While the city begins to brace for impact for the rolling thunder of laughs about to crash through the bars and pubs and theatres of Melbourne this Comedy Festival season, with the tsunami of funny people putting on a show or two, you’d be forgiven for feeling a little overwhelmed by the immensity of the program.
From international guests to home-grown stars, the festival is a sure-fire way to see both the comedians you know and love, and those that are destined to be your new favourites. Mary Tobin – comedy producer and talent scout maven – has made things a little easier for you with the Best of the Edinburgh Fest comedy line-up at The Athenaeum Theatre. Having hand-picked some of the best rising stars and legendary special guests from the famous comedian-hot spot that is the UK’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, not only will this be a night of stiches in guts and smiles across faces, but also a killer deal of three comedians for the price of one.
Best of the Edinburgh Fest
- The Athenaeum Theatre
- March 28 to April 21
- Tickets here
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Four stand-out comedians each night
The Best of Edinburgh Fest will be showcasing four rotating stand-out comedians at The Athenaeum Theatre, with three performing on stage per night. From March 28 to April 7 at 7pm each night (6pm on Sundays and no Monday shows), Best of Edinburgh Fest presents Mark Simmons, Adam Flood and John Hastings. While you can continue to catch rising stars Mark and Adam when the show runs from April 9 to April 21 at 6.30pm each night (5.30pm Sundays and no Monday shows), you’ll also be able to catch Ting Lim in the spectacular third spot for this slot of shows.
Mark Simmons
The master of one-liners, UK-based Mark Simmons is bringing his witty quips and improvisational expertise to Melbourne after an extremely successful run of shows on his debut tour, where he performed at over 125 venues and sold over 15,000 tickets. While he may be a rising star this comedy festival season, you’ve likely still heard of or seen Mark make the rounds on social media with his amazing on-the-spot improvised one-liners and audience interaction clips from shows across the United Kingdom. Catch this certified jokester while you can when he’s in town before he leaves.
Adam Flood
Another star on the rise that is already making waves in the comedy scene, Adam Flood will be joining the Best of Edinburgh Fest line-up with his high-energy, observational comedy, serving it with a twist of the surreal. Also UK-based, Adam is a stand-up, writer, actor and self-professed failed musician. Hailing from England’s Stoke-on-Trent, within a year of beginning his comedy career Adam was already nominated for the BCC New Comedy Award (2019), as well as performing live on BBC Radio 4. Get ready for crowd work and catchy songs!
John Hastings
No stranger to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, John Hastings has already appeared twice at the MICF Gala during previous seasons of the festival. And it’s not just Melbourne’s festival circuit that has had the privilege of featuring John and his non-stop hilarity, but also a whole range of festivals all over the globe from the Glasgow Comedy Festival and the Adelaide Fringe Festival, to the San Francisco Comedy Competition and the San Diego Comedy Festival, and, of course, the crème de la crème that is the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. With his comedy clips having been viewed over 10 million times online, John has been labelled as “one to watch” by the CTV Comedy Channel.
Ting Lim
A self-described Singaporean stuck in Australia, stand-up comic and writer Ting Lim will be joining the Best of Edinburgh Fest line-up with her hilarious cynicism and dry and witty observations. Having toured a range of sold-out comedy shows across Australia, Singapore and New York, Ting is loved by audiences all over for her sarcastically smart insights, as well as her ability to perform with the natural ease comparable to any comedian at the top of their game. After representing her home state of Queensland in the prestigious Melbourne International RAW comedy competition, Ting has been playing shows to endeared fans all across the country. This Comedy Festival season, Ting is most certainly one to look out for.
Grab tickets here.
