A sell-out audience was treated to a night of side-splitting hilarity as four top comedians performed live at Nantwich Civic Hall.
Promoters of the Very Best in Stand Up continue to defy the odds by bringing in tremendous talent to a small town punching above its weight on the national comedy circuit.
And last night (March 6) proved once again why comedians love trying out their material in front of an eager Civic Hall crowd.
The wonderfully camp compere Jonathan Mayor led the way from the first moment the overweight Penfold lookalike breezed onto the stage.
His sharp-tongued wit and clever banter with the audience was the ideal appetiser for the main dishes to follow.
Civic Hall debutant Paul McCaffrey proved a real hit on his first performance here.
The jumper-wearing Londoner showed the human side as well, a couple of times getting caught up in the laughter and losing his thread, which just added to the comic effect.
And his moustache drinking game idea certainly went down a treat for many of us.
The hit of the night was James Acaster, who delivered a quite brilliant 30-minute set.
His deadpan delivery was a fine contrast to the other comedians, and his timing was superb as he observed and scrutinised everyday mundane events in his unique, often surreal, humour.
Already a regular on TV comedy shows, Acaster is tipped by many to go far and on this showing it’s difficult to argue with that.
Closing the show was Markus Birdman, who played Nantwich two years ago and deservedly returned as the headline act.
He cleverly wove in hilarious anecdotes from his past experience as a teacher, and no subjects were off limits.
As a group, this quick-draw quadruple produced one of the best nights of live entertainment seen at the Civic Hall for a long time.
And given the competition from pervious stand up shows, that is some statement!
With the Nantwich Jazz and Blues Festival taking place on first weekend of April, the next show will not be until May.
More details will follow on www.civiccomedy.co.uk… whenever it is, make sure you don’t miss out.
A great night at the Civic Hall. It was my first time, I will be back next month for sure!