An unsung fixture of the summer season, the annual London Clown Festival has been going strong for almost a decade. If this year’s outstanding Opening Cabaret is anything to go by, it’s not to be missed.
The evening opens on Dan Lees and Neil Frost, who make up The Establishment, a duo who introduce the acts and MC the overall night – both deserve special commendation for not only gelling so much chaos together but for doing so with such panache that they end up as enjoyable as the acts they introduce. Throughout, they’re supported by The LCF House Band (Tom Penn, Julie Nesher, Dan Lees and Sarah Woolfenden) who provide wonderful accompaniment to the evening’s proceedings.
Official opening duties are given to the ditheringly inspired Sarah Woolfenden, who offers a comically esoteric blessing to the Festival as a whole, before giving way to the first main act, Josh Glanc, who makes great use of the LCF House Band to straddle the line between absurdism and a Randy Newman-esque repertoire of eerily similar songs.
All the time, Glanc ties in brilliant crowd work that has the laughs rumbling along at a sharp clip, building up to the highlight of a very strong night with the entrance of Lil Wenker. A seasoned act the world over, Wenker has a magical ability to leave a crowd in stitches just by the way she crosses the stage, and the laughs only come harder as she dives into a delightful pastiche of Old Wild West films. If there’s only one act you can see during the Festival, make it hers.
A tough act to follow, but Rob Duncan doesn’t falter as he brings to life the joys of printing and its unanticipated contributions to the world of comedy – a mad and wonderful performance that epitomises the joys provided by the entire evening. Approaching the end, the duo of Tom and Julie (fresh from having put down their instruments in the band) enter using what’s easily the most eye-catching visual of the night. Nothing will be spoiled for what is a wonderfully surreal gag followed by a wonderfully surreal routine that feels constantly on the edge of falling apart, all while managing to just about stay on track.
Finally, things are rounded out by Conchola (Paulina Lenoir and Patricia Langa, again supported by Sarah Woolfenden), who storm on stage in gothic corsets and give a new edge to the night by combining horror overtones with a strong comedic core to bring a weird and wonderful evening to a perfect close. The Clown Cabaret is a class act that sets the Festival off on its best possible footing, laying the foundation for what’s sure to be an unmissable season.
Reviewed on 16 June 2025. The London Clown Festival runs until 4 July 2025
The Reviews Hub Score
Flawless fun
