Film / News
Omicron-defying Slapstick Festival goes ahead with a few tweaks
The local cultural scene has been ravaged by cancellations in the first couple of weeks of 2022. But following talks with venues booked for Slapstick‘s 18th annual feast of classic, silent and visual comedy, the festival team is leaving the bulk of its programme unchanged.
Guests including Ronni Ancona, Richard Herring, Armando Iannucci, Robin Ince, David Mitchell, Bill Oddie, Sally Phillips and Lucy Porter will still be making live appearances. The full schedule of classic silent comedy screenings with live musical accompaniment will also go ahead as previously announced.
There have, however, been some tweaks to the programme. The biggest of these is that the events due to take place in the Redgrave Theatre on January 29 have been moved to March 27. These include an audience with 86-year-old comedy legend Barry Cryer, a kids’ screening of Paddington and Tim Vine’s salute to Kenny Everett. By way of compensation for this mirth postponement, there’s now an additional event on the same day: Lee Mack’s Desert Island Flicks, in which the Not Going Out star selects the 10 comedy feature films he’d take with him if he was stranded on a desert island.
Barry Cryer OBE, the veteran 86-year-old Zelig of British TV comedy, receiving the Aardman Slapstick Comedy Legend Award in 2015. They just can’t keep him away – he’s back in March
“It’s more true than ever this year that people need an antidote to winter’s gloom and some laughter in their lives,” says Festival Director Chris Daniels. “So we’re thrilled that we’ve found ways to keep the Slapstick 2022 programme more or less intact while also taking robust steps to protect our celebrity guests and audiences.”
Very few tickets remain for Armando Iannucci’s Slapstick event
The first instalment of Slapstick 2022 runs online and live from January 19-30. You can find the full revised programme and booking information on the Slapstick website. But grab those tickets quickly. Several events have already sold out, including the Slapstick Gala and David Mitchell’s Top Comedy Moments. There are also very few tickets left for the Slapstick Divas and Armando Iannucci events.
If you’d prefer to watch at home, go here for details of the ten events that are being streamed online.
Main pic: Lee Mack
All pix supplied by Slapstick
Read more: Stars talking Slapstick
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