DROITWICH Spa will be transformed into a hotbed of humour when 130 fringe events take place as part of The Rik Mayall Comedy Festival.
The festival, from May 31 to June 7, is set to be the biggest cultural event to hit the town in decades.
More than 50 per cent of the fringe events are either free or ‘Pay What You Want’ to make as much comedy as possible accessible to all.
With just seven weeks to go until the extravaganza kicks off, people are being urged to grab tickets for shows they have their eyes on.
Despite rumours of a sell-out, there are still tickets available at the main venue, The Norbury Theatre, for shows such as Live At The Apollo’s Scott Bennett, Angelos Epithemiou of Shooting Stars fame and shows for families including Grimm Tales and for new parents and babies, Aftermirth comedy club.
Fools Talk Theatre presents ‘Against The Clock!’ – A ‘Hooray for Harold Lloyd’ Story and cult-rock legend Jon Otway and Young Ones star Paul Bradley’s musical ‘Verbal Diary’ are selling fast.
As well as traditional performance venues, local businesses have fully embraced the innovative and bold spirit of this debut festival by hosting shows in spaces you would not normally expect.
Festival director, Stuart Panrucker, said: “What’s been so heartening is how enthusiastically local businesses embraced this hugely exciting event and not having a conventional space to host shows hasn’t put them off.”
Quirky places to take in a show are the men’s hairdresser Barbertown which has a full programme of events throughout the week, a beauty clinic – Inspire by Rachel, a 600 year old shop turned cafe – Coffee Culture, and even in the back of local haberdashery shop, Emms on Droitwich High Street.
Mitch Benn, best known as resident musical satirist Radio 4’s The Now Show, brings two separate shows dedicated to Rik Mayall to the Droitwich Working Men’s Club – one even featuring a full band including the Comic Strip’s Ronnie Golden.
As well as celebrating the comedic legacy of Rik Mayall – who lived in Droitwich from the age of three – the festival also aims to champion new talent and provide a testing ground for fresh material.
Coun Richard Morris, who instigated the festival, said: “One of our core values is about ‘trying something new’ embracing the bold, fearless spirit of Rik Mayall – and we’re encouraging both performers and audiences to do just that.”
The volunteer-run festival, which aims to put Droitwich on the comedy map, will feature free family days, plays, spoken word, improv, music, magic, dance, storytelling and singing
Visit rikmayallcomedyfestival.com for more.
