Along with the apocalyptic rain and the double dip recession, we’re all looking for a bit of a lift in the face of austerity. Having a few men around was bound to liven things up!
Funny Women has always had the support of some brilliant men – our design team at N9 Design in Plymouth is all male and the current production team have wonderfully supportive husbands and boyfriends, ‘HABS’, who help at events and provide broad shoulders to cry on when the going gets tough.
So, it has come about organically that we should start to include a few men in the performance mix as well. Our most recent London Nights showcase was put together by guest host and booker, Clare Lomas, who expressed a wish to include a couple of men on the bill. We saw no reason why not, since the show was a direct reflection of her taste in comedy, and we welcomed Bobby Mair and Thomas Nelstrop to the Funny Women stage.
Bobby came out all guns blazing in the first half of the show but soon relaxed his pace, once he realised that he didn’t have to prove anything other than be funny. Thomas was a natural fit – a relaxed performer with an armoury of hilarious songs and his surreal banter. The men were a great addition to a stunning, otherwise all female, bill that included Alison Thea-Skott, Suna Jarman and headliner, Rosie Wilby.
This man-thing was bound to set a trend and when 2011 finalist, Mel Moon, agreed to headline the Brighton heat of the Funny Women Awards at the Caroline of Brunswick on Saturday, she asked if we’d give her friend Dave Candy his first ever stand up gig, and we thought, ‘why not?’ This, plus the help, support and superb hosting by Simon O’Keeffe over at our Dublin heat, has had men raining all around us for the last few weeks!
It works very well – there’s no tokenism involved, these are men who naturally feel part of our community and happy to support the female acts they appeared with in our recent shows. It also gives these men an opportunity to perform in our environment, which is relaxed and friendly and less gladiatorial than a regular male-centric comedy show. It could catch on!
Pictured top to bottom: Bobby Mair and Thomas Nelstrop as 'Jonni Music'.
