The clocks went back, time has been reset, I will be confused about it until they go forward again at which point I will be re-confused but in the other direction. No matter how much I think about it, it never makes sense and never will.
What does make sense though — incredible segue from me there — is this month’s offering of comedy shows. It might be getting dark and dingy outside but inside it’s hilarious, so you have a great excuse to leave the house. November is a massive month for catching up on some of the Edinburgh shows you missed or are dying to see again, as you’ll see if you keep reading.
Here’s what’s coming up before the countdown to the end of the year begins and you start wanting to do nothing but morph into a sofa.
Soho Theatre — a whole bunch of Edinburgh’s best shows
It’s all going on at the Soho Theatre this month. Last year’s Funny Women award winner Lara Ricote has sold out her November dates (but keep an eye on January…) as has Sophie Duker (check out her tour which kicks off in February), and there are so many brilliant Edinburgh-fresh hours here this month that we needed a whole section to show them off.
Helen Bauer: Madam Good Tit
November 1st — 5th, Soho Theatre
Edinburgh Fringe’s most bombastic show without contest, Helen Bauer’s Madam Good Tit blew the socks off every single audience member. When nothing is more important than self-care, Helen wonders how we can be expected to preach self-esteem and confidence when we grew up with Special K adverts and what Yoga With Adrienne has reeeeeally given us (I’ll say it, she’s not for me). A show of wall-to-wall laughs.
For tickets click here!
Olga Koch: Just Friends
November 14th — 19th, Soho Theatre
Dutifully spreading the gospel of hoe culture around the UK, Olga Koch touches down in Soho for a rollercoaster of a romcom that starts the way all the best love stories do: with the pursuit of a threesome. Which of us hasn’t been there? Just Friends is a banger from start to finish and, if nothing else, it’s a thrill to get the chance to read someone else’s WhatsApp messages.
For tickets click here!
Frankie Thompson: CAttS
November 21st — 26th, Soho Theatre
I’ve made no secret of the fact that this was my favourite show at Edinburgh Fringe, so I’m chuffed Frankie Thompson is getting a proper Soho run. Combining soundbites from Elaine Paige and the Apprentice with clips of Jane Fonda’s workout tape and vintage Antiques Roadshow at its creepiest, CAttS is a dystopian clown show of epic proportions. It gets the Funny Women guarantee that you’ll never have seen anything like it, and likely never will again. Read our review here.
For tickets click here!
Thanyia Moore: Just Being Funny
November 24th — 26th, Soho Theatre
Former Funny Women champion Thanyia Moore (pictured in header) is the best at what she does. So it stands to reason that when she decided she had to overhaul her 2020 Fringe debut for this year, she did something radical: she nixed the heartfelt, emotional original plan and went with simply being funny. She could have done it either way in the end because, let’s face it, you’re in the safest hands whenever Thanyia’s telling the jokes.
For tickets click here!
Ava Vidal: Ava Laugh
November 4th, Royal Vauxhall Tavern
Ava Vidal is setting up shop in the Royal Vauxhall Tavern with her own comedy club featuring three super special guests. As well as her own top-notch stand-up, she’s joined by FOC IT UP founder and champion Kemah Bob, newly anointed pasta comedian Jen Ives and spectacularly in-demand BGT finalist Nabil Abdulrashid.
For tickets click here!
Sian Docksey: No More Mr Nice Bi
November 6th, 8th & 9th, The Glory
Three nights of queer comedy, three stunning double bills and one thing in common — Siân Docksey! She’s performing her show Meatshapes with Feelings, and will be joined by a different comedian every night: Sam Nicoresti with their show Cancel Anti Wokeflake Snow Culture, a work-in-progress by Carmen Ali and another by Jen Ives, who is rebranding as a Pasta Comedian. You can read Funny Women’s chat with Siân and Carmen here.
For tickets click here!
Ania Magliano: Absolutely No Worries If Not
November 11th, Leicester Square Theatre
Ania Magliano is the moment — this moment and a lot of the upcoming moments as well. Fresh from supporting Ed Gamble on tour and Marc Maron’s big London show, she’s got a huge headline moment in Leicester Square. Absolutely No Worries If Not is about horse girls, Jacqueline Wilson, buying her cat on Gumtree and being a very specific voice of Gen Z. It’s absolutely brilliant — read our review of Ania’s show in Edinburgh here.
For tickets click here!
Bryony Byrne: Fan/Girl
November 14th, Pleasance Theatre; November 17th — 18th, Rosemary Branch Theatre.
Bryony Byrne’s debut show sounds right up my street — combining 90s nostalgia and songs with silly comedy and drag. Bryony is framing this tongue-in-cheek ride through adolescence against a backdrop of the very small window during which I was interested in football (I could tell you what the Man U squad line-up was in 1998-9, but literally nothing else at all). Directed by Ben Target, which is a big stamp of approval.
For tickets click here and here!
Louise Leigh: Amused
November 18th, The Room Above, Bristol
Louise Leigh is finally bringing her Edinburgh show back to her hometown, for an hour about motherhood, marriage, menopause and celebrating having reached a certain stage in life. From getting a dog to getting a mammogram, Louise finds the humour in all of it, taking the audience along for a very uplifting ride. Read our review here.
For tickets click here!
Night at the Zoo
November 19th, The Bill Murray
If there’s one thing you don’t want to do, it’s put clowns in a cage — they will make a fool of you, Mr Zookeeper. Double Funny Women Awards winner Lorna Rose Treen, Julia Masli, Sara Segovia and Anna Marie Simonsen are making their great escape from the zoo, in this chaotic combo of I’m A Celebrity and highlight of the 00s, Raven. Queen of the Jungle Posey Mehta is going to (try to) keep the nonsense in check. This sounds sensational. Also, make sure you see Posey’s show I Am Not A Gorilla at the Pleasance on November 7th.
For tickets click here!
Helen Duff: Lullabies
November 22nd, The Bill Murray
Helen Duff is back on stage with her first post-baby work-in-progress show and she’s packing it full of more earworms than you can handle. Helen’s got her loop machine and she’s not afraid to use it. I just saw her playing a cereal-obsessed Grandma in Weirdos show and it reminded me what a wonderful stage presence she is, so it’s good to have her back. If you haven’t seen Helen before, you can expect NSFW songs and clowny silliness.
For tickets click here!
Charlie Vero-Martin: Picnic
November 24th, The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh
It’s beginning to look a lot like… not so much like Christmas, more like eternal picnic season as the world burns? Well, if that’s got to happen, at least we can enjoy a nice day out with Charlie Vero-Martin, whose new show includes an array of characters and puppets at the most surreal picnic you’ve ever been to.
For tickets click here!
Funny Women: Brighton Nights
November 26th, Komedia Brighton
Not to brag, but Funny Women assembles the best line-ups of women in comedy from the Funny Women Awards and beyong: this time around it’s Rhiannon Shaw, Kate Cheka, Alex Beighton, Claire Haus and incredible headliner Heidi Regan.
For tickets click here!
