Gulbenkian Theatre - Summer
(University of Kent
Canterbury Kent Ct2 7nb 01227 769075)
Sat 10 May 7.45pm
Celebrating Linda Smith
With special musical guest Carol Grimes
A unique show featuring an hilarious selection of stand-up, monologues and sketches from the career of the late great comedian and writer Linda Smith. Her partner, Warren Lakin, is joined on stage by actors Kate Rutter and Mike McCarthy with special guests to pay tribute to one of Britain's best loved and wittiest performers.
Our special musical guest is Carol Grimes with pianist Dorian Ford. A singing legend of the British music scene, Carol will be parading r'n'b and jazz classics which were among Linda Smith's favourites songs.
Tickets £13
£1 from the purchase of every ticket will go to cancer charities
14+
----------------------------------------------------------------
Mon 12 May 7.45pm
Lucy Porter’s
Love-in
Lucy Porter's show is straight from her sell-out run in Edinburgh. She invites you to her Love-in where we’ll examine every aspect of that crazy little thing called love
Is romantic love more important than familial love, platonic love or religious love? The ancient Greeks had many words for different types of love (eros, philia, agape, storge etc.) But then, the ancient Greeks also invented anal sex, central heating and the hula hoop, so they clearly had plenty of time on their hands.
“The diminutive but perfectly charming and twisted comedian will seduce you in an instant.”
Scotland on Sunday
“It’s impossible not to be charmed by Porter’s mischievous comedy”
The Sunday Times
Tickets £14 Concs £12
16+
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sat 17 May 7.45pm
Patrick Street
Kevin
Burke (fiddle)
Andy Irvine (vocals, bouzouki, mandolin)
Ged Foley (guitar, vocals)
John Carty (fiddle, banjo, flute, tenor guitar)
“Patrick Street are this decade’s answer to The Bothy Band and Planxty: master musicians whose molecules have merged so intrinsically with the music that it’s hard to tell musician and music apart.” Siobhán Long, The Irish Times
Tickets £14
Look out for the Irish menu in the Café Bar tonight
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue
27 May 8pm
K-City Music Tuesdays
Phil King
"The UK scene has long been deprived of a male jazz-soul vocalist of genuine acoustic class, minus all the bling and innuendo of lesser talents. This gap is finally being filled by the emergence of Bristol based Phil King who's quietly reclaiming jazz-infused soul music of real depth and quality. King’s voice reminds one as much of Nick Drake as an impassioned Bill Withers, on songs that are as delicately crafted as they are cliché free; he's also a spellbinding performer, go see him live." Jazzwise Magazine
K-City introduces their own brand of live music events in the Gulbenkian Café Bar. With an emphasis on original bands and performers, Music Tuesdays aims to elevate Tuesdays beyond ‘the dullest day of the week’ and present an interesting mix of rising stars and seasoned veterans.
Tickets £5
Mezze menu
available 5.30pm – 8.30pm
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wed 28 May 8.30pm
Funny Side Comedy Club
Presented by Barnstormers Comedy
The Funny Side Comedy Club nights take place once a month, on Wednesdays in the Gulbenkian Café Bar
In June and July, The Funny Side will feature comedians previewing their Edinburgh festival Shows. See them here first!
Come over to The Funny Side where each month Kevin Precious will introduce top acts from the London circuit to tickle your funny bones. If you've not been to a comedy club before you'll love the spontaneity of the acts and their ability to cope with pretty much any situation - they all write their own material. If you have been before, you'll be impressed by the high quality of the acts: mainly Comedy Store and Jongleurs regulars. Either way, an evening of rip-roaring fun is guaranteed. Strong language and bawdy subjects also guaranteed!
Advance Tickets £8, on the door £10, Students: Advance Tickets £6, on the door £8
18+
Enjoy a curry then have a laugh
Tables for diners at the Comedy Club are available and should be booked in advance.
