Why Hertfordshire Is a Comedy Hotspot in Its Own Right
“We could always go into London” is a perfectly reasonable thing to say in a group chat. It just tends to be followed by forty minutes of train times and somebody asking whether anyone’s checked what time the last one goes. Nobody has. Everybody thought somebody else had.
Meanwhile, there’s stand-up on in Hertfordshire. Anglia Comedy Co. puts on shows in seven towns across the county, with familiar faces from Live at the Apollo and Taskmaster alongside comics you might be seeing for the first time. The nice thing about seven venues is that you can start with the one you know and still have somewhere else to look when your favourite comedian turns up on the wrong side of your diary.
Start with Bishop’s Stortford or Hoddesdon
South Mill Arts Centre is on South Road in Bishop’s Stortford. If you tend to check what’s on there for a play or a gig, have a look at the comedy bills too. There’s a particular satisfaction in spotting someone you’ve been watching on telly and realising you can see them without having to put “London” in the group chat.
A little further down the Lea Valley, The Spotlight Theatre is on Hoddesdon High Street. It’s an easy one to build a night around if you’re meeting for something to eat first. Just remember that “we’ve got loads of time” is usually said by the person who’s about to order pudding.
Two garden cities, two different bills
Broadway Theatre sits on Eastcheap in Letchworth Garden City. If Broadway is where you usually go for a film, it’s worth a look at what’s happening on the theatre side. You can even keep the same opinion about people talking during the performance.
In Welwyn Garden City, Campus West is where we put on stand-up. If both garden cities are within reach, check both programmes. The acts vary from show to show, so the choice might come down to a comedian you’ve been meaning to see for years. Equally, it might come down to the fact that nobody can do the 23rd because apparently everybody’s cousin was born on it.
Potters Bar, Radlett and Rickmansworth
Wyllyotts Theatre is a short walk from Potters Bar station. That’s handy when half the group is coming straight from work and the other half has already ordered a drink. It also gives a fighting chance to the person whose last update was “should be fine.”
The Radlett Centre is on Aldenham Avenue and hosts Live at the Radlett. Over in Rickmansworth, Watersmeet puts comedy right on the High Street. If you’re coming from the west side of the county, it’s worth checking what’s on there before you start working out how you’re getting home from the West End.
The headliner gets you there. Then it’s anyone’s game.
The good thing about a mixed bill is that everyone can turn up for the same act and come away with a different favourite. One person will love the comic who spends ten minutes on a family holiday that should have been cancelled at the airport. Someone else will laugh all the way home at a single line about a meal deal.
There’s always somebody who says, “I only know the one at the top.” Fair enough. It’s a good way to choose a show. There’s also a decent chance that same person will be outside afterwards asking, “What was the name of the second one?” Ideally before they try to tell you the joke again and prove, quite conclusively, that timing matters.
So start with the theatre you know, or look one town over and see who’s on. When you find a bill you fancy, send the date and the link to the group. Leave out the words “or we could do London” and see how quickly everybody manages to agree.
