Award winning LGBTQ comedian's show about dating disasters comes to Brighton Fringe Weekender

Award winning comedian ticks all the right boxes with trouser splitting show about dating, being unlucky in love, and downing copious amounts of alcohol!

Award winning character comedian Sian Hutchinson returns to the stage with a revamped solo show about dating, getting back out there and drowning your sorrows with copious bottles of house white!

Tick My Box forms part of Lamb Comedy Productions Brighton Fringe weekender of queer shows running this week from 25-28 May.

Sian said chose the title, Tick My Box, because “it’s a show about dating and, let’s face it, we all have boxes that need ticking in that department! Euphemism very much intended!”

Tick My Box features Sian’s new character ‘Suze’, who she describes as “Booze-soaked and unlucky in love”.

But Suze has had enough! Dumped by the love of her life Dave, Suze is determined to re-embrace the dating scene the only way she knows how, with seven hot-to-trot dates, bags of dogged persistence and copious bottles of house white. All in one evening!

Tick My Box will be performed at The Actors Pub, Kemptown on the 25 and 26 May. Audiences can expect to squirm in their seats, with trouser splitting laughter, from a comedian whose previous work has been described as “a master class in character comedy” and as having “an Olivia Colman quality”.

It’s been 12 years since Sian performed a solo show, although she’s been busy writing and performing with comedy partner Barry Glennon via Barry And Sian BS Productions. Her first solo show, Clutching At Straws, was performed fifteen years ago and was a collection of characters and monologues.

However, she wanted to do something different with this one. She said: “I wanted to challenge myself to write a character that could carry a whole show. The Northern accent is a nod to my late nana and the speed dating idea came from a friend of mine. I felt it would allow me to explore a variety of reactions that would ultimately (hopefully) be amusing.”

Sian describes Suze as “high maintenance, opinionated, and brash with no filter. She’s a fiercely independent Northern woman, a ‘go getter’ with refreshing honesty.”

Suze differs to Sian because she’s way more direct than Sian would ever be. However, comedian and character do share a few traits e.g., the same love of dry white wine and the same face!

Sian’s wife Nicky says Suze is reminiscent of Kathy Burke in Gimme Gimme Gimme, “an awful person, egotistical, phobic about everything, and yet you are compelled to keep watching while laughing out loud.” Sian hopes this is not how Nicky also sees her!

For a sneak peek into Suze’s world, check out these videos on the Tick My Box Instagram account @sooztmb

Tick My Box is fast paced, observational character comedy at its best. There’s even a small amount of pathos and it’s more situation comedy than punchline focused. Sian said: “I hate ‘knock knock’ jokes but love a well-placed slam!”

Better get the white wine order in now then!

When not performing, Sian is the joint programme leader of A level drama at Varndean College, Brighton. She hopes the show will inspire her students and that she can be “some sort of role model to them whilst practising what I preach.”

Sian also wants to raise the representation of female comedians. She said: “female comedians are so underrepresented. We’re still trying to shake off the stigma that, ‘women aren’t funny’. Quite frankly, that is not the case. The characters I write are flawed and not preachy. The feminist messages are subtle but present if you listen hard enough. Comedy is a brilliant vehicle to bring up more serious matters in an unassuming yet provoking way.”

Get your boxes ticked by booking tickets at the Brighton Fringe website here.

Tick My Box is produced by Lamb Comedy productions and will be performed on:

Thursday 25 May 2023 18:30 – 19:30 Friday 26 May 2023 18:30 – 19:30

At:

The Actors Pub 5 Prince’s Street, Kemptown, Brighton BN2 1RD

Concession tickets £6.00 Standard tickets £7.50

Other acts preforming at the Brighton Fringe Weekender, at The Actors Pub And Theatre, include:

Hits Radio’s James Barr with ‘Chains & WIPs Excite Me’ queer northern stand up Róisin McCallion with her debut hour ‘Keeping Up Appearances’ Funny Award Winner Lara A King: ‘Midlife at the Oasis’ a very special one night only performance of comedy musical ‘Wrong Songs’ at Caravanserai, written by Olivier Award winning Richard Thomas (Jerry Springer the Opera, Made in Dagenham) and multi award winning Sooz Kempner. All tickets can be purchased at BrightonFringe.org.

About Sian:

Sian trained at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, graduating in 2003. She is an actress and the joint programme leader of A Level drama at Brighton’s Varndean College. She started performing solo sketches at Madame JoJo’s in 2005. Her first one woman show, Clutching At Straws, was performed 15 years ago and did well in Edinburgh. She has co-written many sketch comedy shows with fellow actor Barry Glennon, under Barry And Sian BS Productions. Together, they won Best New Comedy BoomTish! And were nominated for Best Comedy (Brighton Fringe 2019). They were runners up in the Leicester Square Sketch Off! competition. That experience led to the duo having meetings with Warner Brothers for BBC3. Sian is also a Funny Women Awards nominee.

"Sian had something of an Olivia Colman quality about her" (Bruce Dessau)

“Hutchinson is reminiscent of Julie Walters and Kathy Burke” (Kate Copstick, The Scotsman)

"A Masterclass in character comedy, Sian Hutchinson is the next Catherine Tate" (Camden Kiwi)