And with homemade curries (meat and veggie) £6 a dish and Oranjeboom £1.90 a pint – you’ll be laughing! Food available 7pm - 8.30pm.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fri
30 May 8.30pm
Open Mic
Jazz Singer’s Night
A night for singers to perform with our resident jazz pianist Frances Knight and for audiences to spot the next Jamie Cullum or Norah Jones. Singers can bring along a chart for a blues or a soul number, as well as favourites from The Great American Songbook. Come and share your talent, and enjoy singing in the Gulbenkian café bar to a friendly supportive audience. The Singers List will be taken from 8pm. Note: Please bring a jazz chart in the key that you will sing. One song per singer guaranteed, two if time allows. If you wish to ask questions about this new venture, please telephone John on 07785 348108.Tickets £5
16+
Cocktails & light finger food available – Mexican & Cajun – served at your table from 7 - 8.30pm (Additional charge)
Sat 31 May 7.45pm
Daniel Kitson
The Impotent Fury of the Privileged
The world is a saddening mess, of unfathomable complexity and the simplest cruelty. And yet, rather than raging or weeping, most of us still manage to eat snacks, do crosswords and occasionally wash. But what if, what if we heave our compassion from wherever is buried and with courage enough to seem naïve or under informed or oblivious to futility, we reach for something better. Something more engaged, more humane and less snack based.
An angry, frustrated and beautiful new stand up show about wanting the world to change but not doing enough to change it.
"…he represents and inhabits that place where no-one is cool, sussed, glamorous and sorted, and everyone is struggling, somewhere between absurdity and pathos, to put together a life less barren, and more fulfilled" Joyce Macmillan -The Scotsman
Tickets £10
16+
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Thur
12 June 7.45pm
Brendon Burns
Under Educated European Tour
Brendon Burns is coming to the Gulbenkian fresh from his triumphant run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last summer where he was awarded comedy’s highest accolade, the if.comedy award (formerly the Perrier Award).
For the last sixteen years, Brendon has stormed audiences the world over. His stage presence is electric, his material provocative and his insight surprisingly subtle. He uses his confrontational and up-front style of comedy to capture his audience with a proverbial slap in the face. He is neither politically correct nor incorrect making him a rare socio-political comic willing to oppose all schools of thought.
“An exceptionally funny performer … an ode to the healing power of human spirit” Edinburgh Evening News
Tickets £13 Concs £11
18+
----------------------------------------------------------
Tue 17 June 8pm
K-City Music Tuesdays
King Size Slim
King Size Slim has carved a formidable style and sound based in boogie blues with healthy referenced chunks of rhythm and groove from hip-hop and reggae cut with dirty big town guitar sounds and soaring vocals.
The handcrafted songs cover subject matter as diverse as the confusion involved in contemporary spirituality at the steady destruction of our planet, plain and simple songs of love and loss and of course sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. Powerful song, soulful rhythm and harmony and fine quality musicianship combine into a powerful show.
K-City introduces
their own brand of live music events in the Gulbenkian Café Bar. With an
emphasis on original bands and performers, Music Tuesdays aims to
elevate Tuesdays beyond ‘the dullest day of the week’ and present an interesting
mix of rising stars and seasoned veterans.
Tickets £5
Café Bar
Mezze menu available 5.30pm – 8.30pm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wed
18 June 8.30pm
Funny Side Comedy Club
Presented by Barnstormers Comedy
The Funny Side Comedy Club nights take place once a month, on Wednesdays in the Gulbenkian Café Bar
In June and July, The Funny Side will feature comedians previewing their Edinburgh festival Shows. See them here first!
Hal Cruttenden
Will Hodgson
Hal Cruttenden is one of the one of the top comedians working in the UK today, as well as being an accomplished writer and actor. Already this year he has appeared on 'Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive' for BBC3 and has just finished writing and performing in 'The Omid Djalili Show' due to be aired on BBC1 towards the end of the year.
His other television credits include, 'The 11 O'Clock Show', (Channel 4), 'Brain Candy' (BBC3), 'Live at Jongleurs' (UK Gold/Paramount)and 'The Comedy Store' (Paramount) . He has also warmed up at the BBC for 'The Jonathan Ross Show' and the 'Keith Barrett Show'.
Wil Hodgson - WINNER-PERRIER AWARD-BEST NEWCOMER-2004
Chippenham's finest and a unique voice on the stand-up circuit
Wil Hodgson is fast establishing himself on the stand-up circuit as an original and unique voice. A former professional wrestler and member of the communist party, Wil turned to stand-up a couple of years ago and hasn't looked back. Spinning hilarious and memorable yarns of bizarre West Country rednecks, care bears and big women, Wil is already a firm favourite with comedy promoters and audiences and is set to become a big name in the world of stand-up.
Advance Tickets £8, on the door £10, Students: Advance Tickets £6, on the door £8
18+
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Thur 19 June 7.45pm
Whippersnapper
Dave Swarbrick, Martin Jenkins, Chris Lesley & Kevin Dempsey
Whippersnapper was formed in 1983 by the legendary Dave Swarbrick. His career spans collaborations with Beryl Marriott, The Ian Campbell Folk Group, Martin Carthy and, of course Fairport Convention. Through the second half of the 1980s Whippsnapper remained one of the must-see, and must-hear bands playing on the British acoustic music scene.
