Genuinely varied variety showcase, hosted by a Bafta-winning professional jester.
The Luke Rollason Memorial Bursary gives a boost to up-and-coming comedians, clowns and performers across the circuit. With the continued cost-of-living crisis and cuts to the arts, it’s notoriously difficult for talented folk to get access to bigger venues and their chance to shine.
Enter Luke Rollason, the not-yet-dead, but heavy of bedhead, professional, polyamorous jester. He’s got a shiny new BAFTA trophy this year, with golden dungarees to match. The bursary was previously funded with his ‘Disney money’, but with Extraordinary now sadly cancelled (boo), the Jizzlord star may be reaching a little further into his pockets for shiny coins.
Amidst the madness of this showcase, that’s not the only thing he’s reaching for. The audience go wild as a malteser makes its way down a tape measure ramp into an audience member’s outstretched paw. This shtick has been wheeled out at the Komedia Comedy Showcase over a few occasions now, so it’s just the teeniest bit lazy of lovely Rollason. This is a gentle read, Rollason is universally adored, and rightly so. The audience are going nuts for it, so who are we to judge?
Onto our up-and-coming stars and bursary winners.
First up is Ozzy Algar, a wayward, white-faced washerwoman from the Isle of Wight. She will brazenly steal your socks, then make you think it was your idea. Algar has real stage presence that you can’t learn. The audience are captivated as she strings a line across the Komedia Studio stage, demanding they shake off their shoes. At one point she takes a seat in the audience, faux cigarette in hand, and demands an audience member entertain the crowd in her absence. Loony clowning from a truly unique performer.
Next up is Sam Hickman, serving old school glamour and big harp energy. The audience love this act, with her quick-witted humour and rude rendezvous in musical comedy. Those watching are soon singing along to tunes about ageing, scarcely known telly stars. Hickman has them eating out of the palm of her well-manicured hand.
Verity Sharpe presents an interesting argument on how polyamory could be the answer to the housing crisis, with asides on how she’s the perfect lesbian. This, a bit which needs explaining to a terrified man in the front row. To our joy, her passion-fuelled poetry slash rant is directed towards him, as he laughs and quakes in equal measure.
Ellen Turnill Montoya storms onto the stage as Mr. Handsome, a giant hand, adorning herself with sparkly hand cream. From hand jobs to high-fives, she takes everything you thought you knew about these appendages and makes it ludicrously funny. Of particular enjoyment, her vibrating buttocks, clad in hand-suit, descending towards the previously-mentioned, terrified man in the front row for a high-five, who eventually claps her on the back with a mild squeak about consent. So original, so fantastic. Why has nobody done this sooner? Montoya is a master of alternative comedy and one-to-watch.
Other performers included.
Carl Carzana, who presents bird nerdery, reprimanding the appreciative audience with a lesson on call and response. He’d also win the award, if one existed, for best joke about a suitcase.
Anna Soden is a pocket rocket with the energy to match her lime green dress. Her songs about revenge wees and alternative career paths for Taylor Swift will stay in your mind for days after.
Haylin Cai gives a tentative performance in her PsyTreedelic experience about the healing power of nature. She manages to get the audience doing her bidding with ease – seeing the entire audience lean down to touch the floor is amusing. She could do with a little more practice on stage solo to really get to the roots of this character.
Curly appears on stage with a song about a double-ended dildo. The act offers stage presence in abundance, but the song feels a little unimaginative in comparison with the other acts on offer, and the audience respond accordingly. At least until Verity Sharpe takes to the stage dressed in a full sized dildo costume, at which point the crowd go wild. We are in Brighton, after all…
As detailed at the top of this review, the Komedia Comedy Showcase is genuinely varied variety showcase. Rollason is well-connected and does an excellent job of hosting and curating the line-up for this much-loved event every May. The atmosphere in the room is electric, and the audience are ready to laugh at anything and everything on offer. A bravo for memorial bursaries, even for the not-yet-dead, when we get to see up-and-coming acts in such a fantastic venue.
Reviewed on 24th May
