Monty Python legend Michael Palin and award winners Bridget Christie and Cardinal Burns, Sean Hughes and Robin Ince are among the line-up announced for the 2014 Liverpool Comedy Festival.
Rising stars Vikki Stone, James Acaster and Gary Delaney also join the programme for this year’s event, the 13th annual festival, which opens on September 23rd.
And there will be new shows from Merseyside favourites Chris Cairns, Silky, Steve Gribbin, Laurence Clarke, Dave Twentyman, Adam Rowe and Jake Mills, as well as the long-awaited debut show from comedian Tony Carroll.
Comedian Sam Avery, who is also the festival’s new manager, said “I’m absolutely thrilled with the line-up. There are plenty of opportunities to see our new up-and-coming talent and it is going to be great to see comedy expand from our regular comedy venues to places you will least expect.”
As well as programming in to the city’s usual performance venues and comedy clubs, including Laughterhouse Comedy, Hot Water Comedy Club, Comedy Central and Liverpool Comedy Cellar, there will be acts lined up to perform in bars, shops, schools and even people’s houses.
The 13-day festival also features comedy coach tours, kids shows, pub crawls, poets, podcasts, open mic nights, quizzes, magicians, rap battles and sketch groups, plus its first outdoor event, Tee Hee In The Park in Williamson Square, run in conjunction with Everton in the Community.
And new talent can be seen at 81 Renshaw St, The Pilgrim and Hatters Hostel, with most shows only £5 for a double bill.Meanwhile throughout the run of the festival the Royal Court is staging Michael Frayn’s comedy play Noises Off, with a cast including ’Allo ’Allo’s Kim Hartman and Coronation Street’s Tupele Dorgu.
Liverpool Comedy Festival runs from September 23rd to October 5th. For full festival details, visit www.liverpoolcomedyfestival.com
Source – The Echo