By Cara Cummings
We’ve come over all emotional here at Funny Women HQ. Ever the socially-conscious guardians of female funny, we can’t help but get a little wobbly-lipped about what happened last week. And no, we’re not talking about the football, partly because we refuse to accept the game officially took place with one side so clearly unaware they actually had to PLAY, partly because we’re mad that now we’re sad when we didn’t really care that much in the first place. Oh, the follies of fair-weather patriotism. But mostly because now we don’t get to go to the pub at 3pm on a work day as a matter of national importance anymore.
No – our emotive outpouring stems from a series of much finer performances than those of our “national representatives” (everyone earns £190k a year for hitting none of their professional targets, right?). Last Thursday, the Funny Women Awards came home, as the latest batch of 2010 hopefuls took to the stage of Richmond’s Orange Tree Theatre. Aside from a bill of fantastic fresh talent and rip-roaring guest sets from last year’s winner Miss London and the inimitable Shazia Murza, all graciously stewarded aboard the good ship Funny by the ever-hilarious Suzy Bennett as MC, the evening raised over £500 for local charity The New Victoria Medical Foundation. A real testament of community spirit, if ever there was.
And that’s what’s got us all gooey-eyed. Richmond is our home, you see, and we were just honoured to put on a good show for our Thameside kin, let alone one that that will benefit such a fantastic cause. Also, we’ve been on the road for a while now (“Mummy, why do those women live in their car?”), and were a little overwhelmed with at the prospect of being able to walk – yes, WALK – to the show, rather than driving frantically around the centre of an unknown town trapped in its seventh circle of hell – sorry, one-way system.
Special thanks are due to the team at the Orange Tree, and Lorna Votier from the New Victoria Medical Foundation for all their help in organising the event, to Selena Clarke and Nancy Baldwin for manning the clipboards and being all-round life-savers, and to Dianna Bonner, in advance, or what will no doubt be a fantastic series of photos from the night itself.
We heart you, Richmond.
