Heading west for a cornucopia of high-class comedy - Karen Koren
Glasgow International Comedy Festival kicks off in just under two weeks. As one of the directors, I’m super excited to catch all of the brilliant acts coming through with lots of friends and familiar faces from Gilded Balloon past and present.
Last year we welcomed the hilarious actor, comedian, writer and activist Rosie O’Donnell for her debut in Scotland at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as part of the Gilded Balloon’s 40th anniversary programme.
The show completely sold out and I thought it would be great to invite Rosie back to Scotland to perform in Glasgow at the Kings’ Theatre during Glasgow International Comedy Festival.
It was a joy to host her Scottish debut last August and I’m delighted to bring her show “Common Knowledge" to Glasgow after such a successful run in Edinburgh.
The show highlights Rosie as a captivating, sincere and heartfelt storyteller rather than a traditional stand-up, a story beautifully told.
Rosie has moved to Ireland since her public spat with President Trump and we are very lucky to have her living on this side of the Atlantic. This is a must see show, which we rarely have the opportunity of seeing someone that is at the top of their game.
Rosie will also be leading an exclusive Q&A after her show, offering up the chance to explore the show and her hilarious tales on an even deeper level.
Also at Glasgow’s Comedy Festival are Jack Docherty, with a brilliant performance as BBC Scotland’s The Chief; Alan Davies with his sold out show Think Ahead, after an equally successful Fringe last year, and Gilded Balloon superstar Mhairi Black with her new show “Difficult Second Album”.
Others taking part this year include Sue Perkins, Judi Love, Harry Enfield, Tim Key, Connor Burns and the wonderful Susie McCabe and a wide array of up and coming stand up comedians.
To bring the whole Comedy Festival to a close is the Comedy Gala on the afternoon of 29 March in the King’s Theatre, where the winner of the Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award will be announced and presented with a trophy and a message from the Big Yin himself.
Past winners have been Janey Godley, Susie McCabe and Rosco McClelland - looking forward to seeing who will be this year’s winner.
It’s wonderful to see comedy in Glasgow, known as the funniest city in the world continuing to reach new heights each year as the festival grows. Tickets available at https://www.glasgowcomedyfestival.com/