Barrels of Comedy and a Comical MP at 30th Buxton Fringe

Press Release - 14 May 09

This year's Buxton Festival Fringe continues to bring the best in up-and-coming comedy talent to the town, with Underground Venues (beneath the Old Hall Hotel) firmly established as the home of comedy during the Buxton Fringe, this year hosting acts including a turn from a local MP.

High Peak MP Tom Levitt will turn stage performer for the first time with a selection of comedy sketches and songs.

Fringe30 also sees the return of many Fringe favourites including Helen Keen, winner of last year's Best Comedy Performer Award, with her follow-up to It Is Rocket Science!, The Primitive Methodist Guide to Arctic Survival, and Clever Peter, winner of last year's award for Best Comedy Show with another dose of sketch comedy.

Regular Buxton visitor Barbara Nice, star of TV's Phoenix Nights, returns with her latest show, Hiya and Higher, while the ever popular Lab Monkey Productions present their latest mix of comedy, pseudo-science and close-up magic, Parannoyance. Meanwhile, Tam Hinton once again brings his unique blend of performance poetry and stop-motion animation to the Fringe.

Funny Women finalist Rosie Wilby will be presenting two comedy lectures, I Am Nesia and The Science of Sex and Welsh double-act Al and Ned present a variety show featuring sketches, songs and banter. There's improvisational comedy from Sheffield-based The Shrimps, stand-up from Phil Buckley and sketch comedy in What on Earth is a Runcible Spoon?

There's classical mythology in A Flame In Hero's Tower and a host of new stand-up performers in the Barrel Room of Underground Venues.

But Underground Venues isn't the only place for comedy at the Fringe, as Dolls House Players present their interactive comedy murder-mystery, Family Victim at the Grove Hotel, and, extending ever further the reach of the Fringe, Tideswell URC Hall plays host to Welcome to Fabulous Jenny Vegas.

This year's Buxton Festival Fringe runs from Wednesday 8 to Saturday 26 July and details of all events are available online now at http://www.buxtonfringe.org.uk. The full brochure of events will be available from the beginning of June.

The Fringe is hugely grateful to its many supporters including its main sponsor The University of Derby Buxton as well as The Osborne Group, High Peak Borough Council and The Old Hall Hotel.

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