Fun factory

A TRIO OF top comedians are set to tickle Dubai’s funny bone when they visit for a short tour next month.

Andy Askins, Steve Williams and Craig Campbell will perform four gigs throughout the city, starting at the Courtyard Marriott today.

The funnymen are being flown in courtesy of promoter The Laughter Factory, which is tied to London’s infamous stand-up venue The Comedy Store.

Andy Askins has the look of a librarian, which makes it all the more shocking when you hear him in action. The bespectacled comic takes to the stage armed with a guitar and a cheeky grin, before bashing out a set full of offbeat comic songs and raucous parodies.

One of the highlights when he performs is a rehash of Thank You by Dido, turning her tender love song into a hilarious account of his awful marriage. Andy paints himself a long-suffering husband who eventually snaps and pushes his cheating wife out of a tenth-floor window onto an ice cream van.

Andy’s geeky demeanour belies his dry wit and dark sense of humour. He is a relative newcomer to the stand-up comedy scene, after spending the last 15 years touring the world as a professional musician.

Steve Williams hails from Wales and has made quite an impression on audiences across the globe with his fun and quirky act. Labelled a ‘prodigy’ by one English newspaper, his debut one-man show Excitable was a success on the festival circuit.

He has also written for several British comedy shows and appeared in a plethora of other projects, both for television and radio, including popular daytime television programme The Richard and Judy Show.

Craig Campbell is a laid-back raconteur with a unique ability to find humour in the mundane. He is a natural born eccentric, whose charming persona and knack for anecdotes will leave the audience rolling in the aisles.

Although he now lives in England, Craig was a famous face in his native Canada, hosting the legendary Ed’s Night Party and appearing as a guest on numerous other programmes, such as Jim Carrey Live. He is also part of comedy outfit The Dinks, appearing in critically acclaimed shows in both Edinburgh and New York.

EVENT DETAILS

The Laughter Factory

Today – Courtyard Marriott (contact: 04 885 2222)

Tomorrow – Rainbow Room, The Aviation Club (contact: 04 282 4122)

Wednesday, October 15 – Zinc, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Shaikh Zayed Road contact: 04 331 1111)

Thursday, October 16 – Chi at The Lodge (contact: 04 337 9470)

Performances will begin at 9pm each night. Tickets cost Dh115 and can be obtained by calling 800 4669, visiting www.itptickets.com or contacting the venues directly.

adam@khaleejtimes.com