Bulmers Comedy Festival Dublin

CARR, ROSS NOBLE, LENNY HENRY, PAUL MERTON, RICH HALL, JERRY SADOWITZ, THE PANEL LIVE, JEREMY HARDY, PUNT AND DENIS, CIRCUS OF HORRORS,PAUL SINHA, THE TASSEL CLUB, PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS, BARABBAS 40 SONGS OF GREEN, SHADY OKES AND MANY MORE...

Following the phenomenal success of The Bulmers International Comedy Festival Dublin, the festival, now in its fourth year, is coming back - bigger, better and longer!

Already confirmed for this years event are JIMMY CARR, ROSS NOBLE, LENNY HENRY, PAUL MERTON, THE PANEL LIVE, RICH HALL, JEREMY HARDY, PUNT AND DENIS, CIRCUS OF HORRORS, PUPPETRY OF THE PENIS, BARABBAS 40 SONGS OF GREEN, PAUL SINHA and SHADY OKES. Over the course of the coming weeks further acts will be added to the bill for this years line up so keep your eye out for new arrivals!

The Comedy Festival in past years has played host to the crème de la crème of comedic talent from the undeniable genius of Denis Leary, Multi Award winning British writer/comedian Ricky Gervais. A truly international festival with acts coming from across the globe. Tickets go on sale on Thursday June 21st from 9am Telephone 0818 719 300, log on to www.ticketmaster

Festival Director Noel Mc Hale said:"We have a great festival lined up and thanks again to Bulmers for supporting the event. It would not be possible without their backing.

Delighted this year that I can drag Ross Noble away from his domestic bliss in Australia and get Rich Hall to leave the ranch in Montana for the festival. Also looking forward to The Panel - Live as we recreate the TV show in The Olympia. See it un-cut; it will be live and dangerous

People should try and check out the action in the clubs on the Orchard Path for the best in upcoming Irish and International comics. The Ha'penny Bridge Inn, The Bankers, The Comedy Cellar in The International Bar and Comedy Dublin are where you will see the stars of the future.

Hottest ticket of the Festival is Jerry Sadowitz, who is the funniest man In the world- bar none. He has agreed to do his close-up magic show in The Sugar Club. The magic show can only be performed to a small audience and it's one of the most breathtaking and funny shows you will ever see.

This year we are also introducing the "Lunatic Fringe Ticket" If you are crazy enough to think that you could go see very show in the Festival and handle 3 weeks of non-stop laughter then join the Lunatic Fringe. Your Lunatic Fringe ticket, which costs Euro 100, gets you 2000 Euro worth of tickets. Numbers for this exclusive group of lunatics is limited100".

Rich Hall - 4th Sept, Olympia Theatre Fringe favourite and Perrier Award winner, Rich Hall is going on tour with the one man-and-a-mike show he first showcased at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival. The man behind the redneck, jailbird character Otis Lee Crenshaw has made numerous live and television appearances to great acclaim around the world. Rich Hall will play Dublin's Olympia Theatre September 4th.Rich will perform in his usual style as the grouchy, deadpan comic genius that he is. Audiences can expect a night of the fly by the seat of your pants sort of stuff, shoot from the hip, take no prisoners, packed with hard-hitting comedy and political commentary. Rich Hall's television credits include Q.I. on BBC2, Rich Hall's Election Special on BBC 4, Rich Hall's Cattle Drive Show on BBC 4, Rich Hall's Fishing Show on BBC4, Have I Got News for You on BBC One and in America The Letterman Show on CBS and Saturday Night Life on NBC. "…A masterclass in quickfire, expertly crafted, gagsmithery that would have left most of his contemporaries slack-jawed in admiration" (The Scotsman) "Stand up for grown-ups that is as thought-provoking as it is rib-pokingly funny" (Metro) "Exudes a sense of bewilderment to which audiences instantly warm - expect the unexpected" (The Independent) "Rich Hall leaves every other stand-up in the dust" (Chortle.co.uk)

Ross Noble - 5th 6th Sept, Olympia Theatre Hilarious Geordie Ross Noble has been performing stand-up since he was smuggled in to his local comedy club at the age of 15. Licensing laws meant that immediately after his slot he had to leave through the kitchen - but he has never looked back. Known for his brilliant freeform improvisation and highly engaging live shows, Ross is widely tipped and critically acclaimed as one of the world's finest and funniest comedians. He is a former Perrier Award nominee and a Time Out award winner for best live stand-up and has won a shed load of other prestigious awards and nominations. Ross Noble brought his ever witty stand up show to packed crowds at The Olympia Theatre last year and is making a return to this years festival with a brand new show "Nobelism" which promises to have fans rolling in the aisles! Ross, who picked up a British Comedy Award Nomination for best live comedy show in 2006, is always popular so early booking is strongly advised.

