Tom Stade at Huntingdon Hall, Worcester – 25th October 2026
You must remember where you were when you learnt Tom Stade was playing Huntingdon Hall for the 13th time? For the dedicated audience members – attending since 2009 – who made up the survivors group on the evening in question, a visit from Stade is as welcome as remembering how to change the time on your car dashboard.
Sure, the comedian could have played the 02 but “comedy is not all about playing to 30,000 and earning enough money to live how you want to.” When the comedic firebrand sardonically dismissed playing this “shitty church” again, the laughter ricocheted around our glorious Huntingdon Hall like cheers in a school canteen when someone has dropped a glass or smashed crockery.
The “elephant in the room” was the stand-up’s attire for the evening. The exploration of his £3.50 purchase in a charity shop produced a skit, middle-aged men – in a relationship – could identify with: “that really suits you, for a piece of clothing you chose for yourself.” Our Canadian jester could find comedy inspiration in his bellybutton.
Having grown up in the 80s with a less than progressive Father, Stade mined his relationship with his Father for the darker hued punchlines. Along with Stu his 81 year old reference point in the survivor group, Stade embraced his childhood trauma and even found the gallows humour in his expletive ridden threats. Volatile. Not sure the comedian was joking when he discussed abandonment issues.
Even Stade’s clearly secure marriage to the Sexy Stalker came under scrutiny on the evening. Using the opportunity to explain marriages are not “toxic” they are volatile. Before “confessing” on one occasion, “the pasta he had prepared was still so crunchy, the cops had to intervene.”
Of course, Dads’ have to be policed at times: “you can’t say that Dad!” The jocular episode with the “yoga guy” at the airport with Stade and his daughter only reinforced memories of my Father describing skinflints as…
For the stalwarts of the 2009 survivor group Dean, Neil, George and Stu their reminiscesof the night as touchstones for Stade’s reference points will last long in the memory. The technique works well, having a voice for three generations in the room. Although, you must be prepared to laugh at yourself: “Hey, are those your sons Stu? They had better be!
Dean, may have only been interested in “pussy” when he was 9, walking around with his little “boner,” but the mature Dean knows a night with the metaphorical Dungeon Master of Mirth is a comedic quest worth pursuing.
Tom Stade may not have made as much money from the survivor’s meeting at the glorious Huntingdon Hall, as he would have from the 02, however, he certainly made our night richer. Moreover, we will not forget Stade’s 13th visit for a long time to come.
By: Swilgate Scuttler