July has got to be one of the best comedy months of the calendar — people are excited (read: panicking) about Edinburgh and we’ve got preview shows coming out of our ears.
If you have enough time on your hands and aren’t going up to Scotland, or even if you are but worry you won’t be able to see everything you want, can I recommend making your own mini-Fringe with preview shows in July? If you’d rather someone else did that for you, there are plenty of actual festivals going on around the country this month as well.
Oh, we’ve got some real good shows for you this month. In the words of Ellie & Natasia, fresh from their new sketch show, “WE NEVER LIE ON THE WEBSITE”. Have a lovely summer!
Oxford Comedy Festival
Friday 1st — Saturday 30th July, venues around Oxford
For the whole month of July, you can find countless Fringe preview shows from all sorts, including Heidi Regan’s excellently titled Heidi Regan Gives Birth Live On Stage Every Night or Your Money Back, Jayde Adams’ Men, I Can Save You, Sikisa’s Twerk In Progress, most recent Funny Women Award winner Lara Ricote’s GRL/LATNX/DEF and loads, loads more. It’s the whole month for goodness sake! For more information and tickets, click here!
Brighton Comedy Garden
Wednesday 6th — Sunday 10th July, Preston Park, Brighton
Next up on the festival train is Brighton Comedy Garden, cramming some huge names into a neat five-day package. There are some truly incredible Funny Women spread across the week, including: Fern Brady (recently announced for the next line-up of Taskmaster), Suzi Ruffell, Olga Koch, Chloe Petts, Esther Manito, Lou Sanders, Sara Pascoe, Fatiha El-Ghorri, Maisie Adam, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Josie Long, Celya AB, Rosie Jones and Sarah Keyworth. For more information and tickets, click here!
London Clown Festival: Nothing Happens (Twice)
7th July, Soho Theatre
Sorry, another festival? That’s right, we can’t get enough, particularly when you throw clowns into the mix. It’s the London Clown Festival, which has taken over the Soho Theatre’s upstairs room. Among the programme are a pair that are not to be missed: Mercè Ribot and Patricia Rodríguez have been delighting audiences for some time, but this new show sees them hit rock bottom dressing as flamingos in a shopping centre. You’ll have to watch to see if they can make their dreams of staging Waiting For Godot come true. For more information and tickets, click here!
Roann Hassani-McCloskey: Who Murdered My Cat?
Friday 8th July, Arcola Theatre
The title may sound scary, but when a show is described as being ‘a joyful hour exploring sex, sexuality and power’ we are 100% in — especially when it’s storytelling from the wonderful Roann Hassani-McCloskey. The show’s feline mystery leads into tales of growing up queer and Arab in 1990s Wembley, dismantling the stereotype of coming out as LGBTQ+ in a Muslim family and unraveling the impact of early memories. For more information and tickets, click here!
Stokes & Summers: Careering
Friday 8th — Saturday 9th July, Canal Cafe Theatre London; Friday 29th July, Bristol Improv Theatre
Offices are funny places, aren’t they? Like big ineffective bee hives where no one makes any honey because they’re either fielding phone calls from angry customers or playing mahjong online or writing their crime novel when no one’s watching — I’ve not worked in a regular office for a while, can you tell? Stokes and Summers’ new show is set in Hades House, a massive block with an assortment of different characters, just figuring things out. Formerly shortlisted for the Funny Women Content Creator Awards (they’ve got the whole TikTok thing nailed), Kate Stokes and Claudia Summers present a new show about the quirks and the perks of working. For more information and tickets, click here and here!
Eme Essien: Flat Shoes in the Club?
Friday 8th July, Underbelly Festival Earls Court
Eme Essien’s new one woman show takes you deep into the getting ready routine, complete with interruptions and distractions. Tonight, we’re celebrating mediocrity, wearing flats and looking at societal expectations through the voice of a young Black woman constantly reinventing herself. Super exciting debut alert! For more information and tickets, click here!
Sugarcoated Sisters: Bittersweet
Saturday 16th July, Town and Gown, Cambridge
Another duo of Funny Women finalists who have taken over TikTok, the Sugarcoated Sisters are bringing my all time favourite combo to their new show: music and revenge. Back in their hometown, Tabby and Chloe have unfinished business and will be adopting any musical style they fancy to bring down everyone who has wronged them. For more information and tickets, click here!
Katie Pritchard: Disco Ball
Thursday 21st July, Pleasance London
Want a bit of nonsense, a sprinkle of comedy chaos? Same! ‘Human disco ball’ Katie Pritchard is your number one for this sort of thing* — because every party should have a disco ball, really. This is her debut musical comedy hour which she’s getting ready for Edinburgh, but you might have seen some of her songs before. I myself am a fan of her Bayeux Tapestry song to the tune of Elvis’s In the Ghetto. You can catch her at the above-mentioned Oxford Fringe as well on July 13th. (*includes hand-made costumes, possibly pavlova based) For more information and tickets, click here!
Sikisa + Shelf
Tuesday 26th July, Pleasance London
Two shows for the price of one, three comedians for the price of two — not sure about this maths… but it’s a great deal whichever way you slice it because it’s Sikisa and Shelf! This will be probably your last chance to see two of the most exciting Edinburgh Fringe debuts in preview before they head up north. Sikisa’s Life of the Party sees her recalling an epic house party, while musical double act Shelf (or self-described ‘musical single act and guest’), tell the story of a life changing haircut in Hair. For more information and tickets, click here!
Melissa Stephens: Hotdogs & Tears
Friday 29th July, 2Northdown
All the way from America, Melissa Stephens is making her Edinburgh debut with the two guaranteed staples of my summertime BBQs: Hotdogs & Tears. This sounds like a really exciting show all about growing up in the American South ‘where cow tipping is entertainment and fast food feels like self-care’ and the ultimate family dining establishment is Hooters — Hey, the UK’s got one of those now, this could be us! For more information and tickets, click here!