Jerry Sadowitz 3rd - 5th Sept The Sugar Club Born in the States, but brought up in Glasgow, Sadowitz has a well-deserved reputation of the bad boy of comedy. An aggressive stand-up, and accomplished close-up magician, Sadowitz made his name by bristling with anger, much of it vented at the right-on comedy circuit around him and the audiences who came to see it. He famously opened the Montreal comedy festival with the line "Hello, moose-fuckers" and was promptly knocked unconscious. And at the Comedy Store, at the height of political correctness, he won a bet with fellow comics by saying: "Nelson Mandela, what a cunt." It was only the next night that he thought of a punchline for such an inflammatory comment. "You lend some people a fiver and you never see them again." Aside from the rage, Sadowitz has also provoked the ire of the comedy establishment by railing off streams of unapologetic racist jokes in his perpetual desire to shock liberal audiences. Sadowitz's first love, though, remains his magic and he spends years out of the spotlight to devote himself to his art. Recently, he has re-emerged to perform both magic and typically savage stand-up shows. The Sugar club will play host to Jerry Sadowitz this September and it will one not to miss out on.

Barabbas Presents 40 Songs of Green - 7th Sept, Olympia Theatre The Bulmers International comedy festival plays host this year to Barabbas one of Ireland's most dynamic theatre companies. Barabbas presents '40 Songs of Green'. This unique event is a musical celebration of all things 'Oirish' one part concert and two parts theatrical insanity. Five red nosed clowns get caught, literally, in the middle of the performance. Conductor and choristers valiantly sing through the programme of '40 Songs of Green' as the clowns cause havoc and mayhem. Musically impressive, culturally illuminating and very, very funny, '40 Songs of Green' comprises of a list of quintessentially Irish songs with a twist - well known traditional jigs and reels, love songs and some very popular numbers! The choir is made up of 100 volunteers who have dedicated their time and their voices to this unique production. Directed by Veronica Coburn '40 Songs of Green' is arranged and composed by Debra Salem and conducted by Bernard Reilly.

Paul Merton's Impro Chums - 7TH Sept, Olympia Theatre After a spell as a civil servant, Paul Merton began his stand-up career in 1982 at London's Comedy Store and still regularly performs both there and at the Edinburgh festival. For many years he has been team captain on BBC1's Have I Got News for You, for which he won a BAFTA in 2003, and he has hosted Room 101 on BBC2. Some of Paul's other television credits include Paul Merton - The Series I & II and Whose Line Is It Anyway on Channel 4. His television writing credits include The Series I & II, Paul Merton - My Life of Comedy and Live at the Palladium, and he has published two books: Paul Merton's History of the Twentieth Century and a spoof autobiography, Paul Merton - My Struggle. Paul is also a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4's Just a Minute. He has been a life-long fan of silent comedy, and his much-acclaimed series Silent Clowns was first broadcast in 2006 on BBC 4. Making his Bulmers International Comedy Festival Debut, Paul Merton and his highly talented Impro Chums, Lee Simpson, Suki Webster and Richard Vranch are wonders of nature. Impro Chums take audience suggestions and create cascades of fantastic tumbling laughter. Most of the time! A show not to be missed!

Circus of Horrors 'The EVILUTION ' - 9th Sept, Olympia Theatre Bigger- Badder & Bloody Good Fun. The Circus of Horrors will launch itself upon this years festival with a brand new, super shocking, awe inspiring, jaw dropping show that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat (when not falling of it with laughter). It is now a full twelve years since the Circus of Horrors first trampled the bloody boards and has since toured relentlessly around the World achieving cult status and critical acclaim. The new show 'The EVILUTION ' threatens to stimulate all the senses with a storming sensational show, packed with new acts & new shocks that is set to surpass everything that has come before it, true the show still contains the crowd favourites but they are all intermingled & entwined with oddities, fakirs and death defying Circus acts bringing you an amazing amalgamation of Witchdoctors, Voodoo acrobats, a pickled person, bendy bodies, demon dwarfs, blood curdling stunts and flying Vampires. Presided over by The Undead Ringmaster Doktor Haze who takes you through this hellish tale with the help of the live devil driven rock n' roll of the Interceptors From Hell and a huge uncontrollable cast of burlesque beauties, chasosmongers and some of the worlds greatest, grotesque, most daring & bizarre Circus acts all Re-Born, Re-vamped & Rockin.