Remembered with a combination of affection, reverence and delight, Whippersnapper remains one of the truly great English folk bands, a watershed in the music’s post-folk-rock development.
The news, in 2007, that the group planned to reform was nothing short of a dream come true for countless fans who had the thought of seeing them one more time high on their wish-list. Just as they were when Swarb first announced the formation of the band, expectations are high and no one will be disappointed!
Tickets £14
In association with Broadstairs Folk Week
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fri
20 June 7.45pm
Albert Nyathi & Imbongi
Red Hot African Hi-Life & Township Jive
Direct from Zimbabwe with Maqhinga Radebe (Ladysmith Black Mambazo) South Africa's 'Prince of Maskanda Guitar'.
“They had me dancing away non-stop and just blew me away” Africa Oye
Explosive, dynamic and visually stunning, Imbongi are a high-energy must-see fusion of words, song, music and dance. They are a vibrant, multi-talented 8-piece band, comprising keyboards, guitar, bass, vocals, poetry and dance. Expect an un-paralleled and exciting blend of traditional, blues, jazz and contemporary African music. Fronted by Zimbabwe's premier performance-dub-poet Albert Nyathi.
A celebration of, sound, colour and dare we say poetry in motion - and don't forget your dancing shoes or just sit back and enjoy .Unmissable!
Tickets
£12 Concs £10
------------------------------------------------------------------
Fri 4 July 8.30pm
Open Mic
American Jazz Singer’s Night
A night for singers to perform with our resident jazz pianist Frances Knight and for audiences to spot the next Jamie Cullum or Norah Jones. Singers can bring along a chart for a blues or a soul number, as well as favourites from The Great American Songbook. Come and share your talent, and enjoy singing in the Gulbenkian café bar to a friendly supportive audience.
The Singers List will be taken from 8pm. Note: Please bring a jazz chart in the key that you will sing. One song per singer guaranteed, two if time allows. If you wish to ask questions about this new venture, please telephone John on 07785 348108.
Tickets £5
16+
Celebrate American Independence Day with chilled beer & southern fried finger food – served at your table from 7 - 8.30pm (Additional charge)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wed
23 July 8.30pm
Funny Side Comedy Club
Presented by Barnstormers Comedy
The Funny Side Comedy Club nights take place once a month, on Wednesdays in the Gulbenkian Café Bar
In June and July, The Funny Side will feature comedians previewing their Edinburgh festival Shows. See them here first!
This month we present 2007 if.comedy Best Show Nominees PAPPY'S FUN CLUB previewing their new Edinburgh show.
Plus one act TBC
Pappy's Fun Club is sketch comedy at its best. Nominated for Chortle Best Newcomer 2007 and fresh from appearances on Radio 4's 28 Acts in 28 Minutes and BBC3's Comedy Shuffle; expect historical characters, mythical creatures and the eternal battle between good and evil.
"Extraordinarily fresh and funny" The Times
Advance Tickets £8, on the door £10, Students: Advance Tickets £6, on the door £8
18+
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thur
24 July 7.45pm
Orange Street Music
Summer of Jazz Festival
Stan Tracey
Orange Street Music welcomes “The Godfather of British Jazz” Stan Tracey CBE
Stan Tracey, winner of the prestigious BBC Radio Jazz Award for lifetime achievement is an outstanding figure in the jazz world. His distinguished career has spanned six decades of flourishing creativity. He has been a highly influential and stimulating musical voice, not only to his peers but to each successive generation of musicians with whom he has worked.
Stan’s piano playing combines the melody of Thelonious Monk with the robust lyricism of Duke Ellington in a highly idiosyncratic style.
This trio performance will be a true treat for all jazz lovers.
Tickets £16 Concs £14
Orange Street Music & Gulbenkian are pleased to launch the Summer of Jazz Festival at the Gulbenkian Theatre. The Festival runs until 9 Aug with events in various venues in Canterbury. www.orangestreetmusic.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fri
25 July 9pm
Mark Watson
Work in progress
Mark Watson will be presenting a one hour preview of his forthcoming Edinburgh show in our Cafe Bar comedy club.
Why go all the way to Edinburgh when you can see it here?!
All tickets £10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Further information - Theatre, Cinema and additional events