as they make themselves out to be. He provides a running commentary on the show, pointing out for example that this part is weak, or that part needs work. His crowd work is fantastic, with a devilish memory for detail; it was fascinating to observe just how confident the audience was in interacting with him. On so many occasions you see a comedian work hard to get comedy gems out of an uncomfortable, unwilling audience member, but Mr E’s audience is always ready to give as good as they get, even heckling themselves at one stage, which is something you don’t often see.

Despite his breezy, light-hearted style, he often takes his comedy where angels fear to tread, for example starting off with an “accidental” image of Ruth rather than Phil Ellis and giving us a few asides about her hanging; or talking about a favourite Auntie who was murdered, but still creating some funny punchlines. At his best, his material soars with an excellent balance of fantastical but not overly-stupid observations. Some of his material fails to connect; a section where he invites the audience to heckle him didn’t work because of its artificiality (the audience members were going to decide for themselves when they were going to shout out, not be told when!) and a good boy/bad boy media projection sequence didn’t really achieve anything. Why is the show called Bath Mat, I hear you ask? Because a bath mat was one of the final straws that ended his previous relationship. Yes, I’m not quite sure I believe that either, but it’s all jokes.

Overall, it’s a very funny couple of hours that at times can have you in hysterics, and others you’ll just be wondering what the heck is this bit all about. Nothing against Mr Short, but I found their interactions the least entertaining aspect to the entire show; Phil Ellis doesn’t need another person on stage to make us realise how funny he is. Bath Mat has been touring the UK since February and, after a couple more dates in May, will continue to tour in September and October.

Leonard Rossiter. Imagine a young Leonard Rossiter doing stand-up. That’s whom he reminded us of!

Review – BBC Radio 3’s Friday Night is Music Night, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 17th April 2026

Posted on by

Friday Night is Music NightHere’s something a little different! The BBC Radio 3 stalwart of a show, Friday Night is Music Night, came to Northampton’s Royal and Derngate, not, as I originally suspected, as a live broadcast, but to record the programme to go out on May 15th 2026. No strangers to the regular appearances by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal and Derngate, I wondered to what extent this would be similar.

At first, the only difference was the appearance of additional microphones scattered around the stage, including some very tall ones – I guess up in the air they register fewer background noises. And it was the BBC Concert Orchestra, under the leadership of Charles Mutter, who played the tunes under the conducting baton of Richard Balcombe, who had conducted the RPO at the Valentine’s Gala at the R&D in 2025.

The show was introduced and hosted by another Radio 3 stalwart, Katie Derham, who comes across as warm, welcoming and genuinely loving her job. With just a few minor explanations as to how the evening would progress, the whole broadcasting element to the show had remarkably few nuts and bolts getting in the way of a straightforward live concert.

I don’t know why we were surprised at this, but we were: the orchestra members, the conductor, Katie Derham, and our two singers, Patrick Smyth and Katie Birtill, were all smartly decked out in traditional evening wear, just as you would expect for a regular classical concert. Indeed, Ms Birtill even brought a change of dress for the second half!

The programme was a celebration of the work of Richard Rodgers, primarily his music composed in partnership with Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein; so, we were treated to some beautiful renditions of songs, overtures and instrumental passages from Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The Sound of Music, Carousel and more. Less well-known was his impressive music for the TV documentary Victory at Sea, and the concert concluded with his Slaughter on 10th Avenue from On Your Toes which I hadn’t heard in decades.

Stand out performances (for me at least) came in the form of the glorious Carousel Waltz, the Dream Ballet from Oklahoma! and Katie Birtill’s stunning performance of My Favourite Things. But the whole concert was a joy, and everyone in the audience had a marvellous time by the sound of it. I shall look forward to hearing it again on May 15th!

Review – Frankie Goes to Bollywood, Royal and Derngate, Northampton, 16th April 2026

Posted on by
FGTB

©Richard Lakos

Confession time: I’ve never seen a Bollywood movie and know very little about the genre apart from a few basic facts that everyone knows. Frankie Goes to Bollywood provides an insight into this cultural phenomenon, and as such, is undoubtedly a fascinating experience. I do know that Bollywood movies are sold as a vision of dreams, a melting pot of glamour, and that nearly all are variations on the same theme – a love story of improbable, nay fantastic, proportions. Bollywood takes elaborate musical and visual themes to entrance its audience for several hours; and above all it creates legends, and its stars are like royalty.

FGTB

©Richard Lakos

Who wouldn’t want to be part of it? Frankie, and her best friend (and cousin/sister) Goldy, dream of making the big time somehow, rather than just selling popcorn at the local cinema in Huddersfield. Goldy wants to be in a Bollywood movie, but it’s Frankie who is – almost by accident – propelled into the limelight after a chance encounter with a movie director, a glitteringly successful audition, and an offer to be a big star in Mumbai. In many respects, a typical rags to riches storyline, that’s probably featured in many a Bollywood movie.