Reginald D Hunter 12th - 14th September IFI Eustace Street Reginald's career has led to him being invited to perform in venues the world over in places such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and South Africa. He is one of the few performers to have been nominated for the Perrier Award in three consecutive years. His debut Edinburgh show in 2002, I Said What I Said was nominated for the Perrier Best Newcomer Award and his next two shows (White Woman in 2003 and A Mystery Wrapped In A Nigga in 2004) both received Perrier Award nominations. In 2006, as well as performing in America for the first time, Reginald won The Writers' Guild Award for Comedy for his show Pride And Prejudice And Niggas, which he then presented for a season in London's West End and on a national tour of the UK. Reginald's latest solo show, Fuck You In The Age Of Consequence will be launched at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe before transferring to Dublin on September 12th at part of the Bulmers International Comedy Festival. HIS PRESENCE AND INTELLIGENCE MAKE HIM ONE OF THE MOST BRILLIANTLY UNPREDICTABLE COMICS IN THE COUNTRY" Sunday Times

The Tassel Club 9th, 16th,23rd September The Laughter Lounge The Tassel Club is an ever-evolving group of performers who create unique vaudeville, Burlesque & cabaret shows. The laughter lounge performance promises to be a thrilling experience and one not to be missed Journalist and production manager Sara Colohan started the company in 2003. Inspired by a bygone era, Sara produces a string of sell out shows every few months to showcase the club's unique acts including a Can Can troupe, contortionists and vintage burlesque striptease performers along with bands, singers and comedians. The Tassel club has been involved with The Dublin Fringe Festival and has sold out shows at The Spiegel Tent 04 and 05 and 06.With an avid interest in new trends and the evolution of social culture and also has an interest in vintage forms of entertainment. A Tassel Club show changes current cabaret, circus and vaudeville formats as we know them, pushing the existing boundaries to create new parameters, all the while paying homage to inspiring past performers and producers. More.Fans of big hair and long legs for over four years now, so it's no wonder that they will play support to Russell Brand on his upcoming show in Dublin's National Stadium on July 27th.The Tassel Club will perform live Can Can and some cheeky burlesque striptease! They will entertain those who are not already aware of burlesque, but know they like Camp, flamboyant, saucy fun. It's a perfect mix!

Stranger than Fiction - A Documentary Film Festival 13th to 16th September Irish Film Institute Stranger than Fiction - Documentary Film Festival that is committed to screening some of the more unusual films to grace the big screen will take place from 13th to 16th September at the Irish Film Institute. A bow to the bizarre, a salute to the strange, and a taut smile at the ridiculous, there will be 30 films sharing the stage, and at least 25 of them will be funny.

Puppetry of the Penis - 14th Sept, Olympia Theatre Making a jubilant return to this year's festival Puppetry of the Penis is a mind-blowing show featuring two handsome, well-endowed Australians who manipulate their manhood into various shapes, objects and landmarks. Witnessed by Elton John, Naomi Campbell, Posh and Becks, Lulu, Bono, Hugh Grant, Joan and Jackie Collins, Tim Rice and Ruby Wax, this Ancient Australian Art of Genital Origami had last year's Festival audiences in fits of laughter and squeals of amazement.

Lenny Henry 'WHERE YOU FROM?' - 15th Sept, Olympia Theatre Following the success of 'Have You Seen This Man?' and 'So Much Things To Say', comedian Lenny Henry begins 2007 with a brand new stand-up tour, 'Where You From?' The Bulmers International Comedy Festival are delighted to welcome the legendary Lenny Henry back this year with the hilarious 'Where You From" stand up show."' Where You From' sees Lenny go back to his stand-up roots performing routines about life in noughties Britain, with the welcome return of a few key characters from the original Lenny Henry Show, favourites like Mr. Lister and The Wolfman.

Paul Sinha 15th 16th September IFI Eustace Street Following in the wake of his hugely successful Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2006 show, Saint Or Sinha, groundbreaking Comedian, Paul Sinha, will join the line up for this years Bulmers International Comedy Festival.

