Skip to main content
Tag

Up4aMeet

Up4aMeet? – An Evening of Naked, Gay, Laugh-Out-Loud Comedy

By Gay, Gigs & Shows, ReviewsNo Comments

Steve & I went to see Up4aMeet? this weekend. Here’s my review for The Gay UK:

Up4aMeet? – An Evening of Naked, Gay, Laugh-Out-Loud Comedy

up4ameet1

It’s #NakedAugust month here at The Gay UK, so I decided to go along and see Up4aMeet? the hilarious naked gay play.

Grant (played by the brilliant and sexy Chris Wills) finds it difficult to talk to gay men in reality. But on his favourite app ‘The Cock Shop’ he can be himself and even find out how many metres away his nearest gay man is. ‘The Cock Shop’ is described as a gay man’s sweet shop; with a few clicks a man can be delivered to your door.

Carlos (played by the well-endowed Benedict Garrett) is Grant’s Spanish & naturist flatmate who also is a big fan of ‘The Cockshop.’ For Carlos life is all about the sex. Carlos has a strict eversion to clothes and stripped every time he walked onto the stage. He was practically naked throughout the entire show.

Caroline (played by the fantastic Penny Tasker) is a broke Celebrity Agent who is Grant’s best friend and lives in the apartment downstairs. She represents a number of reality-TV celebrities including Stacey Granger (Big Brother’s Nikki Grahame) but is failing to find work for any of them.

In the apartment next door is old queen Julian (played by the suitable Michael Blore). Julian is obsessed with Dame Shirley Bassey. His obsession extends to playing Gold Finger constantly, having a cardboard cut-out of her and a toilet seat that he’s made for her as a gift. Julian decides he’s getting a flatmate and ends up with Scott (X-Factor’s Lloyd Daniels).

up4ameet2

(The Up4aMeet? Cast: Chris Wills, Penny Tasker, Lloyd Daniels, Nikki Grahame, Michael Blore & Benedict Garrett)

Up4aMeet? has nudity from the start with Grant being caught by Caroline taking a rude picture of himself for his ‘Cock Shop’ profile. Grant and Carlos accidently switch phones and the hilarity begins. The characters attempt to deal with their own problems throughout the more than two hour show, amusing the audience along the way.

The comedy that causes the audience’s incessant and side-splitting laughter is derived through gay stereotyping. Yet despite this stereotyping, the characters are believable and had a reasonable amount of depth – which is a tremendous credit to the writer.

All of the characters are a bit zany including Carlos who had a bit of a dodgy accent at times. But he made fun of it himself and managed to get a few chuckles from the audience. Caroline had some great, sharp one-liners and is a constant source of entertainment throughout. One particularly funny scene of Caroline’s that springs to mind involves an eye patch and a glory-hole.

Scott (Lloyd Daniels) was mostly eye candy and played a far too small role in the play. We don’t see Scott on stage until mid-way through and he barely has any dialogue. Scott (Lloyd Daniels) is the only male member of the cast who doesn’t get fully naked – sorry boys.

The cast’s acting was splendid and they all made good eye contact with the audience – despite the difficult layout of the venue.

The ending was dramatic, full of twists and turns with plenty of humour and a reminder that: you never really know whom you’re talking to online.

Up4aMeet? was even funnier than I had expected and I left with an aching belly from laughing-out-loud so often. If you want an evening of nudity coupled with gay humour – go and see Up4aMeet? you wont be disappointed. Up4aMeet is currently on a national tour, you can buy tickets here: http://www.up4ameetontour.com/.

up4ameet3

Blog soon,

Antony

mental-health-wisdom-banner

Share on Social Media:

Import: Manchester Pride Fringe Festival: Must See Shows

By Creativity, Gay, Gigs & Shows, JournalismNo Comments

Manchester Pride Fringe Festival is a wide-range of events throughout August that are separate from main event: The Big Weekend. We’ve had a glance at the programme and chosen our five must see shows:

ennio-marchetto-1

Ennio Marchetto

Ennio Marchetto
Date(s) & Time: Thursday 8th & Friday 9th August 2013, 19:30.
Venue: TBC.
Cost: £15 per ticket.
About:
Ennio Marchetto is described as being a ‘living cartoon’. The Italian’s mime act, with its paper costumes is truly a spectacle to behold and is hugely popular wherever performed.

Ennio Marchetto has been performing for over twenty-one years and to date this is his only UK performance this year. This unique show is an absolute must see.
Booking: Tickets can be purchased through the Manchester Pride website.

