Review: Venue is part a of the show as comics poke fun (From Knutsford Guardian)

Review: Venue is part a of the show as comics poke fun

12:30pm Sunday 14th October 2012 in News By David Morgan

TUCKED away in the top room of a snooker club in a quiet corner of Knutsford.

It is perhaps the last place you would expect to find yourself for an evening of comedy.

But Brook Street Club’s LOL Cheshire actually offers the quality of a night out at Manchester’s Comedy Store at a fraction of the price.

And it seems Knutsfordians are quickly catching on to its appeal with the monthly event selling out despite it only being launched in September.

Brook Street Club may not have the glitz and glamour of the renowned Deansgate auditorium.

But that got the gags rolling straight away with comedians poking gentle fun at the modest venue.

Compere Kenny Mills proved to be a bundle of nervous energy at first.

The evening got off to a slow start after he fluffed a few jokes and kept getting someone’s name wrong but the audience soon warmed to him and he was on fine form from then on.

Kenny intimidated the crowd and later brought the club’s new sponsor Gregg Sawyer, of Tatton Brewery, on stage, who proved to be a good sport.

Ben Lawes was next on who was pleased to be performing for a ‘posh’ crowd like Knutsford following his previous audience in Newcastle.

Lindsey Davies and Clarence Frank both talked about the struggle to find love in certain towns – Clarence lamented about his vulture-shaped nose.

Headline act was Mike Wilkinson who has the kind of demeanour that immediately puts you at ease.

His comedy gems about northern life and the generation gap were all hits.

The funniest moment was when Mike said he didn’t know what ‘lol’ (laugh out loud) meant in a text from his daughter but hazarded a guess of ‘lots of love’.

So he had the audience in stitches when said he wrote lol in a commiseration card.

Brook Street Club was launched to save the historic snooker club, which was established in 1885.

It is not-for-profit and there is nothing else like this in Knutsford. A brilliant night out.

l LOL Cheshire returns on Thursday, November 1. Reserve tickets at brookstreetclub.co.uk