"A PASSIONATE AND PERSONAL ACT…AS WELL STRUCTURED AND INTELLIGENT AS IT IS RIGHTEOUSLY INDIGNANT, SINHA'S PERFORMANCE MAY WELL MEAN THAT THE NHS WILL SOON BE MISSING A DOCTOR" Scotland on Sunday "A COMEDIAN WHOSE DELIVERY RHYTHM IS CONSTANT AND WHOSE PUNCHLINES ARE CONSISTENT" Independent

Sinha possesses a frighteningly honest opinion of the ludicrous absurdities of modern life and the candour of his perfectly timed, immaculately tailored stories often leaves audiences breathless with disbelief at his audacity. This year he'll be culling even more sacred cows as he delivers his unique take on life, death, binge drinking, trivia fanaticism, and finding redemption on the roulette tables of Las Vegas. "ANOTHER SMALL VICTORY FOR GOOD OVER BAD, OPTIMISM OVER CYNICISM, AND FOR SINHA'S BURGEONING COMEDY CAREER." Guardian

Shady Okes - South African Comedy Night September 17th, Olympia Theatre Three of South Africa's top comedians will appear for one night only in a South African comedy night, Shady Okes, at the Olympia Theatre. John Vlismas headlines the show with two leading South African comedian Mark Banks and Riaad Moosa. Vlismas has been described by South African comics as the godfather of comedy in that country, John is SA's most prolific international comedian, having performed at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Montreal's Just for Laughs (the only South African to have been invited back twice), and Berlin's erstwhile Maulhelden Festival. He's written for Jerry Springer, and produced and presented prime time television shows including "Live @ Five" and "The Flipside". Mark Banks is well known on the theatre circuit, having performed the most successful one-man show to date in South Africa, "Ek's 'n Doos (exodus) from South Africa". His demented, shrieking stand-up is a wonderful counterpoint to his hilarious and subversive sketch work. Riaad Moosa is one of the hottest tickets in South Africa today: his show "Strictly Halaal" played to in excess of 15 000 people. He has been described by chortle.co.uk as "funny, unpredictable and well paced, each sharp line brilliantly topping the last". Shady Okes promises to deliver first-rate laughter to South Africans living abroad. These three ambassadors bring news of life in South Africa as it is today. If you really do wonder about what makes South Africans unique, be sure to grab your tickets early.

Punt and Dennis "Stuff and Nonsense" - 18th Sept, Olympia Theatre The stars of the long running BBC Radio 4 series' 'The Now Show' and 'It's Been a Bad Week', (BBC Radio 2) first found fame as one half of legendary cult sketch show 'The Mary Whitehouse Experience'. Since then their reputations as both writers and performers have grown enormously. Their brand of sharp satirical comedy can currently be enjoyed on BBC2's 'Mock The Week', where Steve is a principal writer and Hugh appears regularly as a guest panellist. Making their Irish Debut Punt and Dennis will bring their new show "Stuff and Nonsense" to The Olympia Theatre, this shows touches on all things British! Punt and Dennis set out to vaguely skirt round many questions including the future of the BBC, whether alternative therapy ever works, whether school kids have any fun any more, and whether any of the towns visited on the tour don't have a Tesco.

Jimmy Carr -"Repeat Offender" 20th 21st Sept, Olympia Theatre Initially Jimmy's profile was best known as a television personality, but he started out and continues to be a very talented stand up comedian. Jimmy's first live show - Bare Faced Ambition - gained him a Perrier Nomination in 2002. National sell-out tours quickly followed with Charm Offensive in 2003 and Public Display of Affection in 2004. Jimmy's tour, Off The Telly, was a sell out success at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival and 2 sell-out nights at the Hammersmith Apollo. His stand-up show, 'Gag Reflex' was a huge success at last years Bulmers International Comedy Festival, selling out three consecutive nights. Jimmy Carr is back this year with a brand new show "Repeat Offender", not suitable for the easily offended. In fact not even a show for people that are quite difficult to offend. Essentially this is a show for people without a moral compass. Book early to avoid disappointment

JEREMY HARDY -20th, 21st, 22nd Sept IFI Eustace Street Jeremy Hardy is one of the UK's foremost and respected stand-up comedians. His live work has included Just 4 Laughs, (Montreal Comedy Festival), the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where he won the prestigious Perrier Award and numerous sell out tours of the UK and Ireland. Jeremy Hardy will be bringing his stand up show to the IFI Eustace Street Dublin; he will be performing for three nights September 20th - 22nd. When he's not touring Jeremy is now an essential member of Radio 4's NEWS QUIZ team as well as regularly appearing on I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T A CLUE, HAMISH AND DOUGALL and JUST A MINUTE. He also writes and performs his own series, again for Radio 4, the hugely successful JEREMY HARDY SPEAKS TO THE NATION 'One minute lewd, the next blimpish, he is always one step wide of insult and one ahead of expectation' The Financial Times

Tickets on sale now from Ticketmaster nationwide.Buy on line www.ticketmaster.ie or 24 hour phoneline0818 719300 (Ireland) +3531 4569569 (International) For more information on the event log onto: www.ticketmaster.ie

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