On Saturday night a dedicated audience battled through the thunder, humidity and torrential rain in Brighton to join the Funny Women team at The Old Market for the fourth Funny Women Awards semi-finals. The night was hosted by the hilarious (and bendy) Abigoliah Schamaun to raise money for Refuge and Brighton charity Rise.
We thought it was more than worth it and the audience seemed to think so too. Sandi Smith shared that the secret to marriage is honesty regarding whether or not you still find your partner sexy (no, apparently). Liz Peters, who was on the hunt for her own partner to be honest with sang us through her likes and dislikes whilst tinkling the ivories, (men with beards and peanut butter and jam sandwiches are a no-no apparently.)
Al Story was also in a sharing mood, letting us know that when it comes to having your own children, her criteria of being a successful parent is if you keep them alive. Thanyia Moore should pass this handy tip on to her new parent friends – once she has finished her staring contest with their new-borns.
Single parent Tash Alexander pitched her big idea for single parents out on the pull. Only child Jane Postlethwaite shared her youthful hobby perfected in her childhood home in Cumbria – blackmail; whilst Jo Public lamented her Tin Tin haircut – though we thought it very fetching. Keeping up the theme of regret Elf Lyons told tale of her recent heartbreak and shared how her parents coped with it, her father apparently comforting her mother by saying she wouldn’t kill herself as she was ‘too busy.’
Children’s entertainer Mandy Dassa put on a very adult show for us, perhaps too adult to share here but Mandy talked drugs, younger men and pussies (by which we mean cats of course…) Sola from Iceland (the country – not the supermarket) entertained us with observations of the trend for pyjama bottoms in Iceland (the supermarket not the country), and Tevashnee shared her brilliant idea on how to save Comic Relief some money, and her African holiday to Peckham.
As the judges deliberated headline act Mae Martin made us all blush with her stories of seduction, puberty and her mother’s drunken encounter with Santa in a Norfolk Wetherspoons.
At the end of a hot and humid night it was Elf Lyons who kept her cool, winning a place in the Charity Final with her set that helped us see the funny side of being dumped. Wildcards who may be joining Elf in the Funny Women Awards Finals are Liz Peters, Thanyia Moore and Tevashnee.
Thus far the confirmed semi-finalists are: Dotty Winters, Sindhu V, Rachel Gleaves, Becky Brunning and Elf Lyons. Wildcards are: Rachel Slater, Saskia Preston, Revan and Fennell, Twisted Loaf, Bethan Roberts, Tevashnee, Liz Peters and Thanyia Moore. We wish them all loads of luck and can’t wait for the Edinburgh semi-finals on 18th and 19th August at the Funny Women Pop Up Fringe!
Pictured left to right: Tevashnee, Liz Peters, Elf Lyons, Thanyia Moore and host Abigoliah Schamaun
Semi-Finalist Elf Lyons
Headliner Mae Martin
