Comedy curators Little Wander are embarking on a big ‘ol celebratory tour of national talent soon – some you’ll have heard of, and some you might not have. Rhys James looks ahead to find some programming highlights…
Welsh comedy promoters Little Wander, who founded the annual Machynlleth Comedy Festival in 2010 and its newer sibling event in Aberystwyth, are throwing their weight behind a New Welsh Wave of comics coming up through the standup circuit. In conjunction with Creative Wales, they’ll showcase this talent in the form of a 15-date national tour.
It opens in Aberystwyth Arts Centre on Valentine’s Day and closing in Cardigan’s Theatr Mwldan on Sun 17 Mar, with pitstops in Tywyn, Caernarfon, Colwyn Bay, Carmarthen, Newport, Brecon, Builth Wells, Monmouth, Pontardawe, Pwllheli, Bangor, Ammanford and Milford Haven in between. Each show will feature four up-and-coming Welsh comedians from a pool of eight, steered by one of three alternating hosts: Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Robin Morgan or Leroy Brito.
Raised in Anglesey, award-winning Edinburgh Fringe regular Pritchard-McLean – the self-proclaimed “loud girl with the posh name” – can make a joke out of anything, and her unbashful and confident stage presence allows her to connect to anyone in the crowd. You may have witnessed her Live At The Apollo set in which she styled a green sparkly leotard and cape, which tells you all you need to know about Kiri’s boldly lighthearted comical approach.
Morgan is a mainstay of contemporary Welsh standup: currently the host of the weekly All In Comedy show at Cardiff’s Glee Club, he’s currently finishing off his latest tour Snip Snip, Bitch – extended due to public demand, no less. He’s also been a Mock The Week panellist and written for shows including The Mash Report and 8 Out Of 10 Cats.
From the octet of stars in the making, Tadiwa Mahlunge is a twentysomething London-based Welshman whose impressive debut show Inhibition Exhibition tackled topics from corporate life to his Welsh/Zimbabwean dual heritage. His jumpy energy and slightly awkward demeanour create a likeable and fascinating character onstage, and I’m sure we can expect to see more of Tadiwa in years to come.
Anna Thomas is nothing but deserving of the BBC New Comedian Of The Year award, which she walked home with in 2022. From Carmarthenshire, Anna’s peculiar and chaotic performance style makes for an engaging set from start to finish, and her ditsy stage persona matched with her strong accent keeps audiences wanting more. Be sure to catch her (hopefully with her ukulele) on this upcoming tour, whose lineup is completed by Cerys Bradley, Sian Docksey, Bella Humphries, Mel Owen, Esyllt Sears and Matt Rees.
The New Welsh Wave tour, various venues, Wed 14 Feb to Sun 17 Mar.
Tickets: prices vary per venue (mostly around £14)
words RHYS JAMES
