Gail’s
Etiquette, 138 Portobello Road, W11; Mon 19 Jul–Fri 30 Jul; Mon–Fri 10am–7pm (see website for times); £10 pair
Other people in the cafe have no idea what is happening. Instructions delivered via headphones tell you what to say to each other, or to use one of the objects positioned on your table.
www.gatetheatre.co.uk; 020 7229 0706
Holland Park
 The Gate Theatre Presents Susurrus; W8; Mon 19 July–Sun 1 Aug; Mon–Sun; 10am–6pm (half-hour slot bookings); £8
David Leddy’s play is one without actors, without a stage and with only one person in the audience. Susurrus is a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Expect an unusual experience!
www.gatetheatre.co.uk; 020 7229 0706
Fantastic Mr Fox, Ilchester Place, W8; Mon 26, Thu 29 and Sat 31 Jul; Tue 3, Thu 5, Sat 7, Tue 10, Thu 12, Sat 14 Aug 3pm; £5, children £2.50
Opera Holland Park singers and members of the City of London Symphonia perform an operatic version of Roald Dahl’s classic in the park, using the Yucca Lawn as a backdrop. Suitable for all ages.
0845 230 9769
Bush Theatre
The Great British Country Fete, Shepherds Bush Green, W12; Wed 28 Jul–Sat 14 Aug; Mon–Sat 7.30pm, Sat mat 7 and 14 Jul 2.30pm; £20, concs £10, Sat mat £15, concs £7.50
Russell Kane, famous for his Perrier award-winning stand-up shows and Fakespeare plays, teams up with award-winning composer and lyricist Michael Bruce in this mixture of stories and song about the quintessential English summer fete.
www.bushtheatre.co.uk; 020 8743 5050
Barons Court Theatre
Doggerland, Curtains Up pub, 28a Comeragh Road, W14; Tue 20 Jul–Sun 1 Aug; Tue–Sun 7.30pm; £12, concs £10
Three generations of women exist in an empty bed and breakfast. On the eve of a full moon the youngest brings home a hunted man. A darkly comic play by Debbie Kent.
020 8932 4747
The Magic Cavern, Curtains Up pub, 28a Comeragh Road, W14; every Sunday, 3pm: £12, concs £10, family and group bookings £8 each
Magic and illusion with Richard Leigh.
020 8932 4747
Riverside Studios
Circus: Fourth London International Youth Circus Festival, Crisp Road, W6; Thu 15 Jul–Fri 6 Aug; check website for details
The return of the biennial London International Youth Circus Festival features a range of skilled, colourful and daring performances by young people from around the world.
Wonderland, Crisp Road, W6; Thu 29 Jul–Sun 1 Aug 7pm; £15
Michael Maloney stars as Lewis Carroll in this new musical play by five-star Edinburgh award-winner Gyles Brandreth and New York Musical award-winner Susannah Pearse.
Up 'n' Under, Crisp Road, W6; Fri 30 Jul–Sun 1 Aug 9pm; £15
John Godber directs the 25th anniversary production of his Olivier award-winning comedy.
www.riversidestudios.co.uk; 020 8237 1111
Finborough Theatre
 Chris New and Natalie Walter © Alexander Henderson
Lingua Franca, 118 Finborough Road, SW10; Tue 13 July–Sat 7 Aug; Tue–Sat 7.30pm, Sat mat 3pm (from second week), Sun mat 3pm; weeks 1 and 2 £15, concs £11, except Tue £11 and Sat eve £15 all seats.
Lingua Franca follows innocent abroad, Steven Flowers, as he travels from national service in South-east Asia to 1950s Florence. He soon finds himself working for a chaotically-run language school together with a cosmopolitan muddle of seven foreign misfits killing their post-war nihilism in the cafés of Florence.
www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk
0844 847 1652
Royal Court Theatre
 Spur of the Moment, 5 Sloane Square, SW1; Mon 14 Jul–Wed 14 Aug; 7.45pm; £15; Mon £10; concs £7.50
Spur of the Moment looks at the distance between close family relations and a young girl on the brink of adolescence. It is the debut play by Anya Reiss, written when she was 17 years old.
www.royalcourttheatre.com
020 7565 5000
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Canal Café Theatre
Leeds Tealights, Delamere Terrace, W2; Sat 31 Jul; 7.30pm; £6
Fresh from previous sell-out London previews, the Tealights present a brand new, witty and curiously dark sketch-comedy show in preparation for the Edinburgh Fringe.
www.canalcafetheatre.com
020 7289 6054
NewsRevue, Delamere Terrace, W2; every Thu–Sun; Thu–Sat 9.30pm; Sun 9pm; £11, concs £9
This is the world’s longest running live comedy show, having started in 1979. It is updated every week with new sketches and songs about the news. The current run is their Edinburgh Preview under the direction of Kylie Butler with musical direction from Pete Smith.
Test Tube Comedy, Delamere Terrace, W2; every second Monday of the month; 7.30pm; £8.50
Featuring up-and-coming stand-ups, some offbeat acts and one well-known headliner.
www.canalcafetheatre.com
020 7289 6054
Paradise (by Way of Kensal Green)
Paradise Comedy, 19 Kilburn Lane, W10; Wednesdays; 7pm; £5, concs £4
Fortnightly comedy alternates between Comedy Crunch (popcorn and rising stars) and Paradise Comedy Club (bigger names).
Outside The Box, 19 Kilburn Lane, W10; Tuesdays from 8 Jun; 8pm; £7 on the door, £5 in advance
Since winning best small comedy club (Chortle 2006), Outside The Box has
gone on to be named fourth best in the UK in The Guardian. Bringing with them a
cult comedy vibe, it also offers comedians such as Alex Zane and Jake Whitehall the opportunity to try out new material.
theparadise.co.uk; paradisecomedy@gmail.com;
07855 3375760
The Tabernacle
Carnival Comedy Club, 34–35 Powis Square, W11; last Friday of the month; 7pm; £6 adv. £8 on door
A mixture of top comedy acts are joined by a musical special guest to give the night some variety.
www.tabernaclelive.co.uk;
020 7520 9305
Builders Arms
Set Up… Punchline Comedy Night, 1 Kensington Court Place, W8; Mondays; 8pm; free
Every Monday will see a line-up of top established comedians and some newcomers performing upstairs in the Loft for free.
www.wegottickets.com; 07976 821429
HMV Hammersmith Apollo
D L Hughley, Queen Caroline Street, W6; Sat 31 Jul 7pm; £25–£37.50
D L can currently be heard on the New York airwaves, as host of the morning show on WYKS-FM.
venues.meanfiddler.com/apollo;
08448 44 47 48
The Hammersmith Club
Jongleurs Comedy Club: Hammersmith, Rutland Grove, W6; Sat 31 Jul; 8.30pm; Sold out
A night of comedy, four stand-ups in 90 minutes.
www.jongleurs.com; 08700 111 960
Riverside Studios
Pre Fest Best: Frisky and Mannish, Crisp Road, W6; Mon 26 Jul–Thu 29 Jul 9.15pm; £10
A musical comedy cabaret duo who stormed the Edinburgh Fringe with their sell-out 2009 debut School of Pop. They were nominated for a 2010 Chortle Award for Best Musical Act.
Pre Fest Best: Tripod versus the Dragon, Crisp Road, W6; Tue 27 Jul–Sun 1 Aug 7.30pm; £15, concs £12
Legendary in their native Australia, Tripod regularly play the Sydney Opera House and other places of high art.
www.riversidestudios.co.uk;
020 8237 1111
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Your inspirational, independent guide to West London