She's a warrior

©Richard Lakos

But Frankie is a realist, and although she dreams big, she’s just an ordinary young woman, with no pretence, no arrogance, and a heart of gold. Can she keep it real under the pressures of Bollywood life, or will she succumb to the flashy lifestyle and hardnosed ruthlessness of the film industry? You can probably guess the answer to that. But – spoiler alert – like all good Indian fairytales, everything comes good in the end.

Frankie calls the shots

©Richard Lakos

What Frankie Goes to Bollywood does very successfully is reveal the sham behind the façade of the Bollywood industry. The sexy male star, with whom the audience either wants to be in love or simply to be, is in real life an aging Baldilocks with a Mummy complex. Bollywood is a conveyor belt that pushes out endless dreams but is super ruthless with every element – including its stars – in the process. Whoever has the finance is the king and calls the shots; no other input is of any consequence. It’s a grim place where you can arrange for your rival actor to be on the receiving end of a fatal car accident. You lose your identity as you sell your soul, and it’s all in the name of light entertainment.

Frankie leads the dance

©Richard Lakos

The show also highlights the essential misogyny of the whole Bollywood industry. The women, on and off screen, are there to look good and to make the men look even better. What they think doesn’t matter, and any additional contributions they make are ignored. As a natural consequence, Frankie and the other women are frustrated and feel abused by the whole circus. The show culminates not so much with a natural conclusion to its storyline but more of a mission statement for the future.

A fluttering scarf

©Richard Lakos

Clearly, there’s no depth or meaning to your average Bollywood movie, and it’s this essential shallowness that is the problem with Frankie Goes to Bollywood. The system produces a never-ending sequence of shallow stories with shallow characters, and FGTB comes across as equally shallow. There’s a fine line between exposing its subject matter and resembling its subject matter, and the show doesn’t always get that balance right. They’re clearly a hugely talented cast but somehow it radiates an amateur vibe; revealing all Bollywood’s unsubtleties, not in a tongue-in-cheek or knowing way, but itself in an unsubtle way. The staging is frequently clumsy; for example, how many times do they have to (unnecessarily) move those spotlights around?! Often leaving uncomfortable gaps between scenes, it needs to be smarter and slicker. Occasional looks of uncertainty on the faces of some of the dancers suggest they’re a little unsure about where to stand or move, but that could also be because the stage of the Royal theatre is way too small to accommodate everything that this show is trying to achieve. I’m sure it would look more accomplished on a larger stage.

Timmy Anand

©Richard Lakos

That said, there is much to be appreciated in the vision and creativity of this production. Josh Sood’s musicians give us a gloriously authentic Indian music experience, Andy Kumar’s choreography – with Anna Maria Barber as assistant choreographer and dance captain – is bang on the nose and his costumes are as sumptuous as you would wish, and Philip Gladwell’s lighting is often set to brash mode, although there were a few moments on Press Night when gremlins got in the works.

Goldy getting ready

©Richard Lakos

The acting is of a very high standard. Sarah Pearson gives a great central performance as Frankie; she’s a tremendous singer with a winning stage persona. I wasn’t totally convinced of how Frankie loses her kindness and charity as her fame grows, but I think that’s more a failure of the script than the performance. I particularly enjoyed Katie Stasi’s Goldy, a warm-hearted and spirited young woman, not afraid to fail and always remaining faithful to her friend – and also with a great singing voice. Luke Suri, as flamboyant choreographer Shona, steals all his scenes with his camp charisma and wittily written bitchiness. Ankur Sabharwal amusingly portrays the spoilt vanity of the star Raju, and Meher Pavri captures the resentment of star-and-girlfriend-on-the-decline Malika, and the pure love and support given by Frankie’s mother.

Shona's in charge

©Richard Lakos

Akshay Datta’s surprisingly gentle characterisation of the principled film director Prem makes a slightly curious comparison with the rest of the Bollywood rat race, giving all his dreams up to become a guru. There’s excellent support from Neelam Rajni as Frankie’s assistant Mandy, and a very hard-working ensemble including an entertaining portrayal of Timmy Anand by Kiran Kaanan, all himbo, glittery chest and not much up top.

One of those shows where it doesn’t quite add up to the sum of all its parts, which must be due to the writing and direction. However, there’s no doubt that it’s a lively, colourful and musical spectacle that tackles an uncomfortable problem at the heart of Indian culture. After Northampton, the tour continues to Leeds, Peterborough, Derby, Windsor, Hornchurch, Oxford, Birmingham and finishing at the Bristol Old Vic at the end of June.

3-starsThree-sy Does It!

