Belles break comedy mould

Jul 3 2007 by Gordon Barr, Evening Chronicle

A Newcastle women’s comedy night is turning the tables on all-male line-ups, as Entertainment Editor GORDON BARR finds out.

FOR many a year, the world of stand-up has been dominated by male comedians.

Every now and again a woman comic may come to the fore, but for the main part it is a male domain.

Here in the North East, though, a group of female comedians are hoping to change that. Hells Belles women’s comedy cabaret is focused on bringing the best of female stand-up to the region.

But fans of HB are in for a surprise tomorrow night - for there will be a man in the midst of all the female comedy mayhem at Newcastle’s Apartment bar.

Hells Belles is turning the tables on stand up comedy nights which put just one token woman on the line-up and is instead putting one ‘token male’ on their all-female line-up.

The bi-monthly comedy night which runs at the Apartment on Collingwood Street is letting Manchester comedian Don Barr on to the bill tomorrow night.

He will be the only man on a bill which is headlined by Glaswegian comedian Janey Godley who has been described as ‘the female Billy Connolly’, and includes ukulele-playing compere Kate Fox, Newcastle comic actor and writer Sharon Race and Heaton performance poet Annie Moir.

Don Barr says: “It’s a refreshing change to be the only man on the night, it’s usually the other way round for women.

“I’m going to do the same material as I would for any other night, but it’ll be interesting to see whether the night has a different feel to my usual gigs.”

Hells Belles director Kate Fox adds: “We exist to promote women in comedy but decided that it would be good to get some more variety on our bills.

“We know the women who come to our workshops can learn just as much by seeing male comedians gig as female comedians.

“It’s also nice to highlight the fact with our ‘token male’ the absurdity of the fact that so many comedy clubs still do have just one token female on the bill.

“We still want more women to come forward and get into comedy”.

Sharon Race knows only too well the problems faced by women comedians. She once told the Chronicle that the first time she walked on stage to perform her stand-up routine she expected to get some heckling. A few catcalls, maybe, that she could bat away with a quick-witted one-liner. But nothing could have prepared her for the shocking level of abuse hurled in her direction. Simply for being a woman. “They were shouting out and so on,” she recalled. “It started off OK and I thought I’d be able to handle it, but it got worse. It wasn’t a pleasant experience.

“People assume that it’s all going to be jokes about PMT.”

Hells Belles Comedy Cabaret starts at 8.15pm tomorrow at Apartment. Tickets are £5.