Laughing for love

There’s a chance that by this point you’re thoroughly sick of hearing about Valentine’s Day. Whether you think it’s the most important date in the romantic calendar (which in my experience typically depends heavily on your partner’s expectations) or you think it’s a cynical marketing gimmick hatched by the stationery, confectionery, jewellery and hospitality industries, it’s difficult to avoid. Either there’s advertising reminding you that gift-giving is crucial to the continued existence of your relationship… or there’s people complaining about the manufactured nature of it all. I wouldn’t blame you if you decided to just shut the world away until it’s all over.

If you do decide to participate, however – but you want to do something a little different – then local comedian Brad Zimmerman has whipped something up that may well be just the ticket. Laughing for Love is a Valentine’s-themed comedy show that just happens to be on Valentine’s Day, featuring a solid lineup of some of the capital’s best established and up-and-coming standups.

Apart from Brad himself, the show features comedian, actor and playwright James Nokise (Public Service Announcements, The Minister’s Son) alongside Sam Smith, Nat Britten, Hadley Donaldson, and Nathan Winter – and it’s MCed by the very capable Jerome Chandrahasen.

It’s at Meow Cafe – also a pretty good place for a Valentine’s Day dinner, by all accounts – and one lucky audience member will walk away with a special goodie package donated by Whittaker’s Chocolate. So with a bit of luck you won’t even have to shell out for a present.

Given that the Fringe Festival is now underway I should mention that Meow is also a Fringe venue this year – from 18-21 February it’ll be hosting Have Voice; Will Sing, which showcases the musical talents of Ruth Armishaw and her band the Honest 3 – if your tastes run more to blues and jazz than to comedy then could be worth a look.