Preview: Musical Comedy Awards 2015 final

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The finalists for the Musical Comedy Awards 2015 are preparing to perform in the Grand Final.

After a series of live heats, quarter-finals and semi-finals, entrants into the annual competition have now been whittled down to just six acts. The selected comedians - Luke Courtier, Peter Bazely, Baron Fingolfin, Rebecca Humphries, DW and Gatis Kandis - will now compete on the big stage at the Bloomsbury Theatre on the 10th April.

Hosted by experienced musical comic Rob Deering, the final will also feature headline performances from Rachel Parris and video mash-up artists Cassette Boy (channelled through DJ Rubbish's Comedy Disco show, pictured).

Additionally, Faye Treacy - who has been named this year's Best Newcomer - will perform a short set. Talking about winning the prize, the comedian - who plays the trombone - said: "The competition was fierce and I'm pretty overwhelmed! I work so hard and this is the first time I've ever won anything. Ahhhhhh!!".

The Awards, which are now in their seventh year, have previously acted as a launchpad for acts such as Abandoman, Frisky & Mannish and Jay Foreman. The 2014 winner was up-and-coming comedian David Elms.

Aside from the prestigious title, the overall winner will receive a £500 cash prize this year. Sponsors WeGotTickets have also provided an additional £300 cash prize for the 'audience favourite' (which may or may not be the same as the winning act picked by the judges).

Talking about this year's Grand Final, organisers Ed Chappell and Tamara Cowan say: "This is without a doubt one of the strongest line-ups for the Final since we began in 2009. We can't wait!"

Below are profiles on the six finalists:


Luke Courtier

Luke Courtier

A graduate of RADA, Courtier has appeared in various theatre shows, including Shakespeare productions. Moving into the world of comedy, he has landed on a style of comedy that involves using a guitar to deliver carefully constructed, verbally dexterous tales.


Baron Fingolfin. Oliver Izod

Baron Fingolfin

A slightly surreal character act from Battleacts star Oliver Izod. The accordion playing character introduces himself as follows: "OH HI THERE POPPETS IT BARON FINGOLFIN HERE I USED TO HAVE FERRET CIRCUS NOW I SING SONG".


Peter Bazely

Peter Bazely

The guitar playing comedian and poet Peter Bazely was born near Liverpool, but his parents moved him away after a year "as he had fallen in with a rough crowd of babies who pushed prams into the river Mersey."


Rebecca Humphries

Rebecca Humphries

As an actor, Humphries has appeared in sitcoms including Cockroaches and Big Bad World. On stage, she sings comic songs. Her show Dizney Rascal, in which she focused on Disney songs, was one of the hits of the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe.


DW. Image shows from L to R: Will Hislop, David Meredith

DW

Musical comedy duo DW - aka David Meredith and Will Hislop - met at university in Oxford. They have been performing musical comedy together for about a year now, and are also two quarters of sketch troupe No Strings.


Britain's Got Talent. Gatis Kandis

Gatis Kandis

Viewers of Britain's Got Talent may remember Kandis from his somewhat disjointed stand-up performances on the TV show in 2012. Despite baffling some of the judges, the Latvian-born comedian made it to the semi-finals of the ITV show. He's now moving into music.


The WeGotTickets Musical Comedy Awards 2015 final takes place at the Bloomsbury Theatre on Friday 10th April 2015. The final is always a popular show in the comedy calendar, so those wishing to be in the audience are advised to book soon. Tickets can be purchased from WeGotTickets

To find out more about the competition visit www.musicalcomedyawards.com

Published: Tuesday 31st March 2015

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