This season features the Lastminute.com Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer winner Scott Gibson and his fellow nominees Jayde Adams, Brennan Reece, Nath Valvo, Michelle Wolf and Bilal Zafar.
Scott Gibson’s Lastminute.com Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning ‘raw, insightful hour’ (Scotsman) is a darkly hysterical and inspiring show. Taking us from Blackpool to Glasgow to the Neurology Capital of Europe (Govan), Life After Death tells the story of the three weeks that changed his life forever delivered with the trademark black humour that Scott has rapidly become renowned for. It’s a tale of love and pain, fear and hope; it’s about overcoming insurmountable odds, and how comedy can bring you back to life.
31 is about the last 31 years of her life; you might not know who Jayde Adams is yet but you’ll definitely recognise that over-exuberant child at the birthday party who nobody knows what to do with. In 2014 Jayde won the annual Funny Women Award and the London Cabaret Audience Award. She recently created, wrote and starred in her own Halloween Comedy Short for Sky Comedy, Bloody Tracy, which aired on Sky on Demand and Sky Arts. She made her TV acting debut in Russell Howard’s A Gert Lush Christmas on BBC Two and also recently appeared on the new series of 8 Out of 10Cats (for More4) – her first television appearance as herself. Jayde will also star in Sky Atlantic’s Sick Note early next year alongside Rupert Grint and Nick Frost. She currently has scripted projects in development with Miranda Hart and David Walliams’ production company King Bert and Hat Trick.
In the short time that Brennan Reece has been in comedy he has won English Comedian of the Year (2015), come second in the BBC New Comedy Award (2014) and of course was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards for Everglow; exploring modern masculinity and Reece’s experience with his own family. Described by The Stage as a ‘hilarious, rubber faced, bright young talent’, Reece supported Joe Lycett and Nick Offerman on their UK tours and has been seen on The Johnny & Inel Show (CBBC) and Don’t Stop Me Now (Sky One). He has also written for Show What You Wrote and Newsjack on BBC Radio 4.
Described by Chortle as a ‘born crowd pleaser’and heralded by the Scotsman as ‘ridiculously good’, Nath Valvo stormed his debut Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year with Happy Idiot. From his dysfunctional family, ’90s suburbia and accidental orgies, Nath’s brutally honest and razor sharp comedy is winning over audiences and critics alike. With his own TV stand-up special out in January, Nath Valvo could quite possibly be the hottest act in Aussie comedy right now. Back home, he has appeared on The Melbourne Comedy Festival TV Gala and hosted ABC TV’s Comedy Up Late, but nothing compares to being in the front row of a Nath Valvo comedy experience.
Michelle Wolf: So Brave is a deep dive into her calculated, extremely bizarre premises, taking the audience on an increasingly personal and occasionally political journey through how she sees the world. Currently an on-air contributor and writer for The Daily Show, Michelle made her television debut on Late Night with Seth Myers and has since appeared on BBC2’s Frankie Boyle’s American Autopsy, Channel 4’s 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown and BBC2’s Live At The Apollo. One of America’s fastest rising comedic talents; she made her “supremely confident”(The Guardian) Edinburgh Fringe debut with So Brave in 2016, enjoying a month of sell-out shows.
Bilal Zafar’s debut solo hour Cakes, described by The Times as ‘witty and absorbing… highly entertaining’ documents the hilarious journey of how he was mistaken for a Muslim-only cake shop and became a prime target for the furious far right around the world. As well as his Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination, Zafar won the 2016 New Act of the Year Award (formerly Hackney Empire New Act of the Year Award), was a runner up for the Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian of the Year (2015) and a finalist for the Great Yorkshire Fringe New Comedian of the Year (2015). Bilal has appeared on BBC3, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Asian Network, Sky News and has written for The Independent.
Need to Know:
Scott Gibson: Life After Death
Tue 20 Dec – Sat 14 Jan, 8.45pm / Soho Upstairs / Tickets £10 – £16
Jayde Adams: 31
Mon 14 Nov, Mon 5 Dec, Tue 20 Dec – Sat 7 Jan, 7pm / Soho Upstairs / Tickets £10 – £16
Brennan Reece: Everglow
Mon 16 – Sat 21 Jan, 8.45pm / Soho Upstairs / Tickets £10 – £14
Nath Valvo: Happy Idiot
Thu 12 – Sat 21 Jan, 7.15pm / Soho Upstairs / Tickets £10 – £14
Michelle Wolf: So Brave
Fri 16 – Fri 30 Dec, 9.30pm / Soho Downstairs / Tickets £15 – £20
Bilal Zafar: Cakes
Mon 23 – Sat 28 Jan, 8.45pm / Soho Upstairs / Tickets £10 – £13
Soho Theatre
21 Dean Street, London, W1D 3NE
020 7478 0142
