What’s On at The Old Theatre Royal:

 

WATCH THIS SPACE FOR UP-COMING EVENTS!

 

2025

 

Simon Evans – Have We Met?

  • Thursday 17th April 2025 – 8.00pm 

Doors open half-an-hour before curtain up.

Completing the Trilogy begun with ‘Genius 2.0’ and ‘The Work of the Devil’, ‘Have We Met?’ finds Simon standing, like Ulysses in Tennyson’s famous verse, gazing out over the moaning deep and the twinkling rocks and wondering whether to seek a newer world? To smite the sounding furrows? To strive, to seek, and to find? Or whether in fact, to put the kettle on, crack open the Hobnobs and simply yield?

Drawing on Joyce, Proust and the career of Philip Schofield to make sense of his own tangled past and possible future, Evans skilfully weaves comedy, pathos and narrowly averted cancellation into an unforgettable two hours of unique entertainment.

For more information, visit Simon Evans – Bath Comedy Festival 

 

Luke Richards & CK Nath – LU/CK

  • Friday 18th April – 6.30pm (Studio)

Doors open half-an-hour before curtain up.

  • BOOK HERE – Tickets from £5.50 or telephone Ticketlight on 0844 888 9991
    (Book in advance to guarantee a seat, or free entry and pay what you feel on exiting the venue.)

Another travesty in the history of British/Indian relations, it’s LU/CK! A split bill stand-up show from Bath New Comedian of the year, Luke Richards and West End New Act Finalist, CK Nath.

Both acts were developed as part of the Soho Theatre Comedy Labs where they realised their styles were horribly incompatible or, as their publicist would prefer them to say, an interesting mix with something for everyone!

One is a high-energy storyteller exploring their Indian heritage and one is a dead-pan northern comic complaining about things.

To find out which is which, you’ll just have to join Luke and CK on the night!

For more information, visit Luke Richards & CK Nath – Bath Comedy Festival 

 

 

Jen Brister – Reactive (Work In Progress)

  • Friday 18th April – 8.00pm 

Doors open half-an-hour before curtain up.

Jen Brister is Reactive – or so she’s been told. Apparently you don’t have to respond to everything around you, but no one’s told Jen that.

Finding herself in a constant state of exacerbated rage at the state of the world, Brister is determined to chill the hell out. Can Jen find her Zen? It seems unlikely to be honest…

Stand up comedian, writer, actor, dickhead!

“Furiously Funny” – The Guardian

“Her energy is explosive. Her use of space and delivery, mesmerising” – The Sunday Times

Jen Brister is a critically acclaimed comedian who has been seen on BBC’s Live at the Apollo, Frankie Boyle’s New World Order, QI and Mock the Week. She has written 7 solo shows performed at the Edinburgh Festival and toured around the UK. Her book, a comedy memoir, ‘The Other Mother’ was published by in 2019.

For more information, visit Jen Brister – Bath Comedy Festival 

 

 

Dan Tiernan – Work in Progress!

  • Monday 21st April 2025 – Doors :  3.30pm,
    Door :  1.30pm
    Curtain :  2.00pm (Studio) 

Work in progress show from 2023 Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer Nominee. In 2022, Dan won the BBC New Comedian of the Year and British Comedian of the Year.

He’s achieved two sold-out Edinburgh runs in 2023 (debut) and 2024, during which he received 4 & 5* star reviews from The Scotsman, Daily Telegraph, The List, Chortle, and The Skinny (to name a few!).

TV includes: Live at the Apollo (BBC Two), The Stand Up Sketch Show (ITV 2), QI (BBC Two) and Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable (Dave), The Last Leg (Channel 4), 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (Channel 4)

“A potent, original fount of gags” ★★★★ Scotsman
“Pin-sharp writing…A furious yet friendly, thrilling ride” ★★★★ Telegraph
“Exhilarating force-of-nature” ★★★★ Chortle
“A stand-up set for stardom” ★★★★ List
“Furiously fun…Raucously entertaining” – Guardian

 

 

 

Nerd Mentality WIP – Duel! to The DEATH!

  • Monday 21st April 2025 – Doors :  3.30pm, Curtain :  4.00pm (Studio) 
  • BOOK HERE – Tickets from £5.00 or telephone Ticketlight on 0844 888 9991
    (Book in advance to guarantee a seat, or free entry and pay what you feel on exiting the venue.)

A graph-a-minute show full of fun facts, mad maths and daft chats!

Merry Martyn PhD and QI Elf Joe Mayo join comedic forces once again as Nerd Mentality. Following their hit Edinburgh Fringe show ’24, they return with their new WIP: Duel! to The DEATH!

Merry & Joe are best friends who are brilliant at avoiding conflict (unless you think they aren’t). To learn to stand up for themselves they’ve challenged each other to a DUEL! To the DEATH! IN COMPETITIVE POWERPOINT!

Last year, Merry & Joe’s wit earned accolades such as West End New Act of the Year Finalist and Edinburgh Fringe Queerovision Winner. However, for this year’s show they’ll need YOUR DATA to decide who lives and who dies! Who sinks and who swims! Who’s a critical hit and who’s a critical tit. Come along and join the dataset!

Audience reviews:
“Nerd Mentality is easily one of my Edinburgh Fringe top 3. I’m already hoping there’s a sequel next year!!” – Ed Tripp
“Funny show – not just for nerds!” – Michael
“Nerd Mentality was one of my favourite shows at the Edinburgh Fringe” – Caitronia Dowden, ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2024 Nominee

For more information, visit Nerd Mentality WIP 

 

 

New Acts Competition – Grand Final

  • Monday 21st April 2025 – Doors :  6.30pm, Curtain :  7.30pm
    (~3hrs inc. intervals)

The Bath Comedy Festival New Act Competition sees over 100 of the best up-and-coming comics in the UK compete for the title.

After twelve heats, the best acts battle it out in tonight’s Grand Final at the splendid Old Theatre Royal – judged by a panel comprising comedy industry heavyweights.

The MC for tonight’s final is the incomparable observational comedian, star of stage and screen (and 1991 ‘So You Think You’re Funny’ winner!) Alan Francis.

There will also be a performance from last year’s winner Luke Richards while the judges deliberate!

For more information, visit New Act Competition – Grand Final 

 

Greg Chapman’s – The Non-Psychic ‘Psychic’ Show

  • Saturday 28th June 2025 – 7.30pm 

Doors open half-an-hour before curtain up.

‘Psychic’ performances are everywhere these days – with people who claim the ability to communicate with the dead performing in everywhere from theatres, to home visits, and on television.

What, however, for those who are interested in the idea of these ‘psychic’ shows, but are skeptics? Or would like to see how much ‘psychic’ phenomena can easily be faked?

That is why magician, escapologist and comedy performer Greg Chapman created his ‘The Non-Psychic ‘Psychic’ Show’, and is very excited to be touring the show extensively again in 2025!

Using the full range of magic, escapology, mentalism and other performance skills, he takes the audience through a ninety-minute exploration of fraudulent mediums, from the Victorian Seances to modern psychic readings, but all clearly presented as trickery – and without any attempt or illusion of talking to people’s “dead relatives’”.

This show is fun and thought-provoking. Although the show takes no stand on whether it is actually possible to communicate with the dead, it shows how the appearance of such communications can be made through trickery, in a way that is entertaining, interesting, and at times downright funny!

For more information, visit Greg Chapman