Blooming Hilarious

“November is the funniest month,” as TS Eliot never said. But if he had said it, he’d have been spot on. Because this month, top British stand-up Adam Bloom is heading to Japan to play a venue near you.

The shows – which are being organized by Osaka stand-up comedy collective ROR Comedy – represent Bloom’s first dates in Japan, although he has performed at sold-out shows around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa.

“It really is a bit of a coup for us to get him over here,” said ROR’s founder Edd Daggers.

Bloom announced his arrival on the UK comedy scene by scooping the Time Out Best Stand-up Award in 1998, before going on to play a sold-out UK tour and make numerous appearances on BBC television and at the Edinburgh Festival.

Speaking to KS, Bloom – whose step-mother is Japanese – described himself as “too excited for words” at the prospect of visiting Japan.

“My step-mother Yuki is beyond wonderful. She taught me to use chopsticks when I was seven or eight and I remember hearing how, as a child, she was taught to pick up a single grain of rice because there were people in the world who didn’t have food. That combination of respect and commitment sums up my fascination with Japan.”

Bloom is nothing if not sincere. It’s easy to see why Ricky Gervais described Bloom as “one of my favourite stand-ups – he not only has meticulous, brilliant lines, but also an intense and fragile honesty.”

Bloom is also marvelously original. Asked what audiences in Kansai should expect from his shows he said, “Every show I do is very different. Although I have material, I improvise a lot and pluck stuff from my arsenal as I go.”

To the best of our knowledge, this will be the first time a stand-up of Bloom’s, erm, standing has played a multi-date tour of Japan. It promises to be a fast and hilarious series of shows, with tickets likely to be much in demand.

And that’s not all. In what is shaping up to be a very funny month indeed, ROR Comedy will be welcoming another critically acclaimed comedian earlier in November. Preceding Bloom by three weeks is the triple Edinburgh comedy award nominee Josie Long, who won a Best Newcomer award for her 2006 Edinburgh show, Kindness and Exuberance – words which sum her up perfectly.

So, don’t miss out on two of the UK’s funniest, most respected headline comics this November. Long may comedy Bloom!

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Adam Bloom (Kansai dates)

Nov 26, Kobe, Bar IZNT, 9pm (doors open 8:30pm)
More info

Nov 27, Kyoto, Cafe & Bar Luca/Billy, 9pm (doors open 8:30pm)
More info

Nov 29, Osaka, Zaza House, 8pm (doors open 7:30pm)
Tickets ¥2,000 in advance, ¥2,500 at the door
More info

Josie Long
Nov 8, Osaka, L&L Bar, 8pm (doors open 7:30)
Tickets ¥1,500

For more information on all shows, visit rorcomedy.com

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