After enjoying some delightful September heat, we can finally cool down (ignoring the weather forecast for this Saturday as it currently stands…), grab a jumper, and kick off spooky season with some fantastic comedy shows this October. How else are we to spend the darker evenings than tucked away in a pub with a pint and some comedy? This month, we’ve got some icons on tour, some Halloween Specials, and a comedy festival from our friends in Manchester; something for everyone!
1. TOUR SHOWS
© Joan Collins, Rosie Jones
Joan Collins: Behind The Shoulder Pads
Sun 15 Oct @ 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM, Leicester Square Theatre
The international icon herself Dame Joan Collins is coming to London for one night and one night only, to coincide with the release of her new memoir Behind The Shoulder Pads. The evening will be packed with tales of Hollywood glamour from her astounding seven decades in showbiz. Get yourself a ticket if you can, here!
ROSIE JONES: TRIPLE THREAT
Mon 2-7 Oct @ 7:15 PM, Soho Theatre
Rosie Jones performs her hour show Triple Threat in London before embarking on her first UK tour. Considering Jones has been gracing our screens with her mischievousness for years with appearances on The Last Leg, 8 Out of 10 Cats and Mock the Week, I’m surprised this is her first tour. Expect nothing short of Jones’ own brand of cheeky, unpredictable, joy making comedy.
You can nab your tickets here!
© Rachel Fairburn, Jordan Gray
RACHEL FAIRBURN: SHOWGIRL
Fri 20 Oct @ 7:00 PM, Leicester Square Theatre
Creator of the smash hit podcast All Killa No Filla with Kiri Pritchard Mclean, Rachel Fairburn (twitter here) embarks on a nationwide tour of her show: Showgirl. In her own words, this show has no drama, sad bits or big revelations, it just does what it says on the tin. So grab your ticket to enjoy a side splitting-ly funny stand-up comedy show. Grab a ticket here! If you decide one show isn’t enough, you can catch Rachel Fairburn again in October, in the All Killa No Filla Live: Halloween Special on Tuesday 31 Oct @ 8:00 PM, tickets here!
JORDAN GRAY: IS IT A BIRD?
Fri 27 Oct @ 7:30 PM, UCL’s Bloomsbury Theatre
After selling out her Fringe Festival 2022 run and getting nominated for Best Newcomer, then touring Is It A Bird? nationwide, to performing on Channel 4, ITV and Comedy Central, it’s safe to say Jordan Gray is one of the most exciting acts in comedy this year. Her show is a Huge Deal (capitals necessary), and a cultural moment (I’m talking more than Barbie/Oppenheimer gate), that you cannot miss and I cannot recommend enough. Get your tickets here.
© Urooj Ashfaq, Elf Lyons
UROOJ ASHFAQ: OH NO!
Mon 20 Oct @ 8:45 PM, Soho Theatre
Winner of Best Newcomer Award in Edinburgh this year, Urooj Ashfaq brings her award-winning stand-up show Oh No! to Soho theatre. Expect traditional stand-up storytelling about Ashfaq’s family, things that annoy her, and her career in therapy. You can grab your ticket here!
ELF LYONS: RAVEN
Fri-Sat 27-28 Oct @ 11:00 PM, Soho Theatre
This Halloween, if you like comedy and horror, this is the perfect show for you. Venture into the spooky with Elf as she becomes your own personal Pennywise, merging clowning, comedy and old school story telling. You can grab your tickets here!
© Erika Ehler, Ania Magliano, Lorna Rose Treen
ERIKA EHLER: FEMCEL
Sun 15 Oct @ 8:30 PM, The Bill Murray
Catch this show before it goes, forever! After sell-out Fringe and Soho Theatre runs of her debut hour show Femcel, Erika Ehler is performing it for a final time. Provocative, filthy and incredibly quick, you don’t want to miss this show. Nab your ticket here.
ANIA MAGLIANO: I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’VE DONE THIS
Mon 16-21 Oct @ 9:15 PM, Soho Theatre
Fresh from selling out her Fringe run and getting nominated for Best Newcomer Award in Edinburgh 2022, Ania Magliano (FW award nominee 2020) takes her show I Can’t Believe You’ve Done This on a UK tour, kicking off at Soho Theatre. Expect traditional stand-up, with unexpected twists and witty gags. Grab tickets before they inevitably fly off the shelves, here!
LORNA ROSE TREEN: SKIN PIGEON
Weds 19-28 Oct @ 8:45 PM, Soho Theatre
Yes, we’re big fans of Lorna Rose Treen (double Funny Women Award winner 2022), and no, we’re not done shouting about it. After selling out her Edinburgh run and getting nominated for Best Newcomer, Treen brings her fantastically weird and unusual character concoctions to Soho Theatre for a whopping 10 days. Grab tickets now before they’re gone, here! (And read our review of the show, here)
2. FUNNY WOMEN LIVE!
And of course, we’ve got some more fantastic events for you this month, as ever. No matter where you’re based in Europe, we have something for you.
Stand Up To Stand Out here! Sat 21 Oct @ 11:00 AM
Live in Paris here! Thursday 23 Oct @ 8:30 PM
3. VARIETY NIGHTS/FESTIVALS:
© Women in Comedy Festival Manchester
WOMEN IN COMEDY FESTIVAL MCR
Fri-Sun 6-15 Oct, @ The Frog and Bucket, Manchester
The Women in Comedy Festival (who, obviously, we’re huge fans of at Funny Women), hosts a variety of female comedy acts from across the UK over the course of 10 days, ranging from traditional stand-up shows – from seasoned pros (in previous years, including Susan Calman, Rosin Conaughty, Zoe Lyons and Desiree Burch) as well as fresh newbies – to hosting networking events. Starting this weekend (6 October) they celebrate their 10th year anniversary; an incredible achievement. Expect shows from Steff Todd, Harriet Dyer, Su Mi, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Helen Bauer, Lindsey Santoro, and Thenjiwe Moseley and many more.
Grab your tickets here, and see the full programme of shows here!