Review – Screaming Blue Murder, Underground at the Derngate, Northampton, 10th April 2026

Posted on by

Great to see another sold out house at this month’s Screaming Blue Murder in Northampton, another sign that our local comedy scene is in the rudest of health. Our host was, as usual, the effervescent Dan Evans, spinning his bon mots left right and centre as he got to know the people in the front rows, which included the staff from the Pytchley pub in West Haddon who were much better behaved than they were two years ago (!) and a never ending range of engineers – consultant, building, mechanical, sustainability… you name it, there was an engineer for it somewhere in the front rows.

Our opening act was Justin Panks, fifty years old (allegedly) but distinctly a lad at heart. Hailing from Norwich, although his accent suggested otherwise, he has a confident, assertive presence on stage. His routines included how different things are today in comparison with the 1980s – particularly for the fellas, the intricacies of managing step-kids, and the pros and cons of shaving one’s balls. Occasionally taking us where angels fear to tread, some of his material might have alienated certain sectors of the audience, but he certainly provided a lot of laughs, and that’s what it’s all about.

Next up was Louise Leigh, a lively lady packed with impish spirit, who regaled us with stories of how she’s coping with moving into middle age, if not disgracefully then at least creatively. She’s acquired the colourful hair, she’s in love with her campervan, she’s started going to festivals and she’s devoted to her dog. She also has a husband and teenage kids, so there’s a lot of life-juggling going on. It’s all recognisable and relatable material, delivered with expert timing and a winning way.

Our headliner, and the only act we’d seen before, was Jon Long, a very funny chap whose seemingly mild and gentle character belies a wicked grasp of devilish humour. His opening routine about attending church as a youngster has a brilliantly unexpected punchline and he has the audience in the palm of his hands from then on. He has great material about having a wife who’s much tougher than he is and intersperses his set with a few comic numbers on the guitar, that always pack a punch. A most unassuming comedy star, but a star nonetheless.

Will there be another sold out show at the next Screaming Blue Murder on 30th May? You should come along and find out!

Review – Comedy Crate at the Charles Bradlaugh, Northampton, 9th April 2026

Posted on by

Comedy Crate at the BradlaughForgive me Father, for I have sinned. It is eleven months since we last attended a mixed bill night at the Charles Bradlaugh – where does the time go?! Fortunately, we chose a stonker of a good night to make our return – and we were joined by a packed house of happy return customers for a truly rip-roaring night of comedy.

Our host was Kelly Convey, whom we haven’t seen since the golden days of Covid, on one of those surprisingly successful Zoom gigs and in the garden of the Black Prince pub. She’s a warm, friendly and ebullient presence who instantly gets the crowd on her side – bless her for thinking that Northampton is classier than Chatham – with engaging stories about attending childbirths and how life has changed since she rapidly became a mother of three. She generated a positive and supportive vibe to the evening’s proceedings which really helped the show go with a bang!

First up, and someone we’ve seen many times before, was the irrepressible Jack Gleadow, an impish presence with a quirky voice and hilarious comedic creativity. For much of the act he responded to musical cues from easily recognised pop tunes; something we’ve seen him do before, but it’s always brilliant – I love how he uses Popcorn to accompany dating app usage, and his observations on how men and women respond differently to swiping are brilliantly revealing. Terrific at engaging with the crowd, he brought two chaps up from the audience, the willingly good sport Paul and the bemused Jamie, for a jolly bum-slapping routine – all I can say is, you had to be there. Wonderfully self-deprecating and quick thinking, he’s always a joy to watch.

Next came Darius Davies, whom we saw headlining a Screaming Blue Murder show a couple of years ago, but with a very different selection of material. Using his Iranian heritage as an appropriately timely introduction to his set, he took us through two cringingly and riotously funny stories. First, when he posed as a woman on a dating app to find out what it’s like for a woman to deal with the kind of comments men dish out; and then a delicious account of revenge served cold after Ryanair were unhelpful and expensive over charging him for a boarding card. Beautifully delivered, with a sting in its tail, he is a master of intelligent comedy presented with a serious message lurking just beneath the surface; and the audience loved him.

Comedy CrateOur headliner was, in many respects, the complete opposite, the totally wacky Spencer Jones, whose act is made up of short, seemingly unconnected vignettes, sometimes surreal, sometimes ecstatically funny, always totally ludicrous. There was clearly an element of work-in-progress with many of his ideas being tried out, but we were willing guinea pigs for his daftness. What separates Mr J from many other surreal or absurd performers, is that he makes it clear that he knows what he’s doing is absurd and recognises that we find it absurd too, but he’ll nevertheless continue doing it. Our favourite short sketch was the totally pointless but completely recognisable “man with three beers”; I also enjoyed his “may I taste your soup” routine, especially as I unfortunately made a bit of a song-and-dance over describing the ingredients in my vegetable soup to him. Not all of his ideas worked completely, but those which did, were hysterical.

The next Comedy Crate at the Bradlaugh night is May 14th – we can’t make it but hopefully you can. And it definitely won’t be another eleven months till we make a reappearance!