For the first time in its 20-year history, SoHo Playhouse’s International Fringe Encore Series is highlighting the best in international Comedy. Annually, the International Fringe Encore Series provides opportunities to emerging artists who show exceptional talent at each season’s Fringe Festivals both artistically and commercially. In recognition of their excellence, SoHo Playhouse offers these special shows an extended run Off Broadway in New York City. This extended run gives these worthy shows a platform for future productions and success. This year they have brought the best in comedy chosen from 6 of the largest theater festivals in the world and showcasing veteran comedians and young up and comers.
The 2023 Comedy Festival includes:
Troy Hawke: The Greeter's Guild
October 18-November 4
Everyone’s favourite 1930’s throwback greetings and compliments aficionado Troy Hawke returns to The Soho Playhouse with his new show The Greeter's Guild. A journey which started with a non-consensual customer service shift outside TK MAXX in Macclesfield has led him around the world and directly into the orbit of the world’s biggest sporting figures. He’s confused Premiership footballers, been threatened by heavyweight boxers and improved the vocabulary of Formula 1 legends. In this show Troy examines his unlikely genesis and explores exactly why a well dressed man simply being nice to people has caused such a kerfuffle.
Brendan Hunt: The Movement You Need
November 1-7
Brendan Hunt was largely raised by a single mom with whom he would embark on a complicated relationship, with only one avenue of shared agreement: a mutual love, fostered by the mom from an early age, of the Beatles. Beatle music would somehow go on to be part of various major moments in his life; from his very first childhood memory to the birth of his son. In 2022, in London while working on Ted Lasso, Hunt suddenly found himself about to meet Sir Paul McCartney. Keenly aware that McCartney has spent every day, for decades, having people’s emotional connections to his music unloaded on him, Hunt held his tongue. In this hilarious and moving solo show, Hunt finally gets to let it out and tells us all the things he couldn’t tell Paul McCartney.
Connor Burns: Vertigo
November 1-3
Hot on the heels of Connor Burns’s totally sold out 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe run which got rave reviews and saw him add 11 extra shows and sell nearly 4,500 seats at only his second-ever Fringe, don’t miss Scotland’s fastest rising comedy star’s brilliant New York debut! He has already taped a set for Just For Laughs and opened for Daniel Sloss on tour. We are delighted to be hosting Connor's USA debut and, if like us, you love live comedy, then we recommend you check out this fantastic show. Support an exciting comedian and budding superstar early days—and remember where you saw him first!
Ed Byrne: Tragedy Plus Time
November 4-12
From the quote attributed to Mark Twain, humour is defined as Tragedy Plus Time. Come and join Ed Byrne as he tests that formula by mining the most tragic event in his life for laughs. Edinburgh Fringe 2023 was a bumper 5-star review year for Ed. They came in thick and fast alongside outstanding critical acclaim for this exceptionally funny, ‘Best Reviewed Stand Up Show at Edinburgh 2023’ (British Comedy Guide). At its core, this show is Ed’s incredibly brave and honest love letter to his brother Paul who died last year at an early age. Cathartic, beautifully written and above all funny, Ed shares a sense of community with universal themes of sibling discord, reconciliation and bereavement. Known as a Master of Observational Comedy, with this stunning show Ed takes the comedian’s art to the next level and beyond...
Larry Dean: It Happens
November 7-11
Triple Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominee and star of Live At The Apollo brings his blisteringly hilarious hour of "confessional storytelling at its funniest" (5-star review, Herald) to SoHo Playhouse.
Daniel Fox: VILLAIN
November 8-11
What’s a little evil amongst friends? Fresh from a complete sell-out extended run at the Edinburgh Fringe, award-winning gossip and TikTok starlet Daniel Foxx delivers a sensational show about childhood, Tilda Swinton and bullying (but in a chic way). With his trademark wit and grandmother's pearls, he's taking us back to the 2000s, when the Special K diet was all the rage and the only queer representation was Jafar.
Broad Comedy
November 10-18
Broad Comedy has been producing snarky, provocative and lovable feminist comedy and musical satire since 2001. Broad Comedy was Time Out New York's "Critic's Pick," and has run at multiple venues Off-Broadway. They were listed as one of the top ten sketch troupes at the Assembly Room at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and Katie Goodman's solo show which performed at The Gilded Balloon was in the top 5% of ticket sales for the entire festival. Internationally touring, award-winning, with YouTube hits reaching in the millions, Broad Comedy provides an unflinching look at America today. If you’re looking for racy, smart, feisty comedy that comes with an edgy integrity plus satirical honesty, then Broad Comedy is your jam. It’s outrageous, it’s community, it’s a party on a stage.
Fern Brady: Autistic Bikini Queen
November 13-19
One of the UK’s most exciting comedians, Fern Brady, who recently starred on Taskmaster and proved to be one of their most popular contestants, is bringing her sell-out fifth solo show, Autistic Bikini Queen, to New York City. This comes hot off the heels of her previous sell-out show Power & Chaos which was filmed as a special and broadcast on BBC One. Fern also became a Sunday Times bestselling author earlier this year when she released her debut memoir, Strong Female Character.
Grace Campbell: A Show About Me(n)
November 14-17
A Show About Me(n) is about Grace Campbell's two lifelong obsessions: men and herself. Grace, 'one of the funniest women in Britain' (Times), tells the story of how she learnt to let go of her need for male validation with a show that she hopes will make all men obsessed with her.
