Howlers Comedy Night
Cerys Nelmes, Jeremy Flynn, Danny Deegan and Matt Bragg
Playhouse Theatre, Cheltenham – 30th May 2025
Ashamed to admit this was my first ever visit to the Playhouse Theatre, which is all the more perplexing following our highly enjoyable experience. Arriving early to collect our tickets, the receptionist’s knitting was quickly put aside for our attentive welcome. Homely, with a great sense of occasion are clearly the warp and weft of a night out at the Playhouse Theatre…
Only Cerys Nelmes (pictured) can walk out onto a stage, lean into her front row and ask…“Hello, and how are you?” And make it sound like a threat! As the night’s Chorus, Nelmes certainly projected a proprietary quality. Engaging the residents of the front row in turn, we met the Tesco crew and Tim and Kevin and Milly et al. One was championed for his “thruple” and Kevin was admonished for his loveless 32 year marriage. No doubt, Milly is still giggling over her misdemeanour. The full gambit of human life was woven through the evening’s pattern for our comedic entertainment.
Cerys Nelmes certainlyknows how to wrong foot her audience: “Hello my lovely, how big are your tits then?” Every little helps, in accruing laughs.
You have to admire Jeremy Flynn’s understated style when on stage. He has a truly idiosyncratic stage craft – that’s not to say he doesn’t have a stage presence – he is the same weight as Anthony Joshua after all. Flynn’s yarns brought forth mirth, perhaps not great bellowing guffaws but knowing chuckles. The self-deprecating humour may have hit home like a casually thrown ball of wool but the laughter still came. From the opening line about “giving- up” to climbing through the boot to get into his £200 car – we could relate. And the phlegmatic Flynn’s responses to crowd interaction were equally as funny. Bravo the Mighty Flynn!
This might have been my first visit to the intimate surroundings of the Playhouse but clearly a dedicated audience adores the cosy theatre and rightly so…all the more galling that the theatre is struggling financially.
For the purposes of the night Danny Deegan found aspects of his life galling, all in the name of comedy you understand. His day didn’t go well when he agreed to the gig, not knowing where Cheltenham was on the map; a 4 hour drive from York educated him as regards geography. The defiant stance was continued with his views on children – that he doesn’t want – and it’s probably for the best. The alternative viewpoint to modern life ensured chuckles. His name Daniel, may mean “God is my judge” but Mr. Deegan bows to no one, not even his Father “The Greatest Grandad in the world” – and least of all the big man upstairs.
Cerys Nelmes stepped out on stage to big up Matt Bragg (pictured) the main act for the evening. His effortless, casual and conversational delivery went down well at the Playhouse. The humour was not confrontational or divisive, just wryly observational. From asides about having to blow out a huge number of candles at night as the wife had gone to bed, to the irony of a rubber duck created in the image of the Titanic’s captain, available in the Titanic Belfast museum. No one took offence and no one was triggered. Nice.
Matt Bragg talked about stand-up comedy being the hardest art form and I have to concur. All four comedian’s ability to find a loose thread, to tease apart, unpick and unravel to reveal a comedic moment was notable. Nights like this are clearly priceless at the Cheltenham Playhouse Theatre and the 80 year old theatre deserves to continue unabated. Not least because I want to return and to continue my education, as I didn’t know a “thruple” was a thing.
To help out a highly deserving cause and to help an essential fundraising campaign at the Cheltenham Playhouse please visit it’s Just Giving page
The Swilgate Scuttler