If-I-Can-Dream-2

If I Can Dream

If I Can Dream
Date(s) & Time: Friday 2nd & Saturday 3rd August, 19:30.
Venue: The Lowry, Salford Quays. M50 3AZ.
Cost: £6-10 per ticket.
About:
Young Liam’s world is full of violence and lies. Liam loved his father, who loved Elvis. The musical tells the story of how Liam uses Elvis songs to cope with a difficult time in his life. Expect this to be upbeat as well as emotionally touching.
Booking: Tickets can be purchased through The Lowry website.

Up4aMeet-3

Up4aMeet?

Up4aMeet?
Date(s) & Time: Friday 2nd & Saturday 3rd August, 19:30.
Venue: AXM, Bloom Street. M1 3LY.
Cost: £16 per ticket.
About:
When Grant and his flat-mate Carlos accidently pick up each other’s phones you know it can only lead to comedy. Add into the mix an App called The C*ck Shop and you can be forgiven for letting your imagination run away with you.

Up4aMeet? Dubbed the naked play, has Lloyd Daniels (XFactor) who recently admitted that he’s a ‘bit of a naturist,’ indicating that he might be getting naked for his role in the show.

We’ll be going along to see this, so expect a review after the showing. If you’re not in Manchester on these dates, don’t worry as Up4aMeet? is on a national tour.
Booking: Tickets can be purchased through the Up4aMeet? on tour website.

someone-borrowed-somones-blue-4

Someone Borrowed, Someone’s Blue – The Musical

Someone Borrowed, Someone’s Blue – The Musical
Date(s) & Time: Monday 19th – Thursday 22nd August, 19:30.
Venue: Afflecks Palace, 52 Church Street. M4 1PW.
Cost: £8 per ticket.
About:
Drag Queen Sandy Beach has got her upcoming Wedding to organise. But she needs help, so she recruits her big-boned and walking disaster zone sister, Wendy. But with strictly no lip-syncing, can Sandy sing her way out of the inevitable disasters that follow?
Booking: Tickets can be purchased through the New Attitude Theatre Company website.

9to5-5

9 To 5 – The Musical

9 To 5 – The Musical
Date(s) & Time(s): Tuesday 20th – Saturday 24th August. Performance times vary: Tuesday’s 20:00, Wednesday-Saturday’s 19:30, Matinees Thursday-Saturday’s 14:30.
Venue: Opera House, 3 Quay Street. M3 3HP.
Cost: £17.90+
About:
Based on Dolly Parton hits and the film comes a comedy story about friendship, gossip and revenge. Three women office workers take on their sexist, egotistical and bigoted boss to take control of the company.

9 to 5 is crammed with Dolly Parton songs which makes it a must see. If you’re not in Manchester on these dates, don’t worry as this is on a national tour.
Booking: Tickets can be purchased through the ATG Tickets website.

For other Manchester Pride Fringe Festival events see the Fringe Festival website. Find out more about Manchester in our Manchester Guide.

Published by: The Gay UK on Wednesday 31st July 2013.

Share on Social Media:

An Update on New Experiences

By Adventures, LifeNo Comments

At the beginning of the year I wrote a list of New Experiences for 2013. It’s nearly half way through the year, a scary thought I know. So I thought I’d re-look at the list:

  • January – Do something that makes you feel uncomfortable. Done, see Something Uncomfortable.
  • February – Take a photo every day. Done, see the photos here: February Photo Challenge.
  • March – Be honest. Don’t lie, not even those little white lies. I found this one difficult to measure, as I’m generally quite honest anyway.
  • April – Socialise in new places and meet new people. I had a look for local writing groups, but couldn’t find any and gave up. I’m going to Pagan Con 2013 in July which will definitely be a new place to socialise and I’ll get to meet some new people as well.
  • May – See the sun rise & set (not necessarily on the same day). I’ve have had a think and need to see the sun rise & set somewhere beautiful. I hope to see a sun rise & set in July.
  • June – Do something for someone else that is completely selfless. I’ve not planned anything yet, but I’m sure an opportunity will come along.
  • July – Visit a site of historical significance. Done. I’ve visited The Druid Circle and Millom Castle with Simon. See Cumbria Adventure for photos.
  • August – Try a food that you would usually turn you’re nose up at saying you don’t like it before you’ve even tried it. I’ve not even thought about this one yet.
  • September – Publish a short story online. I’ve published two stories, see Bravely Sharing My Short Stories and Creative Writing. In addition, I’m doing some journalistic writing for The Gay UK, see Journalism page for articles.
  • October – See Wicked (the Musical). I’ve booked tickets to see with Steve. We’ve also booked tickets to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Up4aMeet.
  • November – Have a “pamper” night in. I’ve not even thought about this one yet.
  • December – Rest & Relax. Despite the busy pace this time of year, take plenty of time for R&R. I’ve not even thought about this one yet.
  • The phrase: could do better, comes to mind. Still at least I’ve got most planned.

    Blog soon,

    Antony

    Share on Social Media:
    ×